By Michael Carman and Lee Horton
Peninsula Daily News
KINGSTON — They’ve earned the opportunity, now it’s up to the Port Angeles and Sequim football teams to seize the moment — and possibly a playoff berth.
With wins tonight, the Roughriders and the Wolves keep their postseason hopes alive.
Both teams are seeking their first playoff appearances since 2011.
Port Angeles (2-3, 4-4) travels to face Kingston (1-4, 1-7), which has a postseason dream of its own, while Sequim (2-3, 4-4) hosts Bremerton (0-5, 2-6).
Both games kick off at 7 p.m.
If the two rivals win their respective games, they will have a three-team playoff with North Mason (3-3, 4-4) on Tuesday to decide the Olympic League’s third and fourth seeds to state play-in games.
If one team wins tonight and the other loses, the winner will advance along with North Mason. The loser will be eliminated.
Port Angles beat Sequim this season but fell to the Bulldogs, while Sequim beat North Mason earlier this season.
If both lose, North Mason advances and the Riders and Wolves will play Kingston in a three-way playoff Tuesday for the league’s fourth seed.
If either three-team tiebreaker scenario is triggered, the games likely will be played at Silverdale Stadium on Tuesday.
Port Angeles at Kingston
The Bucs (1-4, 1-7) lost a host of players to graduation including Olympic League MVP Aaron Dickson, first-team all-league quarterback Bobby Reece, halfback Nick Tabanera and five other first-team players from last season’s state playoff team.
Despite its record, Kingston has been a tough win for Olympic League foes.
Sequim needed to make a late defensive stop on fourth down in Wolves territory to preserve a 27-19 win Oct. 19.
The Buccaneers also lost 21-14 to North Mason on Oct. 26 when running back Garrett Rouser was stopped on a third-and-goal play from the 1-yard line as
time expired.
Sophomore quarterback Jack Colletto has completed 94 of 177 passes for 1,104 yards, five touchdowns and six interceptions on the season.
The Roughriders are coming off a 26-10 loss to North Kitsap in which their defense gave the seventh-ranked Vikings a battle.
Offensively, though, Port Angeles gained only 159 yards, an average of 3 yards per play.
The Riders will likely need long, ball-controlling drives to keep Kingston’s passing game off the field.
Nathan Angevine leads Port Angeles with 511 yards (4.7 yards per carry), followed by Sam Burton with 316 yards. Kellen Landry and Miki Andrus also play key roles in the run game.
