BREMERTON — It’s only Week 3, but the winner of tonight’s matchup between Port Townsend and Klahowya gains the upper hand in the Olympic League 1A race.
The Redhawks and Eagles were the class of the Olympic League’s 1A Division in 2014 and all signs so far point to the same being true this season.
Port Townsend, which moved into The Associated Press Class 1A rankings at No. 10 this week, is off to a dominant 2-0 start, beating Port Angeles 49-0 and Bellevue Christian 44-0.
Klahowya lost to Elma 49-13 before beating Bremerton 7-0 last week.
The Eagles’ offense relies on the arm of George Harris, who averages 188 yards passing per game.
Nate Hough is his favorite target with seven receptions for 175 yards.
Klahowya has only run for 110 yards in the first two weeks combined.
That’s quite the contrast to the Redhawks, who average 327 yards on the ground and 90 through the air.
Wesley Wheeler (271 yards), David Sua (134) and Ezra Easley (104) all have surpassed 100 yards rushing on the season, while Detrius Kelsall has 78 yards and four touchdowns on the ground and has made three receptions for 50 yards and another TD.
“I think our speed will help us. It usually does on the [artificial] turf,” Snyder said.
“With our type of offense, we try to utilize the entire football field, and our speed is good to the outside.”
The game kicks off tonight at 5 p.m. at Silverdale Stadium. It can be heard live online at
ispnsports.com.
Sequim at Kingston
■ Friday at 7 p.m.
KINGSTON — The Wolves and Buccaneers will learn a lot about themselves tonight.
Sequim has opened its season with a pair of blowout wins over Olympic League 1A teams (43-6 over Chimacum, 41-0 over Coupeville).
Kingston, meanwhile, has two losses to teams that are ranked in The Associated Press Class 2A rankings (14-3 to No. 10 W.F. West and 38-0 to No. 9 Archbishop Murphy).
The Wolves’ offense has the sort of balance that teams strive for, averaging 206 yards rushing per game and 155 yards passing.
Whether running or throwing, Sequim’s top weapon has been Gavin Velarde. The sophomore has run for 146 yards and three TDs and has six catches for 120 yards and one score.
That being said, the Wolves don’t rely solely on Velarde in either aspect of the offense, spreading the runs and catches — and even the throws with quarterbacks Nick Faunce and Riley Cowan — around among a number of players.
North Mason at Port Angeles
■ Friday at 7 p.m.
PORT ANGELES — The Bulldogs have three straight wins over the Roughriders, dating back to the 2011 season.
Port Angeles (1-1) rebounded from being routed by Port Townsend to defeat Vashon 27-18 last week.
North Mason (0-2) has lost its first two games by 14 and 33 points, but Riders coach Bret Curtis expects a tough test and said his team will need to play better against the Bulldogs than in last week’s win.
“They’re going to be ready to play, that’s all there is to it,” Curtis said.
“They’re going to be a good team.”
Forks at Montesano
■ Friday at 7 p.m.
MONTESANO — This rivalry has changed dramatically since Terry Jensen left the Spartans for the Bulldogs, including the dynamic of this Evergreen League rivalry.
Forks held a 13-12 advantage until Jensen’s departure in 2001. Montesano (1-1) has dominated since and now holds a 25-13 advantage heading into tonight’s game.
Craig Shetterly, Forks’ newest coach, earned his first win with the Spartans last week 33-28 over Chimacum.
Forks (1-1) quarterback Cole Baysinger was named the WIAA Class 1A boys Athlete of the Week after completing 21 of 30 passes for 355 yards and four touchdowns against the Cowboys.
Tonight’s game will be broadcast live on Forks 1490 AM and online at forks1490.com. The pregame starts at 6:05 p.m.
Quilcene at Clallam Bay
■ Friday at 7 p.m.
CLALLAM BAY — This nonleague 8-man football matchup was in jeopardy after the Bruins lost a few players to injury last week, but coach Cal Ritter said that Clallam Bay will have 11 or 12 players.
However, the Bruins (1-1) will be without phenomenal freshman Clayton Willis, who was injured against Rainier Christian last week.
After sitting out Week 1, Quilcene (1-0) began its season by blasting Mary M. Knight 56-0.
Neah Bay at Taholah
■ Friday at 6 p.m.
TAHOLAH — Say this for the Chitwins, they aren’t afraid to play the best of Class 1B.
Not only is Taholah (0-2) a yearly opponent for the Red Devils, it has already played Lummi (2014 state semifinalist) and Evergreen Lutheran (defending SeaTac League champions) this season.
The Chitwins lost both games, however.
This week, they’ll face a rested Neah Bay (1-0) team, which sat out last week when Lummi had to cancel due to a lack of players.
Coupeville at Chimacum
■ Friday at 5 p.m. at Memorial Field
PORT TOWNSEND — The Cowboys look to end their 14-game losing streak against the winless Wolves.
Both teams have suffered at the hands of Sequim this season, Chimacum (0-2) losing 43-6 in Week 1 and Coupeville (0-2) falling 41-0 last week.
The Cowboys found some optimism last week after rallying to within five points but ultimately falling short against Forks.
Crescent at Oakville
■ Saturday at 1 p.m.
OAKVILLE — The Loggers look to mirror their first three games of last season when they started 2-1 by following a season-opening loss to Clallam Bay (1-1) with wins over Muckleshoot and Oakville (0-1).
Crescent defeated the Kings last week 38-0 in a game that was called at halftime.
