When Oak Harbor (8-1) steps on the field tonight against Spanaway Lake (6-3) it might be as close as they get to facing themselves — as far as plays go.

“Some of their formations are almost exactly the same, on offense and defense,” OHHS head coach Dave Ward said.

Ward said from the tape he’s seen on the Sentinels, they like to run the ball first and mix it up with the throw.

One big difference that jumps out is the size on the offensive and defensive lines. Spanaway Lake has eight players over 250 pounds. Two of those athletes are over 300 pounds, including the team’s sack leader Meshac Tullaepa (6-foot-3, 310 pounds).

Jason Brace (6-foot-4, 255 pounds) is another standout on the line. The senior is currently deciding between playing college ball at UCLA or Oregon State.

“You’ll see huge linemen on their side,” Ward said. “We’re going to have to stay really low to have success.”

Oak Harbor has only has two players on its roster over 250 and just six total over 200 pounds.

Looking at the skill positions, however, the Wildcats and Sentinels are very close.

OHHS quarterback Marshall Lobbestael and SLHS quarterback Chase Dutcher weigh in at the exact same size, 6-foot-2, 180. They also have near-identical statistics.

Lobbestael completed 70 passes this season, while Dutcher completed 82. Lobbestael passed for nine touchdowns and four interceptions, Dutcher had 12 TDs and seven INTs.

The schools leading rushers are also very similar. Oak Harbor’s Gabe Vest stands 5-foot-7, 165 and Spanaway Lake’s Nick Springer is listed at 5-foot-8, 175. Vest rushed 102 times for 789 yards and 11 TDs, while Springer rushed 58 times for 532 yards and six TDs.

“It’s going to be a real close and exciting game to watch,” Ward said.

Oak Harbor’s lone loss of the season came in an 8-7 defeat at Stanwood. Spanaway Lake lost its first two games of the season, one to fifth-ranked Puyallup (9-0) and the other to Federal Way (6-3). They also had a mid-season loss Curtis (7-2).

Tonight’s kickoff is set for 7 p.m. at Mount Vernon High School and can be heard locally on KWDB 1110 AM.