North Eugene @ Churchill

Churchill (3-1) can't afford to overlook North Eugene (0-4) in the last game of league and regular season.  The Lancers have to win to keep any hope of ending up in a three way tie with Thurston (4-0) and Marshfield (3-1).  Lancer fans with internet on their cell phones can listen to the Marshfield game, streamed by KMHS.  (Google 'Marshfield Pirate Radio'. )  

North Eugene
The Highlanders are averaging a respectable 182 yards on the ground in league.  Mike Bibbee accounts for 145 of those yards each game.  Churchill will be the last team to see Bibbee run the ball before he takes off to play linebacker at OSU.  The Lancers will certainly wear some 'mementos' for a few days after the 6'3", 225 pound bruiser is finished Friday night.

Jackson Landgreen played QB for North Eugene last week,  just the fourth time he has played QB this year.  The Highlanders average 101 yards a game through the air in league.  While it's unlikely to happen, Friday would be a great day to see the young Highlander receivers have a good game.  It's unlikely, because the Highlanders only complete about 7 passes a game in league as they use Bibbee to eat up yardage and clock.  The young receivers include sophomore Taylor Demerick, who opened last week's game with a kickoff return for a TD, and juniors Alex Wilson and Cody Ficek.  Those are awesome names for receivers.  They just sound like names a receiver should have.

There are some outstanding seniors on North's line.  Everyone knows about #73, Shay Riggs.  But there's also Alex Crum, and Brandon Whitlock. Friday will be the last  game for senior 6'2", 225 pound LB Taylor Racek.  The Highlanders will have Kyle DeHaven back at LB for next year.  These two were a very solid combo at LB

Churchill
Expect North Eugene to pound the ball on offense and expect North to go 'aerial'.  Not that the Lancer's wouldn't like to run a lot more, but they have had trouble getting the long breakaway runs their offense normally generates.  

Give the Churchill receivers a lot of credit for the Lancer success this year.  They developed into a great group of receivers while working with three QB's until league started.  Senior receiver Sam Graham has done well, as expected.  But it takes more than one good receiver, and junior Brandon Determan, and seniors Daniel Weyers and Brynnan Hyland have helped keep up the Lancer tradition of having a large stable of receivers.  Add in senior Josh Morland and let junior RB Nick Bell slip out of the backfield as a receiver, and who knows where the ball is going?

Junior Spencer Savelitch was handed the reigns for the league games. He has two incredible come from behind 1 point wins in league.  His partners in the backfield are RB's Nick Bell and sophomore Aaron Ingram.  Neither appear to be a breakaway threat, but they can be counted on to pound the ball.  That'll make an interesting comparison Friday, watching these two and North's Bibbee.  Bibbee isn't a scat back type runner, either.

Defensively, you are sure to hear 6'2" LB Kalen Dennis's name called frequently.  He is leading the team in tackles.  Another player you'll notice is 5'9", 240 pound D tackle Isaac Quientero, who make a ton of tackles from his D line position.  

Prediction
I'm expecting North to run the ball and try and control the clock.  If they get ahead early and Churchill makes several turnovers trying to catch up, North has a chance to win.  But Churchill is likely to wear down the Highlanders by constantly sending out their receivers, even when the Lancers are pounding the ball inside the tackles. Barring a heavy, heavy rain, Churchill should win this one.