When Saturday rolls around, half of the regular season in Washington will be in the books. Week 5 has a bevy of games that could be looked back as pivotal contests that determine crossover spots in a month.
Plenty of rivalries begin a new chapter on Friday night and most of the Class 2A and 1A teams begin their league schedules.
Here is a capsule look at the 11 games that feature local teams, including five head-to-head matchups.
Centralia (0-4) at Black Hills (1-3), 7 p.m.
By the time the final buzzer sounds at Tumwater District Stadium on Friday night, one of these teams will sit at 1-0 in the Evergreen Conference. Centralia took a small step in the right direction last week, grabbing a double digit lead in the first quarter before its defense allowed 48 points. The Tigers have lost back-to-back contests by 28-plus points. Black Hills scored more than two touchdowns last week for the first time since Week 1. Since tossing seven touchdowns versus Clover Park, senior Jaxsen Beck has thrown for one score in three straight losses.
W.F. West (4-0) at Aberdeen (1-3), 7 p.m.
It has been an offensive frenzy for the Bearcats, scoring 112 combined points in back-to-back victories over Class 3A teams Timberline and Shelton. Quarterback Gage Brumfield is closing in on 20 total touchdowns this season. For as much attention as the W.F. West offense has gotten, its defense has not allowed more than 15 points in a game and 28 points all season long. Aberdeen picked up its first win of the season last Friday against Hoquiam, 34-9. The Bobcats jumped out to a 28-3 lead after three quarters.
Tumwater (4-0) at Union (1-3), 4:30 p.m.
Friday marks the final non-league game for the Thunderbirds and it will be an early kickoff in Vancouver. Tumwater ran its offense to near perfection in a rout of 1A powerhouse Nooksack Valley with nearly 400 rushing yards. In total, 14 different ball carriers earned a touch out of the backfield and no one reached over 100 yards in the game. Union is attempting to rebound from a 64-21 blowout loss to Tualatin. The Titans have allowed an average of 42 points per game in three losses.
Montesano (2-2) at Tenino (3-1), 7 p.m.
The Class 1A Evergreen League schedule kicks off with a banger between the cream of the crop in the Bulldogs versus the up-and-coming Beavers on the Blacktop. Tenino breezed past Centralia behind 222 rushing yards from Michael Vassar and 166 receiving yards by Austin Gonia. Coach Darren Tinnerstet is trying to lead his group to a second win over Montesano in three years. The Bulldogs have won two straight after an 0-2 start, blowing past a couple area schools in Black Hills and Napavine.
Rochester (2-2) at Elma (2-2), 7 p.m.
These two 1A Evergreen League programs are going in opposite directions with their clash quickly approaching. The Warriors have won two straight convincing games after two single-possession heartbreakers. Ethan Rodriguez is nearing 500 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns on the year while Xander Peterman sits at five tackles for loss for Rochester. Elma began the final 2-0, but have since lost back-to-back by 49 total points. Eagles quarterback Isaac McGaffey sits at eight touchdown passes to just one interception.
Napavine (2-2) at Adna (2-2), 7 p.m.
One of the classic rivalries in Lewis County renews on Friday night in a C2BL West matchup. The Pirates are coming off a 47-7 shellacking of Raymond/South Bend that featured Gavan Muller, Beau Miller, Luke Mohney and Layden York all finished with 100 total offensive yards in the win. They have eclipsed 40 points in both of their victories. Napavine allowed 21 points in the second half to falter against Montesano last week. Grady Wilson accounted for all of the Tigers’ touchdowns versus the Bulldogs.
Mossyrock (1-3) at Toledo (4-0), 7 p.m.
A 5-0 start is on the board for the Riverhawks, which would be a first since the 12-0 start back in 2016. Their last game against Toutle Lake ended three minutes before the final horn after a fight broke out after a kickoff. Eli Weeks and Carter Swofford each finished with multiple rushing touchdowns. Mossyrock won via forfeit last week due to Winlock not fielding enough players last week. The Vikings last played on Sept. 20, falling to Onalaska 62-8. Easton Kolb has been the primary offensive weapon for Mossy.
Rainier (2-2) at Winlock (0-4), 7 p.m.
Both of the C2BL East programs are coming off varying degrees of Week 4 disappointments. The Mountaineers were blasted by Onalaska 70-0 in which they gave up 62 of them in the first half. Meanwhile, the Cardinals had to forfeit their matchup due to injuries and ineligible players. At the time of this writing, this game is still scheduled to kick off. Rainier is trying to get back to over .500 for the second time in three weeks. Winlock last suited up versus Toutle Lake, where it dropped a 35-6 verdict.
MWP (2-2) at Onalaska (3-1), 7 p.m.
Since falling to Nooksack Valley by 26 points in the season-opener, the Loggers have turned the corner significantly by allowing 16 total points and have romped three straight foes by margins of 26, 54 and 70 points. Rodrigo Rodriguez and Blaze Underhill have been the workhorse ball carriers to this point. MWP has dropped two straight after a 2-0 start and both setbacks have been by at least 30 points. The Timberwolves have not scored double digit points in six of the last eight quarters.
RSB (1-3) at PWV (2-2), 7 p.m.
After the resignation of their previous head coach due to personal reasons, the Titans rallied behind interim head coach Josh Seymour and a 20-point deficit to defeat Lake Roosevelt in overtime. They snapped a two-game skid against two of the best teams in the other half of the C2BL. Raymond/South Bend are coming off a deflating 47-7 loss to Adna where it didn’t score until the fourth quarter. The Ravens have not won since the season-opener. They have a trio of running backs with at least three touchdowns.
ONR (2-2) at Taholah (2-0), 7 p.m.
The Acorns suffered their lowest scoring output of the season last week versus Wahkiakum. It snapped their two-game winning streak now heading into a second straight road contest. ONR is attempting to match last season’s win total with a victory. Gio and Daniel Rodas have remained the engines of the Acorns offense. Taholah started its season two weeks ago and have piled up 84 points in both victories. The two have a common opponent in North Beach, where ONR won by 10 and the Chitwhins triumphed by 54.
