All eyes on Sky-Em showdown.

Byline: Steve Mims The Register-Guard

Marist and Elmira have run over the competition this season.

Powered by two talented running backs on each side, the Spartans have outscored their opponents by an average score of 47-12 while the Falcons' average margin of victory is 41-7.

PREP FOOTBALL

A lopsided score is unlikely tonight when third-ranked Elmira travels to No. 4 Marist for a showdown between the two teams tied for first place in the Sky-Em League at 5-0 in one of the area's most anticipated football games of the season.

"That's good because we don't enjoy the games that aren't good games," Elmira coach Jim Keizur said. "We've had some games where our starters don't play too much. This is a pretty unique group, they are pretty mature. They think they are the best, and so they are excited about this game."

This is arguably the biggest game for Elmira since 1991, which is the last time the Falcons won the league title.

Marist has had plenty of big games in recent years, but this is certainly its most important game since it won the state title in 2003.

"I would say this is a big game," first-year Marist coach Rory Rosenbach said. "This is a loose group, which has taken me a while to get used to because I was not like that as a player. It works for them; they talk to each other a lot before games and they are not all somber, but loose. They are having fun and they are confident in their ability when they are on the field, so we will let them keep rolling."

Marist features running backs Brandon Jackson and Tyler Sears, who both have more than 800 yards rushing and average more than 11 yards per carry.

"We need to contain those quick backs and not let them get big plays on us," Keizur said. "They will probably score on us, but we need to make them spend time doing it."

Last week, the Spartans saw some mismatches in the secondary, so quarterback Kyle Haskin threw four TD passes in a 64-14 victory over La Pine.

"I think as a coaching staff we have figured out what kids are good at now by the seventh game," Rosenbach said. "Early in the season we put some kids in situations where maybe I thought it was good for them but it was not necessarily what they were comfortable at. Now we've crossed those plays off and found some new ones. The kids are in a comfort zone now."

Elmira is led by senior running back Johnny Walker, who has run for 1,645 yards and 19 touchdowns this season. He also leads the team with 180 receiving yards and two touchdown catches.

He is joined in the backfield by Josh Gannon, who has run for 659 yards and 13 touchdowns. Gannon suffered a sprained ankle in last week's 30-12 win over Cottage Grove, but Keizur said he is expected to play tonight although he is not likely to be at full speed.

"Elmira is very physical and they will challenge us like Siuslaw," Rosenbach said, referring to Marist's 26-20 overtime victory over the Vikings. "They get off the ball, get into you, stay on you and sustain their blocks for the whole play. They've got two good running backs and we're going to prepare like (Gannon) is going to be there. It will be fun to watch our kids compete against kids as talented as Elmira's got."

Meanwhile in the Midwestern League, the game of the night is on the coast, where North Eugene visits Marshfield. Those two are part of a four-way tie for second place at 4-2 with South Eugene and Thurston, and only two of the four teams will get into the playoffs.

None of those teams will be eliminated from the race tonight because of the plethora of mathematical possibilities, but it is safe to say that the loser of the North-Marshfield game will have taken a major step backward in the race for the playoffs.

Thurston and South Eugene both have to go on the road tonight and must win to keep pace with the North-Marshfield winner.

Churchill has a bye, but here is a look around the rest of the league.

North Eugene (5-3, 4-2) at Marshfield (5-3, 4-2): Highlanders have won four of past five with the only loss coming in overtime against South Eugene. Pirates have their destiny in their own hands by closing the season against North and Thurston.

Thurston (5-2, 4-2) at Lebanon (1-7, 0-6): Colts now lead the league with 337.5 yards of offense per game. Warriors can be a spoiler in the playoff race with final two games against Colts and South Eugene.

South Eugene (5-2, 4-2) at Willamette (3-5, 3-4): Axemen have had an extra week to prepare with the bye last Friday. It's the final game for Willamette, which has a bye next week.

Sheldon (6-1, 6-0) at Springfield (2-5, 2-4): Irish clinch the outright league title with a victory. Millers have won two of past three games.