EDITOR’S NOTE: Updated to correct the time of Port Townsend’s game at Coupeville.
When the Quilcene football team meets Mondays to study film, coach Byron Wilson brings a big tub of red licorice.
And the Rangers devoured every stick. Every time.
“And they actually watch the film,” Wilson said.
Wilson called the Rangers “the fun bunch” while discussing last week’s 26-14 win over Rainier Christian.
“If I could have kids like that, I’d coach until I was 100,” Wilson said.
Another thing about the Rangers: they’re pretty loyal to their road-game routines.
“We have to stop at Walmart every time,” Wilson said.
While there, they have to buy specific things — for Wilson, it’s a turkey and cheese sandwich.
There won’t be a stop at Walmart this week, though, because the undefeated Rangers play at home against undefeated Evergreen Lutheran on Saturday.
Coming into the season, the most anticipated game on Quilcene’s schedule was its matchup with the Eagles.
Evergreen Lutheran won the SeaTac League last year and handed the Rangers, who took second, their only league loss.
Nothing that has happened in the first five weeks of this season has decreased the magnitude of Saturday’s showdown.
Both teams are 4-0, and both received votes in last week’s Associated Press Class 1B poll — Evergreen Lutheran had 27 votes, Quilcene had 24.
So there’s no way around it: This game is significant to the SeaTac League race.
However, the league title won’t be settled this Saturday.
As the Rangers and Eagles found out last week, Rainier Christian and Seattle Lutheran still have something to say.
Quilcene’s lead over Rainier Christian was only four points, 18-14, late in Friday’s game until Eli Harrison’s 60-yard touchdown run gave the Rangers some distance at 26-14.
Evergreen Lutheran and Seattle Lutheran were tied 36-36 until the Eagles scored a pair of touchdowns in the final four minutes of Saturday’s game to win 52-36.
Seattle Lutheran also matched Lummi essentially play-for-play until their game last month was called after three quarters due
to darkness.
After facing the Evergreen Lutheran, Quilcene rounds out its league schedule against Muckleshoot on Oct. 17 and Seattle Lutheran on Oct. 24.
It won’t be an easy journey, but the Rangers likely will enjoy every red-licorice film session and Walmart visit along the way.
Here are two other things learned last week in North Olympic Peninsula high school football:
■ Coker the kicker.
When Port Townsend senior Austin Khile suffered a serious injury during the offseason, it left a hole at kicker, a role Khile has filled since his sophomore season in 2013.
Junior Gerry Coker has filled that hole quite nicely in the Redhawks’ first five games of the season.
Coker has made 32 of 34 extra points and 3 of 4 field goals this season.
The only field goal miss came Friday against Chimacum, a 37-yarder that was attempted on a wet field as it was raining and Port Townsend was leading 56-0. The kick was plenty long, but Coker’s aim was off.
Another odd variable to that kick: it came on first down.
Defensive coordinator Tom Webster told the Peninsula Daily News that reason Port Townsend decided to try the field goal was for practice — when the playoffs come around next month, the Redhawks might need a clutch kick from Coker.
■ Actually, Lummi will probably be a fine test for Neah Bay.
Last week’s “Three Things Learned” asked if Neah Bay would be sufficiently tested before the postseason. The question was based largely on Lummi not being as good as it usually is.
Well, the Blackhawks are slowly returning to full strength. For instance, last week, receiver Trazil Lane returned and caught six touchdown passes in the 72-22 win over Clallam Bay.
So Lummi is looking more and more like it usually does, and just in time for a three-game stretch against North Olympic Peninsula 8-man football teams.
The Blackhawks beat Clallam Bay last week, host Crescent this Friday and then travel to Neah Bay on Friday, Oct. 16.
It’s safe to expect that the second-ranked Red Devils will have to play more than one quarter or one half when they face now-unranked Lummi next week.
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Sports reporter Michael Carman contributed to this report.
“Three things learned in high school football” appears each week during the football season in the PDN.
Sports Editor Lee Horton can be reached at 360-417-3525 or at lhorton@peninsuladailynews.com.
