Week 8 of the high school football season served to reinforce what fans in East County already knew about our two teams.

Headed into the East County Civil War game this Friday, Montesano and Elma are on opposite ends of the spectrum as far as prep football is concerned.

The Bulldogs remained undefeated with another blowout win, clinched the Evergreen 1A League’s top playoff seed and secured at least a share of the league title.

The Eagles battled hard on a muddy, sloppy Davis Field, but fell to Forks in a triple-overtime contest that determined the league’s third and final playoff seed.

So, unfortunately, the final regular-season game for both teams won’t bear much weight in the grand scheme of things.

Montesano has a little bit of skin in the game because a loss would land the Bulldogs in a tie for the league title with the winner of Forks-Hoquiam. However, because Monte holds the head-to-head tie breaker against both teams, a loss would not knock the Dogs out of the top seed.

Elma’s loss to Forks eliminated the Eagles from playoff contention, so they are playing for pride and bragging rights. Even though the game doesn’t mean anything for the post-season, you know the Eagles will leave it all on the field for this rivalry, especially the seniors who will be playing their last high school football game.

BULLDOGS

Montesano’s dominant run continues.

The Bulldogs now have won all eight of their games by an average margin of more than 36 points. Besides a sloppy but competitive six-point win over Hoquiam, the closest contest the Bulldogs have played was a 36-12 win over Class 2A R.A. Long on Oct. 7.

Carson Klinger has kept rolling all season long. The kid hasn’t had a single bad game, plays great on both sides of the ball, and hasn’t disappeared or gotten lost in the shuffle in any contest.

By my unofficial tally, Klinger has scored 25 total touchdowns and has rushed for more than 1,000 yards this season, not to mention his receiving and kick return production.

I don’t think it’s a lock yet by any means, but, in my opinion, Klinger is the front-runner to win the league MVP award. The junior’s consistent production combined with some spectacular games — most notably a seven-touchdown performance against Sequim in which he rushed for 229 yards, caught a 34-yard TD pass and returned a kickoff 81 yards for a score — have him a notch ahead of Hoquiam senior running back Artimus Johnson, who is having a fantastic season in his own right.

The Bulldogs shouldn’t and likely won’t stray from their typical offensive strategy. They will mix some passes into their versatile running game and get multiple players involved in the offense.

It should be the same cast of characters.

Keep an eye on Klinger, Dakoyta Reninger and Nathan Olson out of the backfield, and look for junior signal caller Trevor Ridgway to make a few plays as well, perhaps to the Red Rivalry hero himself, Bulldogs number-one receiver Nick Chapman.

The unsung heroes of Monte’s offense are the hard-working young men in the trenches, including all-league offensive and defensive lineman Taylor Rupe, who is coming off an impressive 12-tackle performance against Tenino last week.

EAGLES

Elma has improved significantly since the start of the season.

This Eagle squad, which started the year with four straight losses, won two of its next three before pushing Forks to triple overtime last week.

Don’t let the 2-6 record fool you. Elma has some serious offensive talent.

Ira Hartford is impressive. He is a legitimate all-purpose back with a good blend of strength and speed. He’s also a tough runner to bring down and a good pass catcher.

Hartford is not alone on this offense, either.

Brandon Butcher has really stepped up as of late for the Eagles, including two touchdowns against Forks last week. The senior is a top target of junior quarterback Avery Brown, and also returns kicks.

Brown also has improved throughout the season, his first as a starter. He has thrown six touchdown passes in the last two games and rushed for a score last week against the Spartans.

Brown will generally be looking to throw to Butcher, Hartford and 210-pound senior tight end Liam Baxter, whose strong hands and power moves make him a formidable weapon in the passing game as well.

I think the Eagles have enough weapons on offense to put up a couple of scores on the Bulldogs, but in the end, I think Montesano’s offense will overwhelm Elma’s defense and we will see a final score in the ballpark of 49-14.