Only two North Olympic Peninsula football teams lived to see the postseason in 2012.
One, Quilcene, has an important 1B state play-in game against Taholah on Saturday at Stewart Field in Aberdeen.
The Peninsula’s other survivor, reigning 1B state champion Neah Bay, is off this week.
The Red Devils will play the winner of Saturday’s Lopez-Mary M. Knight play-in game Nov. 16-17 in the state quarterfinals.
Quilcene and Taholah are seeking a quarterfinal date against powerhouse Lummi with their play-in game.
They bring similar season stories to their matchup.
Like the Rangers, the Chitwins began the season with a three-game losing skid and then went on a five-game winning streak.
Both teams also had bad experiences with the Lummi Blackhawks.
Taholah lost to Lummi 59-24 in September. Quilcene suffered an 80-26 loss to the Blackhawks in last week’s Tri-District playoff game, which brought the Rangers to this game.
After watching film, Quilcene head coach Nic Dahl said his team is tailored to do well against the Chitwins.
He said Taholah is a power-run team with some speed, but it doesn’t spread the defense out much.
“Our defense actually thrives against someone who just pounds the ball,” Dahl said, adding that teams that do this run right into the strength of the Rangers’ defense, middle linebackers Josh King and Devon Greenwood.
Defensively, the Chitwins also have a talented linebacker duo which Dahl said is adept at disguising its blitzes.
But the Quilcene offense spreads defenses out so much that it will be difficult for those Taholah linebackers to hide behind the defensive tackles.
The Rangers also have so many looks, and utilizes players in various ways, that defenses are left guessing.
“We run 10, 11, 12 formations,” Dahl said. “It keeps defenses off-balance.
“It’s fun to coach, especially with these talented kids.”
Junior quarterback Jacob Pleines is the biggest weapon.
“He opens up our passing game,” Dahl said.
“He knows what I want from the offense. He’s a real field general out there.”
Pleines not only throws passes, but Quilcene will also run gadget plays where the ball is thrown to him in order to utilize his athleticism.
But Pleines isn’t the only offensive weapon.
Quilcene has a long list of playmakers, including King, Greenwood, Eddie Perez, Lucas Murphy, Jason Smith and Josh Steele.
If the Rangers beat Taholah, they will make their first state playoffs appearance since 1984.
Lummi is lurking on the other side for the winner of this game.
That’s fine with the Rangers.
“The kids want another shot at them,” Dahl said.
“They don’t think Lummi is 54 points better than them.”
But Quilcene is too grateful to have a game this week to overlook the Chitwins. Dahl points out that it’s uncommon for a team to still be playing after losing a postseason game.
“We’re excited we have another chance,” Dahl said.
The Quilcene-Taholah game will be streamed live at http://www.nw8man.com. Just click “Live” on the left-hand side of the screen.
Kickoff is at 1 p.m.
1B briefing
Here is a rundown of the 1B state playoffs.
Western Washington’s four districts (1-4) have four state playoff spots.
Neah Bay and Lummi are already in after earning the Tri-District’s top two seeds. The Red Devils are No. 1 and the Blackhawks are No. 2.
Quilcene-Taholah and Lopez-Mary M. Knight are both challenge games for the other two playoff spots.
Quilcene is battling Taholah for District 4’s playoff allocation. As mentioned above, the winner plays Lummi in the state quarterfinals.
Lopez and Mary M. Knight are playing for the Tri-District’s third playoff spot, with the winner facing Neah Bay next week.
So, if Quilcene and Lopez win, the Northwest Football League will send four teams to state. If both lose, Northwest Football League and the Pacific Coast Football League (District 4) will each have two state teams.
Looking ahead, the winners of next weekend’s games involving Lummi and Neah Bay will play each other in the state semifinals Thanksgiving weekend.
This is becoming an annual event for these two teams with Neah Bay winning last year and Lummi winning the previous two.
All three times, the semifinal winner went on to win state.
The 1B state championship game will be played Saturday, Dec. 1 at 4 p.m. at the Tacoma Dome.