Bellingham and Blaine are facing off tonight in a cross-county showdown.

Both teams were left out of the newly-expanded play-in bracket that’s taking place this weekend, but they’ll have a chance to end the season on a high note.

The Borderites are ending a season that saw them start 4-0 for the first time since 1979, but after a rough go against conference opponents in Whatcom County, they fell in Monday’s tiebreaker to Mount Baker.

Meanwhile, Bellingham is wrapping up its first season back in conference play after a five-year hiatus.

The Bayhawks’ midseason change at quarterback yielded immediate results and transformed the team into a high-powered offense.

Tonight’s game kicks off at 6:00 from Blaine High School.

 

Speaking of prep football, the Associated Press just released its latest rankings ahead of this weekend’s play-in games.

Anacortes, Lynden and Archbishop Murphy stayed put at 2nd, 3rd and 4th in the state for Class 2A, respectively.

Sehome placed just outside the rankings after receiving the 13th most votes.

Meanwhile, in Class 1A, Nooksack Valley retained its No. 6 ranking after a blowout victory over Lynden Christian for the Northwest Conference title last week.

The Lyncs fell from 8th place to a tie for 9th in the state.

Blaine and Meridian received the 14th and 15th most votes in the poll, respectively, despite both losing to Mount Baker in Monday’s tiebreaker.

The Mountaineers received no votes in the AP’s latest rankings.

 

We’ve got a great Thursday Night Football matchup for you on KPUG tonight.

The Baltimore Ravens are hosting the Cincinnati Bengals in a divisional showdown between two of the NFL’s top quarterbacks.

Joe Burrow and his Bengals have rebounded from an 0-3 start to the season to drag themselves to a 4-5 record.

On the other side, reigning MVP Lamar Jackson and his 6-3 Ravens sit just half a game back from the Steelers for first place in the AFC North.

Tonight’s game is a rematch of their thrilling shootout earlier this season, where the Ravens pulled out a 41-38 overtime win.

Coverage begins at 4:30 and kickoff is at 5:15 on KPUG.

 

A former Seahawk is done for the season.

The Tennessee Titans placed safety Quandre Diggs on the injured reserve today

The NFL Network reports that Diggs has a Lisfranc injury that will require season-ending surgery.

The 31-year-old Diggs is a nine-year veteran who made the Pro Bowl in 2020, 2021 and 2022 while with the Seattle Seahawks.

He was cut by Seattle in May along with fellow safety Jamal Adams, and they both later signed one-year deals with Tennessee.

Adams was let go by the Titans last month after he requested his release.

 

And Western Washington University’s soccer teams are looking to continue their recent run of dominance to finish off the season.

The Vikings’ men’s and women’s teams have a combined win streak of 14 games dating back to October 10th.

The women, who started the season with a rough 1-2-2 record, have won eight straight games where they’ve allowed just two total goals.

They haven’t allowed a score in their last five matches and currently lead the GNAC standings with an undefeated 10-0-2 conference record.

Meanwhile, the men have built up a six-game win streak of their own as they sit in second place in the GNAC standings.

The Lady Viks are at Seattle Pacific tonight before ending their regular season at MSU Billings on Saturday.

The men host Simon Fraser at 5:00 tonight in a blue-out at Harrington Field before joining the women in Billings on Saturday.