Week 8 preview

Comets play 'game of the quarter century' tonight
NASELLE — This is the one that everyone has been waiting for — for a very, very long time.
The ninth-ranked Naselle Comets (6-1 overall, 4-1 league), who currently sit in a two-way tie for second in the Pacific League, face off with their north-county rival South Bend (6-1 overall, 5-0 league) tonight at Ruben Pentilla Field at 7 p.m. in Naselle. South Bend is currently ranked fifth in the state and are in first place in the Pacific League, one game ahead of Naselle and Willapa Valley.
The game holds weighty implications for the Comets, who haven't tasted the postseason in around 25 years. A win tonight would assure them a trip to the postseason and a share of first place in the league. A loss would not necessarily cost them a playoff trip — depending on how Valley fairs and whether the Comets win their final game at Ocosta next Thursday — but it would pretty much put them out of the running for the league title.
Naselle and South Bend match-up well. Both teams score high — NHS averages 29 PPG while SB averages 34 — and both hold their opponents to limited points — 11 per game for NHS and 12 per game for SB. South Bend's only loss came in their season opener to Life Christian, 6-17, and have won their last six. The Comets only loss came to Valley, in a 0-7 defensive battle in week four.
See photographs from the game and read recaps from the players Saturday morning right here on the blog. See full coverage of the game in Wednesday's Chinook Observer. Or better yet, get out to Naselle tonight and grab a seat for what has shaped up to the biggest football game played in this region in, well, who knows how long.

IHS travels to Stevenson
The 1-7 Ilwaco Fishermen travel to Steveson tonight to face off against the 1-7 Bulldogs. The two teams are tied for last place in the Trico league.
The banged-up Fishermen forfieted last week's game 1-0 to Kalama after not having enough eligible players to man a team. Stevenson lost last week to Rochester 7-39 after winning their first game of the year the week before at Winlock 49-12.
Both teams have had some limited success scoring this season — SHS 17 PPG, IHS 12 per game — but where their troubles really lie is on the defensive side of the ball — IHS gives up an average of 40 PPG, while SHS allows 42.5 per game.