The South Puget Sound League North division might be one of the most surprising leagues in the state so far. After two weeks Auburn and Kentlake are each 2-0 while Kentridge, expected to finish high, is on the backside at 0-2. The north division has nine teams and in all honesty four teams that have the best shot at finishing first Auburn Trojans, Kentlake Falcons, Kentridge Chargers and Kentwood Conquerors. The Tahoma Bears are a team that could be considered in that group, but right now I am gonna say that are top of the next tier.
The Kentlake Falcons might be the best team in the SPSL North. They have a potential all state playmaker in Austin Pernell and can run the football as good as anyone in the state. They started the season with a convincing 49-7 win over Auburn Riverside, read about it right here. The Falcons followed that game up with a 30-22 win over the Kentridge Chargers. Kentlake has a VERY favorable schedule as they only leave French Field once all season when they travel to Jefferson on September 23rd. They do have three other "road" game but they are against the three other Kent schools and will be played at French Field.
It looks like it is going to be another year at the top for the Auburn Trojans. Head Coach Gordon Elliot has once again put a team together that can contend and might fly under the radar in the process as they are currently unranked. The Trojans have wins over Kentridge 32-20 and Mt. Rainer 48-7. The Trojans have a fairly tough schedule as they have to go to Tahoma and Kentlake, both games they could lose. They do get Kentwood and Curtis at home and finish the season with games they should win vs Kent-Meridian and at Auburn Riverside. Look for the Trojans to be at/or near the top of the standings at the end of the season.
The Kentwood Conquerors probably didn't expect to be 1-1 after two weeks, but that is exactly where they stand after a disappointing 24-7 loss last week against Jefferson. The Conquerors were picked by the coaches to win the North division by just a few votes, and that may still happen, but as of now they have one loss in league play and might not be able to afford another. At the end of this month the Conks will travel to Auburn and host Kentlake in back to back weeks. If they want to win the division they are gonna have to get through those two with wins. Kentwood has the talent and experience to make up for that early season loss, but the margin for error is slim. I will be previewing Tahoma @ Kentwood tomorrow and attending the game that night.
The Tahoma Bears are an interesting team, they are 1-1 after defeating Jefferson 38-31 and losing to South Kitsap 42-35 last weekend. The Bears feature a good offensice attack that last week compiled over 500 yards of offense, including two 100 yard rushers. If Tahoma wants to win the division it is going to come in the next three weeks when they travel to Kentwood, host Auburn and return to French Field to play Kentlake. If the Bears somehow manage to win those three games they will control their own destiny as they finish the season three of four games they should not lose.
After those two teams the 1-1's get a little tough to figure out. I have to put the Jefferson Raiders ahead of Auburn Riverside because of the quality of win. Jefferson lost in the opening week to Tahoma 38-31 but followed that up with a 24-7 victory over Kentwood. The next two weeks for the Raiders are going to be very tough as they travel to Auburn and play host to Kentlake. Should they win both, expect them to be near the top at seasons end as after those two they could be the favorite to win every league game from then on.
The Auburn Riverside Ravens started the season with a tough 49-7 loss to the Kentlake Falcons. They did beat up on Kent-Meridian last week 37-14 in a game that should build confidence coming into this weeks non-league game against the Beamer Titans. Following this week they get right back into league play as they travel to French Field to take on Kentridge before coming home to Mt. Rainer. The final four weeks of the season are going to make or break the Ravens as they play at Jefferson, host Tahoma, at Kentwood and finish at home vs Auburn.
The Kentridge Chargers might be one of the better 0-2 teams in the state. They have a lot of talent, but have faced two of the better teams in the SPSL in the first two weeks of the year in Auburn and Kentlake. I expect the Chargers to rebound the next two weeks when they play at Kent-Meridian and home vs Auburn Riverside. The Chargers play a non-league contest vs Rogers, before getting going to Mt. Rainer. They should be 3-2 in league play before a tough final three games against Jefferson at home, at Tahoma and home vs Kentwood. The Chargers can not afford a slip up if they are going to win the North division.
The final two teams are the Mt. Rainer Rams and the Kent-Meridian Royals. Both teams are going to have trouble winning games this season because of a lack of playmakers and depth. You wont find a coach in the league that would say either team is a push over though and they could surprise at anytime. KM does return a good portion of their offense but have yet to show they can score many points as they have scored 14 in both losses.
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