The Rams are still #1, but they will have a stiff test over the next three weeks to stay there

Not much movement at the top of the Oly Sports power rankings as the top seven teams all took care of business. The biggest jump this week comes from Olympia who moves up two spots to #8 thanks to their 15-14 win over South Kitsap. It wasn’t terribly convincing, but South Kitsap is a decent team and it does move them to 2-0 in the 4A Narrows. Black Hills and Yelm each drop a spot in my totally unscientific power rankings…

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1. North Thurston Rams (5-0)
Last week: #1 (No change)
Previous game: North Thurston 34, Wilson 0
Next game: vs. Tumwater (4-1) – South Sound Stadium – Friday, 7:00 PM

Notes: North Thurston’s defense has been ridiculous allowing just 42 points through five games, and most of those points have come when the game was long over. The Rams’ will get their opportunity to prove themselves over the next three games starting with a non-league test against Tumwater, a trip to Shelton in two weeks and homecoming against Timberline in three weeks. All three opponents feature a dynamic offensive player the quality that the Rams have yet to face. Will their defense be up to the task or have they just played weaker offenses? We shall see.

2. Tenino Beavers (5-0)
Last week: #2 (No change)
Previous game: Tenino 62, Rainier 6
Next game: @ La Center (5-0) – La Center HS – Friday, 7:00 PM

Notes: As expected, the Beavers drilled Rainier 62-6. But like North Thurston, Tenino faces three straight extremely tough challenges. This week they head to La Center to take on the 5-0 Wildcats in a non-league game. They then host Montesano and travel to Hoquiam in three weeks.

3. Shelton Highclimbers (5-0)
Last week: #3 (No change)
Previous game: Shelton 43, Foss 8
Next game: @ Lincoln (3-2) – Lincoln Bowl, Tacoma – Friday, 7:00 PM

Notes: Ralph Kinne rushed for another 269 yards and four touchdowns and now has rushed for 1439 yards and 14 TDs through five games this season. And since the Highclimbers knew that Foss would offer no real challenge, they practiced their passing game and finally got David Ajamu some catches and confidence. The Highclimbers next get a Lincoln team that has been roughed up by North Thurston and Timberline the last two weeks.

4. Tumwater T-Birds (4-1)
Last week: #4 (No change)
Previous game: Tumwater 21, WF West 20
Next game: @ North Thurston (5-0) – South Sound Stadium – Friday, 7:00 PM

Notes: It was uncomfortably close, but the T-Birds did get past WF West on Friday night and are now sitting pretty in the 2A Evergreen Conference. While the non-leaguer against North Thurston is relatively unimportant for the T-Birds in the long run, a win will really show how far this young team has come since their opening game loss to Shelton.

5. Timberline Blazers (4-1)
Last week: #5 (No change)
Previous game: Timberline 28, Lincoln 13
Next game: @ Foss (1-3) – Mount Tahoma Stadium, Tacoma – Friday, 7:00 PM

Notes: Timberline took advantage of a ton of Lincoln mistakes to run their record to 4-1 this season and are rewarded with games against the 3A Narrows League’s basement, Foss and Mount Tahoma in consecutive weeks. This is a time that Timberline can work out a few kinks and set themselves up for a strong stretch run against North Thurston and Shelton.

6. Capital Cougars (4-1)
Last week: #6 (No change)
Previous game: Capital 48, Centralia 3
Next game: @ Bellarmine (5-0) – Memorial Field, Tacoma – Friday, 7:00 PM

Notes: Capital got back on track with a drubbing of Centralia, which comes as no surprise. But this week they face another 4A school when they travel to Tacoma to take on 5-0 Bellarmine. The Cougars are 3-0 over 4A teams this season but they haven’t faced anyone quite like the Lions yet.

7. River Ridge Hawks (4-1)
Last week: #7 (No change)
Previous game: River Ridge 20, Black Hills 13
Next game: @ Centralia (0-5) – Tiger Stadium, Centralia – Friday, 7:00 PM

Notes: The Hawks are 4-1 and a win over Black Hills on Thursday finally broke the two schools apart in these rankings. However, River Ridge hasn’t sold me yet, mainly because they haven’t played the three EvCo powers yet. But they will, three weeks in a row to close out the regular season. But first, a trip to 0-5 Cemtralia.

8. Olympia Bears (2-3)
Last week: #10 (+2)
Previous game: Olympia 15, South Kitsap 14
Next game: vs. Central Kitsap (4-1) – Ingersoll Stadium – Friday, 7:00 PM

Notes: After not scoring in their first two games, the Bears have played relatively well for three games. They played Timberline tough, beat up on lowly Stadium and pulled off a surprising one point win against South Kitsap in Port Orchard. The Bears are in second place in the 4A Narrows League at 2-0, a half game behind Bellarmine. Third place Central Kitsap comes to town on Friday.

