Seaside Faces No. 5 Banks With League Shake-Up at Stake

Seaside High School (3-4) faces Banks (6-1) on Friday, Oct. 23, with a chance to disrupt the league race by knocking off the state's fifth-ranked team. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. PDT. Seaside enters ranked No. 18 in the state with a 2-2 league record, while Banks stands at 3-1 in league play.

Seaside returns from a bye week after beating Woodburn in its previous game, giving the team a break between that victory and this test against a higher-ranked opponent. Banks comes in following a loss to Scappoose. A Seaside victory would leave both teams at 3-2 in league play, turning a matchup between teams separated by one league win into a potential shake-up of the standings.

Quarterbacks Abe Gerber and Brayden Cooley are among Seaside's key players, along with running backs Efrain Ramirez and Hayden Halsen. Their matchup with a Banks front that includes Cade Wilson on the defensive line will be central to Seaside's offensive challenge. Wilson also plays on the offensive line, making the battle at the line of scrimmage a storyline on both sides of the ball.

Banks quarterback Nate Lyda and running back Jaic Lamb give Seaside's defense two key players to account for. Cooley also plays linebacker, Ramirez lines up at middle linebacker and Halsen plays strong safety, putting all three in roles that could bring them into direct matchups with Banks' offense. Lamb contributes at linebacker as well, adding another two-way player to a contest in which Seaside's offensive contributors will also carry important defensive assignments.