PORT ANGELES — Port Angeles hopes to join the four other North Olympic Peninsula prep football teams heading to the postseason with a victory tonight at home against North Mason.
Sequim and Quilcene are the Olympic League 2A and Sea-Tac League champions, Crescent hopes to wrap up the Northwest Football League West Division title with a win over Mary M. Knight on Saturday and Neah Bay will play in the upcoming Quad-District playoffs.
There are a few dominoes that must fall, but essentially the Bulldogs (2-3, 4-4) and Roughriders (2-3, 2-6) are playing for the Olympic League 2A’s fourth and final district playoff berth.
Olympic (3-2, 3-5) and possibly Bremerton (2-3, 3-5) also are in the mix for the final two district playoff spots.
The Trojans face North Kitsap (4-1, 7-1), so they’ll likely end up 3-3 in league play.
The Roughriders own the head-to-head tiebreaker over Bremerton (a 28-9 win), but lost 55-6 to Olympic, so if Port Angeles beats the Bulldogs they’ll make it in as the No. 4 seed and visit the South Puget Sound League champion (winner of tonight’s Fife-No. 3 Steilacoom contest) next Friday.
Tough sledding, that one.
To get past North Mason, the Riders must shut down the Bulldogs 1-2 running back combo of Dylan Tupolo and Reese Smelcer and avoid the penalties and mistakes that have put them in a hole in previous contests.
• Prediction: North Mason 29, Port Angeles 12.
Port Townsend at Chimacum
PORT TOWNSEND — Tonight’s Quimper Quarrel pits the visiting Redhawks and host Cowboys at 7 p.m. at the team’s shared home stadium, Jefferson County Memorial Field.
Port Townsend (2-2, 3-5) is looking for its seventh straight win in the series.
“It’s new for me, but I know the boys will be up for it,” Redhawks first-year head coach Patrick Gaffney said. “It’s here, we are going to be the visitors, but its really a home game for us. It’s our field. That’s the plan — keeping it our field.”
Chimacum’s (0-4, 1-7) own first-year head coach, Chris Storm, is a Port Townsend High School graduate, so that add’s some flavor to the rivalry.
• Prediction: Port Townsend 34, Chimacum 20
No. 3 Hoquiam at Forks
FORKS — The Spartans (1-2, 5-3) will salute its seniors in their season finale at home against the Evergreen League champion No. 3 Grizzlies (3-0, 8-0) tonight.
Hoquiam knocked Sequim from the ranks of the unbeaten in a 42-35 thriller last week. Since Forks only fell by four points to the Wolves this season that tells me the Spartans can compete with the Grizzlies.
• Prediction: Hoquiam 28, Forks 20
Naselle at Neah Bay
NEAH BAY — The Red Devils (3-2, 4-4) host the Northwest Football League North champion No. 5 Comets (5-0, 7-1) in a rematch of a 54-0 Naselle win earlier this month. The Comets are
• Prediction: Naselle 50, Neah Bay 14
Saturday’s Games Crescent at Mary M. Knight
MATLOCK — The Loggers (4-0, 8-2) visit the Owls (3-1, 4-3) with a chance to clinch the Northwest Football League’s West Division title.
The winner will host a Quad-District play-in game next week, likely against Wishkah Valley or Taholah.
Having seen Mary M. Knight play Quilcene tough in a 54-38 loss in week one, Crescent coach Brian Shimko said the Owls will offer a challenge.
• Prediction: Crescent 36, Mary M. Knight 20
Evergreen Lutheran at Quilcene
QUILCENE — The Rangers (4-0, 8-0) would wrap up a second-straight unbeaten run through the Sea-Tac League with a win over the Eagles, a team Quilcene beat 68-0 on the road in a nonleague game earlier this season.
A long wait awaits the Rangers before beginning the Quad-District playoffs. Quilcene has clinched a first-round bye and won’t play again until Nov. 9 or 10.
• Prediction: Quilcene 62, Evergreen Lutheran 0
• Last Week: An ugly 3-4 mark.
• Season to Date: 37-16.
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Sports reporter Michael Carman can be contacted at 360-417-3525 or mcarman@peninsuladailynews.com.
Keith Thorpe/Peninsula Daily News Port Angeles’ Garrett Edwards, left, fends off the defense of North Kitsap’s Colton Bower during last week’s game at Civic Field.
