KINGSTON — They’ve earned the opportunity, now it’s up to the Port Angeles and Sequim football teams to seize the moment — and possibly a playoff berth.
With wins tonight, the Roughriders and the Wolves keep their postseason hopes alive.
Both teams are seeking their first playoff appearances since 2011.
Port Angeles (2-3, 4-4) travels to face Kingston (1-4, 1-7), which has a postseason dream of its own, while Sequim (2-3, 4-4) hosts Bremerton (0-5, 2-6).
Both games kick off at 7 p.m.
If the two rivals win their respective games, they will have a three-team playoff with North Mason (3-3, 4-4) on Tuesday to decide the Olympic League’s third and fourth seeds to state play-in games.
If one team wins tonight and the other loses, the winner will advance along with North Mason. The loser will be eliminated.
Port Angles beat Sequim this season but fell to the Bulldogs, while Sequim beat North Mason earlier this season.
If both lose, North Mason advances and the Riders and Wolves will play Kingston in a three-way playoff Tuesday for the league’s fourth seed.
If either three-team tiebreaker scenario is triggered, the games likely will be played at Silverdale Stadium on Tuesday.
Port Angeles at Kingston
KINGSTON — The Buccaneers (1-4, 1-7) lost a host of players to graduation including Olympic League MVP Aaron Dickson, first-team all-league quarterback Bobby Reece, halfback Nick Tabanera and five other first-team players from last season’s state playoff team.
Despite its record, Kingston has been a tough win for Olympic League foes.
Sequim needed to make a late defensive stop on fourth down in Wolves territory to preserve a 27-19 win.
The Buccaneers also lost 21-14 to North Mason when running back Garrett Rouser was stopped on a third-and-goal play from the 1-yard line as
time expired.
Sophomore quarterback Jack Colletto has completed 94 of 177 passes for 1,104 yards, five touchdowns and six interceptions on the season.
The Roughriders are coming off a 26-10 loss to North Kitsap in which their defense gave the seventh-ranked Vikings a battle.
Offensively, though, Port Angeles gained only 159 yards, an average of 3 yards per play.
The Riders will likely need long, ball-controlling drives to keep Kingston’s passing game off the field.
Nathan Angevine leads Port Angeles with 511 yards (4.7 yards per carry), followed by Sam Burton with 316 yards. Kellen Landry and Miki Andrus also play key roles in the run game.
Bremerton at Sequim
SEQUIM — Do the battered and bruised Wolves have enough athletes left to push through to the playoffs?
The Wolves lost the quarterback of their defense, middle linebacker Chris Whitaker, to a broken fibula in last week’s loss to Olympic.
Whitaker’s loss has double the impact as he had become the primary running back after injuries to Sequim’s top runners.
Thankfully, the Wolves most important offensive player, quarterback Miguel Moroles, has come through the season relatively unscathed.
They’ll need a big night from him through the air and on the ground, and will have to contain Calvin Cardwell, the Olympic League’s leading rusher.
Cardwell has rushed for 1,508 yards and 10 scores on 197 carries this season.
Despite its winless Olympic League record, Bremerton have played most league teams close — only Kingston (31-0) and North Kitsap (48-24) have blown out the Knights.
In last year’s meeting between Sequim and Bremerton, the Knights grabbed what seemed like a comfortable 34-0 halftime lead.
But Moroles and the Wolves rallied back, cutting the deficit to 41-35 with 1:05 left in the game on a 25-yard touchdown catch by Josiah Anastasi.
Anastasi then recovered the ensuing onside kick and Sequim drove to the Bremerton 15-yard line before running out of downs.
________
Sports reporter Michael Carman can be contacted at 360-452-2345, ext. 5250 or at mcarman@peninsualdailynews.com.
Sports Editor Lee Horton can be reached at 360-417-3525 or at lhorton@peninsuladailynews.com.