9. Black Hills Wolves (3-2)
Last week: #8 (-1)
Previous game: River Ridge 20, Black Hills 13
Next game: vs. WF West (3-2) – Tumwater Stadium – Friday, 7:00 PM

Notes: The Wolves took an early lead against River Ridge but were unable to hold on against a similarly matched team and have settled into fourth place in the EvCo. Black Hills isn’t a bad team but in a league that has turned out to be exceptionally deep, the Wolves are probably the sixth best team ahead of only Centralia. A win against WF West this week would prove me wrong.

10. Yelm Tornadoes (3-2)
Last week: #9 (-1)
Previous game: Central Kitsap 35, Yelm 17
Next game: vs. South Kitsap (3-2) – Yelm Tornadoes Stadium – Friday, 7:00 PM

Notes: Yelm went 3-0 to start against weak competition but now that they are into the meat of their schedule, they have hit the skids. Shelton roughed them up last week and Central Kitsap dropped them to 1-1 in conference with a 35-17 win. Can they get back on track on Friday when South Kitsap comes to town?

11. Rochester Warriors (1-4)
Last week: #11 (No change)
Previous game: Elma 33, Rochester 13
Next game: vs. Montesano (3-2) – Rochester HS – Friday, 7:00 PM

Notes: New coach, same old problems for the Warriors. But how could you expect anything to change quickly for a team that is on their third coach in three years? And the prospects are slim to improve on last season with Montesano, Forks and Tenino still ahead.

12. Rainier Mountaineers (0-5)
Last week: #12 (No change)
Previous game: Tenino 62, Rainier 6
Next game: @ Forks (2-3) – Forks HS – Friday, 7:00 PM

Notes: And finally, we have Rainier. The Mountaineers have been outscored 242-39 this season and will struggle to pick up a win in the next three weeks against Forks, Hoquiam and Montesano. They do have a non-league game at the end of the season against 0-5 Seton Catholic that could keep them from going winless.

The Rams dominated Lincoln and jump to the #1 spot

Big shakeup in the Oly Sports power rankings as previous #1 Capital lost to Tumwater in double overtime, North Thurston dominated Lincoln in Tacoma and the battle of the unbeatens went convincingly to Shelton. So where does everybody end up? Let’s check out my highly unscientific look at where the 12 Olympia area football programs stand, in my (not so expert) opinion…

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1. North Thurston Rams (4-0)
Last week: #3 (+2)
Previous game: North Thurston 36, Lincoln 7
Next game: vs. Wilson (2-2) – South Sound Stadium – Saturday, 7:00 PM

Notes: The Rams jump to the top spot after a dominating performance over the previously unbeaten Lincoln Abes at Lincoln Bowl in Tacoma. The Abes had scored 138 points in three games but the Rams’ stout defense held them scoreless until the very end of the game. The Rams have now given up just 42 points through four games, lowest in both the 3A and 4A Narrows League, and host a struggling Wilson Rams team on Saturday night.

2. Tenino Beavers (4-0)
Last week: #2 (No change)
Previous game: Tenino 28, Elma 12
Next game: @ Rainier (0-4) – Rainier HS – Friday, 7:00 PM

Notes: The high powered Beavers ran into a tough Forks defense that limited them to just two offensive touchdowns, so it was Tenino’s defense that stepped up and took two Spartans passes to the house. Devante Harris did the damage on offense again going for 233 yards and two touchdowns from Mac Shaw. Expect more from the Beavers this week when they try to spoil 0-4 Rainier’s homecoming.

3. Shelton Highclimbers (4-0)
Last week: #4 (+1)
Previous game: Shelton 38, Yelm 14
Next game: vs. Foss (1-2) – Highclimber Stadium – Friday, 7:00 PM

Notes: Ralph Kinne was ridiculous rushing for another 274 yards and five touchdowns (four rushing and one kickoff return) but the Shelton defense deserves just as much credit for containing the Yelm Tornadoes rushing attack in the Highclimbers’ 38-14 win in Yelm. They surrendered a 65 yard run by Kyle Brownell on the first play of the game but bottled up Yelm’s all-time leading rusher, Jacob Swilley. Swilley did finish with 92 yards and a touchdown late in the game, but Yelm stayed home on the fakes and misdirections and limited the big plays.

