FORKS — The streak has to stop somewhere, it has to stop sometime.
It’s been more than 14 years since Crescent celebrated a football win over their eight-man football brothers to the west, the Neah Bay Red Devils.
The Loggers beat Neah Bay 34-28 at home Oct. 2, 2004, the win followed by 13 consecutive contested losses and one forfeit at the hands of the Red Devils. And the average margin of victory during the streak is Neah Bay 59, Crescent 18.
Those games include an 80-14 loss in 2011, followed by a 96-12 thrashing in 2012.
The streak has encompassed Neah Bay’s rise as a Class 1B powerhouse, winning four state championships in the past six seasons, including 2016.
With Neah Bay (4-5) beset by injuries and facing a healthy and talented Crescent (6-4) in a Quad-District Playoff game tonight at 6 at Forks High School, that long stretch of futility could reach its end.
The Red Devils beat the Loggers 78-46 earlier this season. But Crescent trailed just 34-32 in that game before committing four straight turnovers to turn a close contest into a rout.
The winner of tonight’s game will head south to face Naselle (7-2) with a state playoff berth on the line.
Prediction: Neah Bay 28, Crescent 26
Sequim at Fife
FIFE — The Wolves trek south for a matchup against the No. 9 Trojans, tonight at 7 at Fife High School.
Fife (8-1) is fresh off losing the South Puget Sound League title game to Steilacoom and should be motivated to put that defeat in the rear-view mirror and reach the Class 2A state tournament.
The Spartans run the old-school Wing-T offense and average 337 rushing yards per game, much of that behind 6-7, 330-pound offensive tackle M.J. Ale.
Ale committed over the summer to play football for the University of Washington.
The Rivals recruiting website ranks Ale as the No. 6 overall college prospect in the state.
Sequim(6-3) has won four straight games, but those came against the bottom four teams in the Olympic League 2A Division.
Prediction: Fife 35, Sequim 14
Forks vs. La Center
WOODLAND — A state playoff berth is on the line for the second straight season when the Trico League champion Wildcats face the Evergreen League No. 3 Spartans (6-3) tonight at 7 at Woodland High School.
Forks should fare better than last season’s 66-12 defeat to a Wildcats team that made the 1A semifinals in 2016.
Prediction: La Center 28, Forks 6
Regular Season Port Townsend at Charles Wright
UNIVERSITY PLACE — If not for two Redhawks losses by a combined 7 points, this game would be for a Class 1A state playoff berth. Instead, Port Townsend (3-3, 3-6) will close the season against the state-bound Tarriers (5-1, 7-2).
Prediction: Charles Wright 27, Port Townsend 20
Klahowya at Chimacum
PORT TOWNSEND — The Cowboys (1-5, 3-6) can finish the season with two straight wins if they can score against the Eagles stingy defense. Klahowya is allowing just 10.2 points per game in Nisqually-Olympic League play (without taking the Eagles’ 62-0 loss to league champion Cascade Christian into account)
Prediction: Klahowya 12, Chimacum 6
Last Week: 6-3
Season to Date: 49-14
________
Sports reporter Michael Carman can be contacted at 360-417-3525 or mcarman@peninsuladailynews.com.
