PORT ANGELES — With the playoffs a week away, four North Olympic Peninsula prep football teams have punched playoff tickets in advance of this weekend’s slate of contests.
Sequim clinched the Olympic League’s No. 3 seed with a rivalry win over Port Angeles last week. The Wolves will open the postseason on the road at either Steilacoom or Fife next weekend.
Forks sealed a second-straight district playoff berth with a win against Elma last Friday. The Spartans could host that game if they can get past Hoquiam tonight.
Quilcene is the Sea-Tac League champion and District 2’s No. 1 seed to the Quad-District playoffs.
Neah Bay will be one of three Northwest Football League seeds to the Quad-District playoffs and will attempt to seal up the No. 1 seed with a win over Lummi tonight.
Port Townsend and Crescent also have shots at making the playoffs, while Port Angeles and Clallam Bay wrap their seasons this week.
Lummi vs. Neah Bay
CLALLAM BAY — A league title is on the line for the Red Devils (2-0, 4-4) and Blackhawks (1-1, 6-3). The math is pretty simple: if Neah Bay wins, they are the Northwest Football League champs and get a bye to the Quad-District playoffs. If Lummi wins, the Red Devils are the No. 2 seed and will host a playoff game, likely in Forks, sometime next weekend.
Tonight’s game will be played at Clallam Bay High School with kickoff set for 6.
The two teams met earlier this season with Lummi coming out on top 28-0 over a turnover-plagued Neah Bay. The Red Devils have suffered through a ton of injuries since, but I’m not picking against a motivated Neah Bay.
Prediction: Neah Bay 26, Lummi 20
Lummi JV at Clallam Bay
CLALLAM BAY — The Bruins host a six-man football appetizer before the Lummi-Neah Bay eight-man main course today at 4 p.m.
Prediction: Clallam Bay 36, Lummi JV 26
Kingston at Sequim
SEQUIM — The Wolves (3-2, 5-3) prep for a West Central District playoff game next weekend with a senior night game against the Olympic League cellar-dwelling Buccaneers (0-5, 0-8).
Sequim has won three straight games against Kingston dating back to 2013.
The Wolves will face the loser between South Puget Sound League division winners Fife (8-0) and Steilacoom (6-2) in the district playoffs next week.
Prediction: Sequim 30, Kingston 6
No. 6 Cascade Christian at Port Townsend
PORT TOWNSEND — The Nisqually-Olympic League powerhouse Cougars (5-0, 7-1) come to Memorial Field for a senior night contest with the reeling Redhawks (3-2, 3-5), losers of two straight close league contests.
Port Townsend trails Charles Wright (4-1, 6-2) for the league’s second berth to the state playoffs and play the Tarriers next week. If the Redhawks fall tonight, they’ll need some help to make it back to state for the third straight season.
Prediction: Cascade Christian 42, Port Townsend 14
Forks at Hoquiam
HOQUIAM — A potential home playoff game is on the line for the Spartans (2-1, 6-2) on the road against the Grizzlies (2-1, 4-4).
“I expect a big, hard-fought battle,” Forks coach Emil West said. “We have to win the battle of trenches like we won [vs. Elma last week]. [Hoquiam] can throw the ball a little better than the teams we’ve been playing.”
Prediction: Forks 27, Hoquiam 21
Chimacum at Coupeville
COUPEVILLE — The Cowboys’ (0-5, 2-6) best chance at snapping a six-game losing skid comes tonight in a 6 p.m. game against the Whidbey Island Wolves (1-4, 3-5).
Prediction: Coupeville 20, Chimacum 14
Saturday’s Games
Tulalip Heritage at Crescent
JOYCE — The Loggers (0-2, 4-4) face a must-win homecoming game against the Hawks (1-1, 5-1) at 1 p.m. Saturday if they want to advance to the Quad-District Playoffs.
Prediction: Crescent 36, Tulalip 30
Seattle Lutheran at No. 5 Quilcene
QUILCENE — The SeaTac League-champion Rangers (4-0, 7-0) are just hoping to get a game in and stay healthy against the Saints (0-4, 0-5) after Seattle Lutheran forfeited a contest against Tacoma Baptist last week.
Quilcene is ranked fifth in the Associated Press poll this week, the first time the Rangers have entered the rankings after receiving votes for weeks.
Quilcene will have a bye for the first round of the Quad-District playoffs next week and will likely have a rematch against Tacoma Baptist (3-1, 5-3) the weekend of Nov. 10-11.
Prediction: Quilcene 50, Seattle Lutheran 0
Port Angeles at Olympic
BREMERTON — The Roughriders wrapped their season with a game against the Trojans after our print deadline Thursday night.
Prediction: Olympic 20, Port Angeles 13
Last Week: 6-1
Season to Date: 43-11
