The Forks Spartans had already won two in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 46 points), and they went ahead and made it three on Friday. They sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 21-18 victory over Pe Ell/Willapa Valley. For Forks, this counts as revenge for the 2-0 defeat Pe Ell/Willapa Valley walked away with the last time they faced one another back in October of 2022.
Among those leading the charge was Nate Dahlgren, who rushed for 238 yards while picking up 8.8 yards per carry.
Pe Ell/Willapa Valley's loss came despite a true team effort from the offense, with many players turning in solid performance. Perhaps the best among them was Blaine King, who picked up 235 receiving yards and a touchdown. Another player making a difference was Blake Howard, who rushed for 99 yards and two touchdowns on only ten carries.
Forks' victory was their fifth straight at home, bumping their overall record up to 7-1. As for Pe Ell/Willapa Valley, their defeat dropped their record down to 5-3.
Forks will head out on the road to face off against Napavine at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday. Napavine knows how to get points on the board -- the team has finished with flashy point totals in its past three matches -- so hopefully Forks likes a good challenge. As for Pe Ell/Willapa Valley, they will look to defend their home field on Thursday against Onalaska at 7:00 p.m. One thing working in Onalaska's favor is that they have now posted big point totals in their last three matches.
