September is just about over. And when you’re talking about prep football, it is over.
September is non-league play for the Greater St. Helens Leagues. So it’s time to figure out what we’ve learned from four weeks of non-league football as we move into October and games that have real meaning.
4A GSHL: Camas is pretty darn good. But I guess we knew that going in.
Not only have the Papermakers not lost, they haven’t been challenged. Each of their four wins have ended with a running clock.
The question is whether or not any 4A GSHL rival can keep the clock from running on them when they face Camas. Skyview gets the first crack Friday at Kiggins Bowl.
Union appears to be the early favorite to finish No. 2. The Titans had one bad hiccup against Jesuit, but otherwise have looked very solid.
As for third place? Well, right now, it’s up for grabs.
Skyview looks like a team that could make big strides between now and Week 9. But you can’t count any of the other teams out.
Battle Ground has posted two impressive wins after an 0-2 start. Evergreen is 3-1, and Heritage is coming off a 40-0 win.
We should get a better idea of which teams will challenge for No. 3 after this week. The Evergreen-Battle Ground game should tell us a lot.
3A GSHL: When the season opened, it looked like a three-team battle for the league title.
But Prairie has hit a rough patch and seems to be losing players left and right. There’s still time for the Falcons to get it together, but back-to-back losses (including a shutout loss) is not how they wanted to enter league play.
So right now, we’re still looking at Columbia River vs. Mountain View in Week 9 for the league crown. Prairie still looks good for No. 3. Kelso, Hudson’s Bay and Fort Vancouver enter league play with a combined 1-11 mark.
2A GSHL: I’m still looking at a Mark Morris-R.A. Long showdown for the title in Week 9.
Hockinson and Washougal both enter league with 3-1 records. But Hockinson has struggled with consistency on offense, and that can be a big problem against the high-octane offenses that the Lumberjacks and Monarchs have. And Washougal is coming off a shutout loss to Rainier, Ore.
Hockinson opens with Ridgefield before facing Mark Morris and R.A. Long in consecutive weeks. Washougal gets tested out of the gate against R.A. Long.
And let’s not overlook Aberdeen either.
• Volleyball, soccer: League play in the GSHL opens this week in volleyball and soccer on Tuesday and Thursday. In the 4A and 3A GSHL, it’s the same two matchups in both sports that supply the most intrigue to open league play on Tuesday: Camas vs. Skyview and Mountain View vs. Columbia River.
• Boys golf: Believe or not, league play ends this week in the 4A and 3A GSHL. Camas and Columbia River look to lock up regular-season titles before the district tournaments start next week.
