Week five of the high school football season brought wins for both East County teams for the first time this season.

Fortunately for me, I split my coverage duties and got to watch one half of each game.

Montesano continued its dominant run with a 62-6 home win over Forks in an Evergreen 1A League opener, while Elma notched its first win of the season, 50-36, over Rochester at Davis Field in Elma.

BULLDOGS

When I left Rottle Field, the Bulldogs were up 42-0 near the end of the second quarter.

To be honest, I was a little bit disappointed that it took so long for the home team to score six touchdowns. I mean, it only took eight-and-a-half minutes the previous week.

Just kidding…sort of.

It actually did feel like the Bulldogs started a little bit slow. However, in the interest of full disclosure, they were up 21-0 at the end of the first quarter and scored again within the first three minutes of the second frame.

During this “slow start,” I jokingly made a comment to a friend of mine about the “lack of scoring,” and it was suggested to me that maybe the players had been reading their own press clippings and had gotten a little cocky.

Whoops. My bad.

OK, if you are a Bulldog player, please stop reading now, because I’m about to draw a comparison that could make you even more confident.

These last three dominant wins are reminiscent of, albeit slightly less impressive than, a three-game stretch last season.

The 2015 squad defeated Nooksack Valley, Forks and Aberdeen consecutively by an average score of 56-0. The following week, they had a slightly tougher, 56-21, win over Eatonville, which led to a rivalry matchup against the league’s other top team, Hoquiam.

This year’s team has topped Castle Rock, Rochester and Forks the last three games by an average score of 56-4. This Friday they will face a slightly tougher opponent in Class 2A R.A. Long, then the league’s other top team.

You guessed it. Hoquiam.

The other comparison, which I just realized just the other day, is the primary offensive options for the Bulldogs.

The three primary threats this season have been Carson Klinger, Dakoyta Reninger and Nathan Olson.

Klinger and Reninger have showed the ability to make plays both out of the backfield and as receivers, a la Kylar Prante and Logan Truax, with Olson providing the power runs, much like Kyle Englund did last year.

It’s not a seamless comparison for the individual players, but nice to see others step in to fill the roles of last year’s star seniors.

I’m not saying that this team will duplicate the state semifinal run of the 2015 team, but I am, however, going to reiterate what I said last week.

This team is a little bit younger than last year’s team at some skill positions, but the seniors who play key roles as unsung heroes, along with the playmaking trio of juniors, make this Bulldog team a squad that is built to win now.

EAGLES

I was very happy to be at Davis Field for the second half of Elma’s first win of the season.

The Eagles offense showed some serious potential.

Junior signal caller Avery Brown displayed solid decision making, senior wide out Brandon Butcher showcased his big play ability and Ira Hartford continued to be the engine that makes the Eagle offense go.

Elma has a tough game this week against a Hoquiam team which is coming off a 41-14 league win over Tenino. It will be interesting to see how they respond to the higher level of competition.

Eagle head coach Ron Clark was very pleased with his team’s progress this week and will look to see the positive plays continue to flow.