4. Tumwater T-Birds (3-1)
Last week: #6 (+2)
Previous game: Tumwater 35, Capital 28 – 2OT
Next game: vs. WF West (3-1) – Tumwater Stadium – Friday, 7:00 PM

Notes: Wow. If you have not seen how Tumwater tied their game against Capital on Satruday night, go to this video and scroll to the 5:40 mark and watch Jayden Croft just throw a jump ball with his back turned to Jamie Bryant for the two-point conversion. It is both the smartest and stupidest play I think I have ever seen. Ridiculous. And Tumwater took that tie and scored twice in overtime to knock off the #1 team in the state and take an early lead in the 2A EvCo. Winners of three straight, the T-Birds schedule is very favorable if they can get a homecoming win over WF West on Friday.

5. Timberline Blazers (3-1)
Last week: #7 (+2)
Previous game: Timberline 48, Wilson 20
Next game: vs. Lincoln (3-1) – South Sound Stadium – Friday, 7:00 PM

Notes: Spencer Crump scored four times and the Blazers took a 48-7 lead over Wilson before surrendering a couple garbage time touchdowns. And with Tumwater’s shocker over Capital, Timberline’s loss to the T-Birds two weeks ago doesn’t look nearly as bad as it did. But they will get an angry Lincoln Abes team on Friday night in a game that could be a bit of a trap for the T-Birds. I expect a barn burner.

6. Capital Cougars (3-1)
Last week: #1 (-5)
Previous game: Tumwater 35, Capital 28 – 2OT
Next game: @ Centralia (0-4) – Tiger Stadium, Centralia – Friday, 7:00 PM

Notes: It’s hard to drop the Cougars this far in the rankings considering how they lost and I expect we’ll see them rise quickly again, but the loss to Tumwater was shocking considering how they played against three straight 4A schools to open the season. They should get right this weekend against 0-4 Centralia.

7. River Ridge Hawks (3-1)
Last week: #8 (+1)
Previous game: River Ridge 28, Hockinson 14
Next game: vs. Black Hills (3-1) – South Sound Stadium – Thursday, 7:00 PM

Notes: Brad Wallace scored twice and Wesley Coats caught a touchdown from Colby Shultz and River Ridge won their third straight knocking off previously unbeaten Hockinson in a battle of Hawks in Brush Prairie. Since they were shutout by Timberline in their opener, the Wolves have put 123 points on the board. Next up: a homecoming 2A EvCo opener against 3-1 Black Hills on Thursday night.

8. Black Hills Wolves (3-1)
Last week: #9 (+1)
Previous game: Black Hills 27, Aberdeen 6
Next game: @ River Ridge (3-1) – South Sound Stadium – Thursday, 7:00 PM

Notes: Aberdeen got on the board first after a scoreless first quarter, but the Wolves scored 27 unanswered thanks to touchdowns by four different rushers including an 81 yard scamper by Shayne Robinson and a 77 yard run by Jesse Perkinson. Like River Ridge, Black Hills has played well against everybody that isn’t in the 3A Narrows League. They were shutout by North Thurston for their only loss of the season.

9. Yelm Tornadoes (3-1)
Last week: #5 (-4)
Previous game: Shelton 38, Yelm 14
Next game: @ Central Kitsap (3-1) – Silverdale Stadium – Friday, 7:00 PM

Notes: Yelm couldn’t stop Shelton’s Ralph Kinne nor could they move the ball against Shelton’s defense. Yes Yelm is 3-1 and sit at 1-0 in the 4A Narrows, but those three wins came over 0-4 Highline, 1-3 Olympic and 1-3 Stadium and they wilted against a bigger, stronger, faster Highclimbers team. I worry about Yelm the rest of the way but they could answer my concerns with a win over 3-1 Central Kitsap on Friday night.

10. Olympia Bears (1-3)
Last week: #11 (+1)
Previous game: Olympia 54, Stadium 7
Next game: @ South Kitsap (3-1) – SK Stadium, Port Orchard – Friday, 7:00 PM

Notes: Olympia broke out and broke out in a big way. But the win came against a struggling Stadium squad so it’s really hard to tell what the win means in the big picture. The Bears next get a 3-1 South Kitsap team whose only loss came to Bellarmine last week.

11. Rochester Warriors (1-3)
Last week: #10 (-1)
Previous game: Hoquiam 54, Rochester 7
Next game: vs. Elma (1-3) – Rochester HS – Friday, 7:00 PM

Notes: Hoquiam is really good. What else can you say about the Warriors’ loss? Next they get 1-3 Elma who waxed Rainier on Friday night to pick up their first win.

12. Rainier Mountaineers (0-4)
Last week: #12 (No change)
Previous game: Elma 47, Rainier 15
Next game: vs. Tenino (4-0) – Rainier HS – Friday, 7:00 PM

Notes: Oh boy, poor Rainier. With the big loss to Elma, the Mountaineers have now been outscored 180-33 in four games. And it doesn’t get any easier with Tenino coming to town for homecoming on Friday night.