PORT ANGELES — Week five marks the midpoint of the 10-week high school football regular season and nearly all local schools are still alive in the hunt for playoff berths.
Sequim is tied for the top spot in the Class 2A Nisqually/Olympic League and Port Townsend and Chimacum are tied with one other squad in the 1A Nisqually.
Forks is in a four-way tie for third in the SWWA Evergreen Division and the B schools have yet to begin their league schedules.
Port Angeles at Yelm
YELM — Port Angeles showed improvement in last week’s 31-21 loss to North Thurston and hopes to continue moving forward towards their first win against the Tornadoes (1-1, 2-2).
Yelm allowed a 19-7 third quarter lead to evaporate quickly in the final moments of its 27-19 loss to North Kitsap, as the Vikings scored two touchdowns in the final 2:27 of the game.
Port Angeles will have to counter with a Yelm offensive line that averages 280-pounds.
Sequim at Klahowya
SILVERDALE — Sequim plays its third straight road contest on Friday against the Eagles.
The Wolves will have to guard against complacency against a winless Klahowya team (0-1, 0-4).
Klahowya has been shut out twice this year, and its defense is allowing just under 50 points per game.
Port Townsend at No. 3 Cascade Christian
SUMNER — Can the Redskins (1-0, 3-1) upset a ranked opponent for the second straight week?
They will need a defensive effort similar to last week’s 14-10 takedown of the Vashon Island Pirates to topple last season’s state championship runner-up.
The Cougars (1-0, 4-0) are looking to make it 2-for-2 in games against North Olympic Peninsula teams, having defeated Sequim 21-7 in Week Three.
Life Christian at Chimacum
PORT TOWNSEND — Chimacum (1-0, 3-1) looks to keep things rolling in this homecoming contest against the 2B Eagles.
Life Christian (0-1, 0-4) had been a fixture at the top of the Nisqually standings in recent years but has fallen on hard time the past two seasons.
Winlock at Forks
FORKS — After dropping a heartbreaker to Onalaska last Friday, the Spartans (1-1, 2-2) face a mid-season must-win game against the Cardinals (1-1, 3-1).
A win will keep Forks in a tie for third in the Evergreen Division while a loss will push Forks deep into the league standings.
Winlock has beaten two winless teams and a 2B squad this year.
No. 4 Neah Bay at Clallam Bay
CLALLAM BAY — The first round in the 2009 Battle of the Bays favors Neah Bay (4-0).
The Bruins (0-1) started their season on Monday and battled hard to avoid the 45-point mercy rule for as long as they could in a 67-18 loss to Crescent.
Neah Bay’s Titus Pascua has two straight games with 30 or more rushing attempts.
Evergreen Lutheran at Crescent
JOYCE — Crescent will play a straight-up 8-man game against the 2B Eagles (0-3).
Evergreen Lutheran is located in Des Moines and is in its third-year of football since beginning its program in the 2007 season.