Goodness gracious, it’s all over. Nine weeks and it’s just about to be in the books. Football’s done, wrap it up, ship it out, let’s get to basketbal-
Oh, what’s that? There’s postseason after this? Another month of meaningful games, starting with one last week of the regular season, loaded with rivalries?
Well then, let’s get to it.
THURSDAY
Kalama at Adna
In the meatgrinder that is the middle of the 2B South, Adna currently sits ahead of Kalama and Onalaska at 2-1 in league play. The Pirates can seal second place — and a home game in the crossover — with a win, but to do that they’d need to find their offense, which is averaging just over six points per game in league play. If they can’t, it could trigger absolute chaos scenarios, which nobody wants to see… right? Right?
Wahkiakum at Onalaska
The high-powered offense that Onalaska discovered in back-to-back wins over Kalama and Stevenson gave way to the mistake-prone, rough trudge that plagued the Loggers throughout the beginning of the season. Now, they have one week to figure things out again, with a matchup against winless-in-league Wahkiakum on the docket. A win would see Onalaska either enter a three-way tie for second or take third place outright.
Morton-White Pass at Raymond-South Bend
With the bottom of the 2B North in complete disarray, we’re left with one good matchup in the entire division. Aside from being a battle for second in the three-way Clash of the Hyphens, this one — between two teams that are currently 6-2 overall, 3-2 in league play — will be for third place. MWP has started to pick up momentum after dealing with the tough back-to-back of losses to Pe Ell-Willapa Valley and Napavine, while RSB is coming straight off its own.
Stevenson at Toledo
Toledo goes into its Week 9 with a league ring snugly on its finger already, having just capped off a 4-0 run in 2B South play last week. Now the Riverhawks get their no-longer-a-division-game matchup against Stevenson, which is now a 1A school but has fared about as well against 2B teams as it did last year — that is to say, not great.
FRIDAY
W.F. West at Centralia
The forecast for Friday calls for a break in the rain, but no matter what the weather ends up being, it’s going to be swampy out in Centralia. The real question here will be whether Centralia can keep things from becoming an out-and-out flood. The Tigers have broken double digits in the scoring column two weeks in a row now, but they haven’t faced an offense like W.F. West, and the Bearcats, fresh off clinching their first 2A EvCo title since 2009, are absolutely rolling right now.
Black Hills at Tumwater
Black Hills last won a Pioneer Bowl in 2018, and the games haven’t been close in the years since. But the Wolves are starting to feel themselves a little more again coming off of back-to-back wins, and an upset here could cause absolute madness for the third and fourth crossover spots in the 2A EvCo. Tumwater has only gotten better since its Week 5 loss to W.F. West, though, and with more key pieces on the line finally returning, the T-Birds will once again be heavy favorites.
Tenino at Rochester
Tenino has already wrapped up the title in the 1A Evergreen, and Rochester has been eliminated from postseason contention in the 2A ranks. That leaves nothing but pride on the line for Friday’s Scatter Creek Showdown, where the Beavers will try to keep their train rolling well. They’re certainly confident about it…
Oakville at Mossyrock
Winlock’s forfeit last week sealed the 1B Pac-5 title for Mossyrock last week with a bit of a thud, while Oakville struggled in a loss to Muckleshoot that put its postseason aspirations in doubt. Both sides will be back to wrap up the regular season against each other, and between the Vikings’ Kolb duo and the Acorns’ Ashton Boyd and Daniel Rodas, this game won’t be lacking for athletic playmakers.
SATURDAY
Napavine vs. Cascade Christian (at Centralia Tiger Stadium)
With a bye almost certainly looming in two weeks for the first round of the state tournament, Napavine really didn’t want a Forks forfeit to turn into another week off. Instead, the undefeated Tigers wrangled themselves one of the best-looking nonleague matchups of the season on paper. This isn’t the Cascade Christian that went 3-7 last season and lost to Toledo by 16; the 1A Cougars come into the final week of the regular season 6-2, with their only losses against ranked 1A sides.
