The two football teams that square off at Hermiston High Schools Kennison Field on Friday night might only have two wins in seven tries between them, but they are probably two teams none of the top ranked teams in the state are interested in playing come November.

The Hermiston Bulldogs (1-2) essentially got a bye last Friday night when their game in smoke-filled Lewiston got canceled because of poor air quality. That means the last time Hermiston was out on the gridiron was two weeks ago when they took the top ranked team in the state, Sherwood, to the final whistle.

Matt Craven, the first-year head coach for the Bend Lava Bears (1-3) was handed a murderers row to start the season with Marist (ranked No. 3 in the latest AP Poll), Silverton (No. 5 and undefeated with a defense that has already pitched two shutouts) and West Salem (winners of three straight including against conference rival Sprague in a game that could end up being the difference in the Central Valley Conference title race). The Lava Bears ended up with three losses. Bend finally had a bit of a reprieve last week picking up a 33-6 win hosting a Franklin squad that is winless through four games.

Bulldog Head Coach Mark Hodges team had some bumps and bruises that got extra time to heal with last weeks varsity game ending up a no-go, but the Bulldogs feel like they missed an opportunity to create some momentum.

We had some really nice rhythm, we felt confident about our attack and we felt it was an opportunity to get some momentum beating a good Lewiston team and we really felt like we were going to win the game, Hodges said.

The coach said a telling sign the varsity was in good shape was the way the JV squad physically dominated Lewiston in their 19-13 win in the afternoon Friday before the air quality had deteriorated too much.

Our JV team, which is basically all sophomores, went over there and really got physical, and they were the more physical team with a Lewiston team that is always physical, Hodges said. So if our sophomores could do that with a good team, we knew that our varsity was ready to go.

Despite the fact the game was canceled, Hermiston did travel to Lewiston, and Hodges said the time on the bus was good for the team to continue to grow closer together even though he felt the camaraderie among the players and coaches was already in a good place.

I had one man come to my office and he said he could feel that [the team] really feels like a family atmosphere, Hodges said.

Not having Lewiston game film to watch Saturday also gave the Bulldogs a head start and a slightly different schedule that morning with a really hard session in the weight room. Hodges said the attitude was good Friday and they are looking forward to get back on the field Friday night.

This matchup with Bend is Hermistons first against a team out of the former Intermountain Conference since the Bulldogs, Pendleton and The Dalles-Wahtonka split from the IMC to join Hood River Valley another former IMC school and create the Columbia River Conference. The Bulldogs beat the Lava Bears 30-22 the last time the two meet in late September 2009.

Craig Walker was the coach of Bend in 09. He retired after last season, his 24th, and Craven was promoted from an assistant position to the head coaching role starting this year. The new leader of the Lava Bears isnt new to the program; he was an assistant under Walker for eight seasons. The last three he coached the linebackers and offensive lineman. Craven, a 93 Bend graduate, also played for Walker as a strong safety and wide receiver prior to playing college football at Linfield.

It isnt easy to be the next guy after the guy who ran the program for almost a quarter century, but Craven understands that stability is important as he puts his own stamp on the program. The staff is essentially unchanged.

Theres a lot of things in the program that are the way they are for certain reasons, and Ive been in the program long enough to understand why certain things are structured the way they are so weve really just tried to continue the momentum of the program and continue to do the things well that we do, Craven said.

When Hodges watches film, he sees the same Bend team that he has battled for many years as a coach in Oregon.

They look exactly the same. There are not really any changes at all. A couple of formation tweaks really, but its Bend, Hodges said.

Craven is following the mantra if it aint broke, dont fix it. He does see a lot of what they are trying to do in Hermiston.

Lets make no bones about it we like to run the ball and play action pass and they like to do a lot of the same, Craven said he thinks both teams have had a similar start to the season.

They are a lot like us in that I see the progression of a team that was probably a little young to begin with that has vastly improved over the course of the season already. We watched some early films and they look a little rough around the edges at times but by the time you are getting to the Sherwood game they are a different team, Craven said.

Both coaches expect that the team that wins the battle along the offensive and defensive lines will be in a very good position as long as they limit mistakes. The young program that is able to find the right formula to finish the game will end up with win number two in 2012.

Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. Radio coverage will be available starting with the Bulldog Tailgate Show at 5:30 on AM 1360 KOHU and streaming online at gohermiston.com.