East Valley’s gauntlet, as Red Devils football coach Eric Berg called it, hits its apex Friday night.

Defending CWAC champion and sixth-ranked Othello visits Earl Barden Field for a 7 o’clock conference showdown. If No. 5 East Valley is to claim its first league title since 2004, this could very well be the biggest hurdle.

“They’ve got a great system,” Berg said. “They’re senior heavy and we’re senior heavy, so these kids have played against each other for years and it’s always close.”

The Red Devils crossed off the first two steps of its three-week test the past two games:

Two weeks ago, East Valley held off Prosser 13-7, as its defense stymied the Mustangs when the Red Devils’ offense couldn’t translate yards into points.

Last Saturday EV turned an often-tricky trip to Ephrata into a 49-14 victory as Braden Albrecht rushed for three touchdowns and Jaxon Berg hit four different receivers with scoring passes.

A sluggish start against the Tigers led Berg to remind his team at halftime how well they can play.

Message received.

“We actually came out of the gate a little slow,” Berg said. “They came out in the second half, and it was nice to see them have the maturity to realize they weren't playing their best ball and flip the switch.”

In its 4-0 start to the season, the Red Devils have proven they can win with either side of the ball leading the way, whether that’s hulking defensive lineman Zeliah Wade and cohorts shutting down an opponent, or the high-powered offense racing to victory.

“It’s nice to have that kind of security blanket,” Berg said. “It’s a team effort and you never know who's going to step up.”

Albrecht tops the CWAC in touchdowns while Jaxon Berg and 

Greyson Stevens lead in passing and receiving, respectively.

This will be the second week in a row that the Huskies (4-0) face an unbeaten team., Othello thundered past Selah 46-13 last Friday.

Senior running back Gavin Carl has rushed for more than 800 yards and 10 touchdowns this season for Othello, and the Huskies defense has held three opponents to a touchdown or less.

Othello has owned the recent series, winning 17 straight against the Red Devils. East Valley last beat the Huskies in 2006, the last year they made the playoffs before qualifying last year.

The schedule doesn’t lighten up too much for the Red Devils after Friday. Next Friday they visit Toppenish (3-1) before welcoming Selah (3-1) to Earl Barden Field on Oct. 17.