Who will win? Week 9 high school football games to watch, predictions

Here are three high school football games to watch this week in the lower South Sound, and a full schedule of every other game a local program is playing in.

NO. 7 TIMBERLINE (8-0) AT PENINSULA (6-2)

7 p.m. Friday, Roy Anderson Field, Purdy

About the Blazers: Last season, the Blazers won this meeting with a goal-line stand in the final seconds to capture the inaugural 3A SSC title. This season, the stakes are the same. The undefeated Blazers can win back-to-back titles and the league’s coveted No. 1 seed with a win. Timberline’s unyielding defense has been the story of the season, allowing just 33.9 rushing yards per game in the first eight weeks, and its presence at the line of scrimmage could again be the deciding factor against the Seahawks.

About the Seahawks: If Peninsula is going to upend the defending league champs, it will likely be through the air. While Timberline’s defense is nearly unbreakable on the ground, the Blazers have given up 114.6 yards per game through the air. Both Bonney Lake and Gig Harbor passed for more than 200 yards against the Blazers, and Capital threw for 193. Peninsula has an experienced QB in Burke Griffin (128 of 164, 1,696 yards, 15 TDs), and he looks to be the biggest threat the Seahawks have to find the end zone.

Olympian pick: Timberline, 14-10.

RIVER RIDGE (4-3) AT FRANKLIN PIERCE (5-3)

5 p.m. Friday, Franklin Pierce High School, Tacoma

About the Hawks: River Ridge graduated all of its skill position players from last year’s squad, which advanced to the state quarterfinals, and returned just two starters in linemen Herbert Polu and Mika Faaitu. But don’t consider this a rebuilding year. With a young group, the Hawks have already qualified for the district playoffs for the fourth consecutive season. Two juniors have led the way so far in QB Tomasi Manu (31 of 60, 444 yards; 21 carries, 232 yards; nine total TDs) and RB Maleko Mina (102 carries, 520 yards, five TDs).

About the Cardinals: The winner of this game is the No. 3 seed out of the 2A SPSL, the loser the No. 4 seed, and both teams will host a playoff game next week. But this matchup always seems to have meaning beyond the numbers. River Ridge lost its first 2A SPSL game to Franklin Pierce in 2015 before going on a 19-game winning streak in the league. And last year, the Cardinals stunned the Hawks in the final seconds, on a long pass from Willie Patterson to Mason Starling as time expired to snatch away the league title.

Olympian pick: Franklin Pierce, 17-14.

NO. 9 W.F. WEST (7-1) AT NO. 3 TUMWATER (6-2)

7 p.m. Friday, Tumwater District Stadium, Tumwater

About the Bearcats: W.F. West coach Bob Wollan is well aware of what the Bearcats are up against this week. The league title seems to come down to these two programs most years, and usually ends with a Tumwater win. W.F. West’s last win in this series, a 34-14 triumph, was in 2009 — which is also happens to be the last time the T-Birds didn’t win a league title. The Bearcats, led by QB Nole Wollan (66 of 127, 856 yards; 77 carries, 378 yards; 15 total TDs), have just one blemish on their record this season — a 28-23 loss at Lake Washington in Week 4.

About the T-Birds: Two losses to ranked teams in higher classifications certainly haven’t stumped Tumwater. Since dropping consecutive games to Bellevue and Union in September, the T-Birds have rolled to four consecutive 2A EvCo wins, outscoring opponents 202-26. Now, the T-Birds are on the cusp of winning their eighth consecutive undefeated 2A EvCo title. In Tumwater’s always-loaded backfield, sophomore RB Dylan Paine (162 carries, 1,067 yards, 19 TDs) has churned up the most yards, and leads the area in rushing.

Olympian pick: Tumwater, 27-17.

This story was originally published October 26, 2017 at 6:29 PM with the headline "Who will win? Week 9 high school football games to watch, predictions."