On Friday night, I was sitting at my desk at The Columbian sports department, feeling sorry for myself.
You see, for the first time this fall, staff scheduling required that I be stuck in the office on high school Friday night.
So I did the next best thing , I tuned into radio via the Internet.
I started with Skyview vs. Evergreen on KKOV 1550 AM (1550talk.com). But that game got away really quickly en route to a 61-9 win for Skyview.
No worries, I thought, I’ll just jump on over to KLOG in Kelso (www.klog.com) for the Mountain View-Kelso game. That wasn’t much better as Mountain View rolled to a 45-0 win.
What about TV? The Columbia River-Fort Vancouver game was being broadcast live. So I tuned the tube on Comcast cable Channel 29 in time to see River roll to a 46-0 win.
So then it was back to KKOV in time to listen to Camas beat Heritage 59-6.
So maybe getting stuck in the office wasn’t such a bad thing after all. I mean, I was dry, I was warm, and there were no lines for the bathroom.
It’s a tune we’ve been humming all season — this blowout waltz. But don’t worry, there are better games on the horizon.
With two weeks left in the regular season, we’ll take a look at what each local team needs to do to make the playoffs and what big games are left on the schedule.
Skyview (5-2, 3-0): The Storm have a non-league game this week against Columbia River before their league finale against Union. If Skyview beats Union, the Storm will be 4A GSHL champions and No. 1 seed to the state preliminary round, where they would host the KingCo Conference’s No. 5 team. The Skyview-Union losers also will be home for the playoffs against the South Puget Sound League’s No. 3 team.
Union (6-1, 2-0): The Titans are in the same boat as Skyview. Union does have a league game Friday against winless Evergreen. But regardless of Friday’s outcome, a win over Skyview in Week 9 would give Union the No. 1 seed to the playoffs.
Battle Ground (4-3, 1-2): Despite losing consecutive league games by a cumulative score of 118-6, the Tigers can still wrap up a playoff berth — and their first winning regular-season since 2003 — by beating Heritage on Friday. But even a loss to Heritage would not end Battle Ground’s playoff hopes.
Heritage (1-6, 0-2): The Timberwolves still control their fate. If they beat Battle Ground on Friday and Evergreen next week, the Timberwolves would claim the 4A GSHL’s No. 3 seed to the playoffs.
Evergreen (0-7, 0-2): The Plainsmen are 0-7, but still alive for a postseason berth, as strange as that sounds. Even a loss to Union on Friday would not end Evergreen’s postseason dreams if Heritage can beat Battle Ground. If that happens, Evergreen could force a three-way tie for third place in the 4A GSHL by beating Heritage next week. That means it’s conceivable that Evergreen could qualify for the playoffs with a 1-8 record.
Camas (6-1, 4-0): The Papermakers can clinch the 3A GSHL title and No. 1 seed to the playoffs by beating Fort Vancouver at home on Friday. That would give Camas a home playoff game on Nov. 5 against the No. 7 team from the historically weak Metro League.
Mountain View (5-2, 3-1): Two wins and the Thunder clinch the No. 2 seed to the playoffs, meaning a home playoff game against the South Puget Sound League’s No. 3 team. But a loss to Columbia River next week could set up a potential three-way tie for second place between Mountain View, River and Prairie — requiring a tiebreaker, possibly on Halloween Night.
Prairie (4-3, 3-2): The Falcons wrap up league play at home against Kelso. If the Falcons win, their season will be extended beyond the Oct. 28 regular-season finale. Then Prairie has to decide if it wants Mountain View to beat Columbia River. That would give Prairie the No. 3 seed to the playoffs and a road game at Wesco League No. 1 team. A River win could open up the opportunity for Prairie to claim the No. 2 seed, but it could also create a way for Prairie to miss the playoffs altogether.
Columbia River (5-2, 3-2): The Chieftains face a must-win game in Week 9 against Mountain View. And even then, a win may only get them into a three-team tiebreaker for the two remaining playoff spots. A Kelso win over Prairie on Friday would help River’s chances.
Woodland (4-3, 3-0): From 0-9 to a 2A GSHL championship? Well, if the Beavers beat Hockinson at home on Friday, that’s what will happen. Friday’s game is the league finale for Woodland. At worst, the Beavers’ loss to Hockinson could lead to a possible tiebreaker for first place with Hockinson and Washougal.
Hockinson (5-2, 2-0): The Hawks face two huge games: Friday at Woodland, and Oct. 28 at home against Washougal. The Hawks could end up as league champions, in a three-team tiebreaker, or completely out of the running for a playoff spot depending on what happens in the next two Fridays.
Washougal (6-1, 1-1): A heartbreaking loss Friday ended any hopes of an outright league title for Washougal. But the playoffs remain in the mix. The Panthers must shake off a tough loss to Woodland and be ready to play a tough Mark Morris team on Friday. A win over Mark Morris means Washougal enters Week 9 knowing that a win over Hockinson would give the Panthers the No. 2 berth to the playoffs or force a three-way tie for first place.
La Center: (5-2, 4-1): With three teams making the district playoffs, La Center can clinch a playoff berth with a win at White Salmon on Friday. It also would put the Wildcats in a position to play of the league championship on Oct. 28 against Kalama.
Ridgefield (5-2, 3-2): The Spudders need to beat Toledo on Friday to keep their playoff hopes alive.
Tim Martinez is the assistant sports editor/prep coordinator for The Columbian. He can be reached at (360) 735-4538 or email at tim.martinez@columbian.com. Follow him on Twitter at www.twitter.com/360TMart
