Football season goes by so fast.
Six weeks of gridiron action have come and gone. Most Evergreen 1A teams have hit the midway point in their league schedules and, for the most part, the standings have turned out about how we thought they would.
Most importantly, all indications are that Friday’s week-7 matchup between Montesano and Hoquiam will be exactly what we all hoped it would be. A league championship game.
Granted, there are some i’s to be dotted and some t’s to be crossed, but transitive law tells us that the Bulldogs and Grizzlies are the two best teams in the league by a wide margin.
GRAYS HARBOR RED RIVALRY
The Monte-Hoquiam rivalry extends beyond football to baseball, softball, volleyball and other sports. The Bulldogs and Grizzlies have repeatedly been in competition at the top of the Evergreen League and have met in district, regional and state playoff games on a consistent basis.
There have been big upsets, great comebacks and stellar individual performances.
From former Grizzly star Nolan Hoiness’ school record 354-yard, three-touchdown rushing performance against a Bulldog team that eventually went on to win the state title in 2012, to Montesano’s softball victory over Hoquiam in the state title game in 2015 after losing to the Grizzlies in the district championship just a few weeks prior, to Hoquiam’s thrilling 8-7 win over Monte in a regional playoff baseball game in 2015.
I could list more, and it would never grow old to me, because this rivalry is so much fun.
I am of the opinion that the rivalry between Montesano and Hoquiam needs a good name.
Aberdeen and Hoquiam have the “Myrtle Street Rivalry,” and Montesano and Elma have the “East County Civil War,” but the truth is those games have lost a lot of steam since they have often been so one-sided.
The struggle is coming up with a good name, so I utilized the tools I have – Facebook messenger – and sparked a conversation between some of the best minds in local sports media.
Full disclosure: I’m using the term “best minds” very loosely.
The conversation was insightful, productive, inappropriate and often blunt and mean. We cycled through some brilliant ideas like “The Bear-Dog Brawl,” “The Ewok Rivalry Game” (because an Ewok is basically a combination of a dog and a bear), “The Grays Harbor Grudge,” and “The Rob Burns Hoqui-sano Holdup,” but in the end we reluctantly settled, by split decision, on “The Grays Harbor Red Rivalry.”
You know…because crimson and maroon are both shades of red.
It’s not great, but this is harder than it seems, so give it a try for yourself before you make fun.
THE GAME
The fourth-ranked Bulldogs are 6-0 overall (1-0 in league play), the Grizzlies are 4-2 (2-0). The eyeball test tells me these two teams are head-and-shoulders above the rest of the league.
In case you need more proof, Hoquiam easily handled both Tenino, 41-14, and Elma, 46-7. Montesano annihilated Forks, 62-6. The Spartans then topped Tenino, 22-20, last week.
Since Tenino, Elma and Forks are the rest of our five-team league, I think it’s safe to say that Monte and Hoquiam are the real contenders here.
So, Bulldog fans, let me tell you what to look for against the Grizzlies on Friday at Olympic Stadium.
Hoquiam likes to throw the ball.
Senior 6-foot-5 quarterback Gregory “Bubba” Dick is a great arm talent with a variety of weapons who can get the job done through the air.
The Grizzlies are not, however, a one-dimensional team. The best player on Hoquiam’s roster may just be senior running back Artimus Johnson.
Johnson runs with authority and displays an impressive combination of strength and speed. He also can make plays in the passing game, which he proved against Elma with 139 yards and two touchdowns on just two receptions.
Montesano has an impressive arsenal of offensive skill players as well, with junior running back Carson Klinger leading the charge. Senior fullback Nathan Olson and junior running back Dakoyta Reninger also have proven to be valuable offensive weapons for the Bulldogs, along with junior quarterback Trevor Ridgway and senior wideout Nick Chapman.
Klinger is having a fantastic season. He has consistently racked up scrimmage yards and found his way into the end zone. By my unofficial tally, Klinger has scored 19 touchdowns through the first six games and is on pace to easily eclipse 1,000 yards rushing before the nine-game regular season is over.
Look for your Bulldogs to display a balanced offensive attack with Klinger as the primary weapon.
The biggest key for Montesano, as always, is to play Bulldog football with a few added wrinkles based on the scouting report and what you see on film.
Head coach Terry Jensen, defensive coordinator Brian Hollatz and the rest of Montesano’s coaching staff are the best at this, which is why the Bulldogs have enjoyed so much success over the last several years.
This could be a tight contest, and will definitely be the biggest test Monte will face before the playoffs start in November, but I predict a double-digit win for the Bulldogs. Something in the ballpark of 35-25.
