Preview Capsules: Hope You Like Rushing Yards

Posted

What’s that? Is the picture starting to get… clearer in District IV football? We’re starting to get our bearings in 2A EvCo play, results that would’ve been surprising in 2B Land three weeks ago are less so now, and the area’s 1Bs combined to put up over 200 points last week.

As we go into Week 4, here’s what the area’s looking at:

THURSDAY

Naselle at Winlock

For as many games as the schedule has, the three games that matter for the postseason in the 1B landscape around these parts come when Winlock, Mossyrock, and Naselle play each other, and this week presents the first such matchup. Since the Cardinals moved down to the 8-man game, the Comets have had their number. It’ll be up to Payton Sickles, who found the end zone four times last weekend to lead the attempt to turn around Winlock’s fortunes against the as-of-yet-undisputed class of the district. 

FRIDAY

Tumwater at Centralia 

It’ll be two teams trending in opposite directions at Tiger Stadium on Friday. On one hand, Tumwater came into the year highly-ranked with one of the best defenses in the state to the table, and seems to have found its offensive groove in a 39-18 win at 3A Kelso. On the other, Centralia knew it would be building from the ground up this fall, but hasn’t gotten its offense off the ground, having yet to score more than seven points in a game.

W.F. West at Black Hills

The memory of 1-8 is far in the past for Black Hills; now the only question is how high the Wolves can climb in the 2A EvCo pecking order. After a win over Rochester last week, third place in the league is entirely attainable, and the Wolves have a crack at one of the two presumed teams higher than them this week. Then again, W.F. West will have something to say for itself, and after a six-touchdown day out of Gavin Fugate in a blowout of Shelton, the Bearcats are rolling as well.

Rochester at Shelton

The Warriors’ 20-point loss to Black Hills could’ve been a much different result had Rochester not given the ball away on each of its first three possessions and four times total in the first half. Moving on to this week, the name of the game will be cleaning up the offense to take on a Highclimbers side fresh off a 42-point loss to W.F. West.

Tenino at Onalaska



Last season, the Beavers and Loggers gave the area one of its best games of the year, complete with 312 combined rushing yards and absolutely nothing through the air in Stone City. This year could see a lot more of the same down Main Ave., but the real question will be how well the Loggers can turn things around coming off of back-to-back shutout losses. After a tough ask against No. 1 Napavine and a short-notice game at Goldendale, Onalaska finally gets its home opener, but a test against Tenino, which just blew out Klahowya over the weekend, won’t exactly be an easy stroll.

Adna at Raymond-South Bend

The final week of non-league play in the 2B world features a few tantalizing crossover matchups, headlined by this one. Adna finds itself 2-1 in a completely wide-open South Division, fresh off of a blowout of White Swan, and another win over a quality North opponent could put some real wind in the Pirates’ sails heading into league action. Raymond-South Bend, meanwhile, has yet to meet a foe that can slow down its rushing attack; that’ll be first priority for Adna come Friday.

Rainier at Morton-White Pass

In one game — heck, in three quarters — MWP went from fringe pick to a legitimate top-3 candidate in the 2B North Division, taking out Forks 24-13 on Saturday. Carter Dantinne is starting to look like one of the more dangerous backs in the area, and Brecken Pelletier is starting to run the T-Wolves’ offense efficiently. Next up for MWP comes a home matchup against Rainier, fresh off the annual not-fun evening that is a game against Napavine.

Napavine at Pe Ell-Willapa Valley

Picked by some as a sleeper in the North, PWV faces a stout test nobody has passed thus far: score a point against Napavine. The top-ranked Tigers have yet to see their end zone blemished by an opposing ball-carrier through 12 quarters this season, while averaging 57 points themselves. The Titans did find their offense last week, gashing Wahkiakum in a 45-7 win, but keeping that up this week is a whole different animal.

Evergreen Lutheran at Oakville

The Acorns kept their foot on the gas all game long in a 70-0 rout of Taholah for their second win in as many seasons against the Chitwhins. Now they just need to prove they can do it to someone else. They’ll try to keep things moving against Evergreen Lutheran, which will be trying to bounce back from a a 43-point loss to Winlock in which it surrendered 75 points.

SATURDAY

Mossyrock at Sound Christian

Hope Mossyrock enjoyed its home game last week; now the Vikings get to go back out on the road, heading to Tacoma to face the Lions. Both the offense and defense are looking very much for real for Mossyrock, which has won all of its games by at least five possessions. Sound Christian, for its part, is 1-2 with losses to DeSales and Naselle.