And just like that, two weeks remain in the WIAA’s football regular season.
The state tournament looms large in just a few weeks, but in the meantime, there will be plenty of jockeying for seeding and postseason bids.
A complete look towards the Week 8 slate, starting with a trio of local rivalry games with massive league implications:
W.F. West (6-1) at Tumwater (6-1), 7 p.m.
The Bearcats and Thunderbirds fell way back in Week 1, but since then, both teams have looked the part of true state contenders. Tumwater has scored at least 45 points in each of its past six wins, while W.F. West has put up 55 or more in three of its last four, including a 70-piece last week against Centralia. For the second year in a row, the winner will clinch the EvCo title and get a massive boost in the eyes of the seeding committee.
Onalaska (5-2) at Toledo (7-0), 7 p.m.
Another league title is on the line in Toledo, where the Riverhawks are hosting Onalaska in a C2BL East matchup. For the second year in a row, Toledo enters this matchup undefeated, and Onalaska enters looking strong since a Week 1 loss. The Loggers will do what they always do — pound the rock — while the Toledo offense will hope to have more success after getting shutout against Onalaska last fall.
Tenino (6-1) at Rochester (5-2), 7 p.m.
For the first time since 2022, the Scatter Creek Showdown is back in Rochester, and the Warriors will look to win the trophy back after falling to Tenino on the black top last fall. Ethan Rodriguez topped the 1,000-yard mark last week, and Maddox Rodgers will only need 17 to do the same this Friday. It’ll be a great test for a Tenino defense that allowed 49 points to Montesano three weeks ago, but has allowed just 8.33 points per game in its six wins.
Vashon Island (0-6) at Centralia (1-6), 7 p.m.
The Tigers will be hoping to bounce back from its Swamp Cup loss, and they may be facing just the team to do that. Vashon Island has scored just nine points (including one touchdown) all season long, and they’ve given up an average of 49.17 points per game. If Centralia is able to win, it would be its first home win since Feb. 2021, a span of 22 games.
Black Hills (2-5) at Aberdeen (4-3), 7 p.m.
The third and final playoff spot in the EvCo is on the line in Aberdeen. The Bobcats have been a coin flip this season, alternating between wins and losses since winning back-to-back games against Rochester and Hoquiam at the end of September. The Wolves have lost five of their last six since winning their opener, but a victory would put them at 2-1 in league play and in a position to qualify for the postseason.
Ilwaco (3-4) at Adna (5-2), 7 p.m.
The Pirates will enter their season night on a four-game winning streak, and a win would keep them undefeated and in at least a tie for first in the C2BL West (with Pe Ell-Willapa Valley). Trevin Salme has continued to settle in under center, while Beau Miller and Naillon Ramirez have combined to form a formidable backfield duo. Since starting 3-1, Ilwaco has lost three straight, and another loss could set up an elimination game next week against RSB.
Pe Ell-Willapa Valley (6-1) at Napavine (3-4), 7 p.m.
Since an unprecedented losing streak, the Napavine Tigers have gotten back on track, but they’ll have a tough task with a PWV team off to its best start in nearly a decade. The Titans have only allowed more than 13 points in a game once this year, and Brody Ritzman, Lucas Lusk, and Blane King give PWV the ability to strike at all levels. Napavine will continue to lean on Caleb Von Pressentin, who will be the Titans’ biggest defensive challenge since facing Toledo.
Rainier (2-5) at Mossyrock (1-5), 7 p.m.
As it stands, the winner of this matchup will move into the No. 5 spot in the C2BL East, a playoff spot, while the loser will fall to the six and out of the playoff picture with one week to go. The Mountaineers came away with a massive win over Toutle Lake last Friday and have now won two of their last three, while the Vikings haven’t taken the field since losing to that same Toutle Lake team by 46 on Oct. 10.
Morton-White Pass (3-4) at Toutle Lake (4-3), 8 p.m.
A win for either Toutle Lake or Morton-White Pass would be the second league win of the year, and the winner would all but officially clinch a crossover berth. Since starting the season 3-0, the Timberwolves have lost their last four, and the Ducks enter having lost four of their last five. The transitive property means little when the teams step between the lines, but Toutle Lake went 2-0 against Ilwaco and Bellevue Christian, while MWP went 0-2 against those two teams.
Winlock (2-5) at Muckleshoot Tribal (1-5), 4 p.m.
A Tahloah forfeit left Winlock looking for a game, and the Cardinals found a matchup in Auburn against Muckleshoot Tribal Friday afternoon. The Kings lost their first five games of the year, and none of them were closer than 40 points, but they did defeat Concrete 48-24 last week to get in the win column. The Cardinals snapped a skid of their own two weeks ago against Oakville, but lost its most recent matchup against North Beach last Friday.
Entiat (5-2) vs. Oakville (3-4), Saturday, 2 p.m.
Road trips aren’t uncommon in the 1B realm. That will be no different for Entiat this weekend, when the Tigers make the 226-mile trip to Oakville for a non-league matchup on Saturday. They lost their first two games of the season but haven’t stumbled since, winning each of their last five games by an average of 38.2 points. Oakville has lost four of its last five, but should get a boost from a nine-day break since its last matchup against Northwest Christian (Lacey).
