Cruisers: Three games in nine days to get to playoffs

Eatonville must play its third game in nine days to determine its place in the 2A district high school football playoffs.
It’s a little complicated, but here’s the situation:
• The Cruisers will travel to Buckley to take on White River this Saturday. The winner will earn the South Puget Sound League’s fifth seed in the playoffs, while the loser will take the sixth seed.
• In the playoffs Nov. 3 or Nov. 4 (the exact dates haven’t been announced), the fifth-seeded team will face the SPSL’s third-seed, and the six seed will square off with North Kitsap. The winners of those games will advance to the state tournament; for the losers, the season will be over.
Eatonville’s cluster of games started Oct. 20. Losing to Orting 28-27 on that date in the regular-season finale dropped the Cruisers into a tie-breaking contest for district seeding purposes four days later with River Ridge after both teams finished with 4-2 league records. River Ridge won 14-0, forcing Eatonville into this weekend’s game against White River – their third in nine days, a rarity. During the regular season and post-season, high school football teams usually play no more than twice in any seven-day stretch.
In the Oct. 24 tie-breaker that was necessary because the teams finished the SPSL season with matching 4-2 records, Eatonville couldn’t generate enough offense to overcome River Ridge, did all of its scoring in the second quarter.
Helping limit the Hawks’ attack were Eatonville defenders Caden Jumper with nine tackles and a pass interception and Zach Smith, who also picked off a pass. Teammates Alex Brymer and Seth Manley each recovered an RR fumble.

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