PORT ANGELES — Port Angeles is in the middle of the Olympic League football race.
Going into tonight’s homecoming game, the Roughriders are tied with Sequim at 1-1 in league games.
Three of the league’s Class 2A teams are still unbeaten in league play, including Port Angeles’ opponent tonight, Olympic, which won the only league game it has played so far this season.
“Now we’re 3-1, we have a lot of confidence, I know that,” Port Angeles senior captain Nathan Angevine said Tuesday after what he said was the Riders’ best practice of the year.
“We’re ready to go out and play and win homecoming and then put ourselves in the playoff race, because we know that we can be there.”
By winning games such as tonight’s against the Trojans (1-0, 2-2), Port Angeles (1-1, 3-1) can move up in the league standings while at the same time knocking another team down a notch.
The Riders could have the services of Miki Andrus, last season’s leading rusher, after the West Central District eligibility committee approved his eligibility this week.
Andrus moved to Nevada earlier this year before returning to Port Angeles for his senior season.
Port Townsend
at Chimacum
CHIMACUM — The Cowboys ride a three-game rivalry winning streak into a showdown with the Redhawks.
The game is set for Chimacum High School at 3 p.m. today, the first Cowboys home game in decades. (See story above.)
Chimacum’s student body is ready for game day, it appears.
“I just got a text message from our athletic director that somebody painted a big CHS at Memorial Field and stuck about 300 plastic forks into the grass there,” Cowboys head coach Mike Dowling said. “So you know it’s officially rivalry week.
“It’s just what we needed to stir [Port Townsend] up and give them more motivation.”
Injuries have hit Chimacum (0-2, 0-4) hard in recent weeks. The team will be without starting center Josh Conklin, after the lineman broke his foot in a previous game.
Starting quarterback Quinn Dowling also will sit due to injury, with James Porter taking the snaps for Chimacum.
After academic suspensions, injury and illness limited the Redhawks’ (1-1, 2-2) effectiveness early on this season, Port Townsend should be at full strength for the first time today.
Many members of the team suffered from the flu last week, with leading running back David Sua missing the game due to illness.
“They are coming in loaded at full strength,” Dowling said of the Redhawks.
Tenino at Forks
FORKS — The Spartans (0-2, 1-3) are back in Forks for a homecoming date with a struggling Beavers team.
Tenino, the defending Evergreen League champions, saw four-year coach Jeff Zenisek move on in the offseason to Class 4A Thomas Jefferson.
The Beavers (0-2, 2-0) started strong, but have lost consecutive league games to Hoquiam (36-21) and Elma (44-14).
Tenino also was Forks’ homecoming opponent last year. The Beavers earned a 21-20 win in triple overtime when the Spartans’ two-point conversion fell short.
Centralia
at Sequim
SEQUIM — The Tigers, complete with their Cincinnati Bengals-striped helmets, visit for a nonleague tilt tonight.
Centralia (3-1) is fresh off a 51-10 dismantling of 3A Kelso last weekend, a win good enough to give the Tigers some votes in The Associated Press state rankings.
The Wolves were held under 100 yards of total offense and without an offensive touchdown in last week’s 33-13 loss to No. 8 North Kitsap, so Sequim will have to establish something quickly in another tough test.
Clallam Bay
at Lummi
BELLINGHAM — Tonight’s game serves as the Northwest Football League opener for each team.
Lummi opened the season ranked first in 1B, but two quick losses, including a nonleague road loss at Neah Bay, dampened enthusiasm for the Blackhawks (2-2).
Lummi has since rebounded to blow out Seattle Lutheran 60-12 and used a strong second half to topple Entiat 50-16, after the two teams were tied at halftime last week.
The Bruins put up 40 second-quarter points in a 62-20 win against Muckleshoot last week. The Clallam Bay defense scored on an interception return, a fumble recovery and a safety in that period.
Neah Bay vs. Lopez
OAK HARBOR — This neutral-site Northwest League football game kicks off on the artificial turf of Oak Harbor High School at 1 p.m. Saturday.
The Lobos have rolled to a 4-0 record in nonleague play, as have the top-ranked Red Devils, who are on a 16-game winning streak.
Neah Bay head coach Tony McCaulley said that the Red Devils have their work cut out for them.
“It’s going to be a real tough one,” he said. “Lopez is a good team. It’s going to be a tough game.”
Rainier Christian
at Quilcene
QUILCENE — Quilcene coach Byron Wilson was pleased his team was able to spread the ball around offensively in last week’s 60-14 win against Crescent.
He hopes to do the same Saturday in the SeaTac League opener for each team.
Rainier Christian (1-2) was dropped 56-34 by Clallam Bay in week two, a team Quilcene beat 48-36 one week later.
Crescent at Tulalip
MARYSVILLE — Saturday’s 1 p.m. game between the Loggers (2-2) and Hawks (2-1) will be live streamed online at tulalip.tv.
The Tulalip tribe funds Tulalip TV, a tribal television station that also broadcasts on the Internet.
Crescent will try to rebound from its 60-14 shorthanded loss to Quilcene last week, while Tulalip Heritage is coming off a 58-0 thrashing of Seattle Lutheran.
