Bracket Breakdown: Washington high school (WIAA) 1B state football tournament first-round matchups, game picks

Top-seeded Liberty Christian opens against Ocosta on Friday at Fran Rish Stadium in Richland

Senior Preston Michel is one of the focal points of Wilbur-Creston-Keller's rushing attack. / Photo by Lane Mathews

The WIAA state football playoffs begin Friday, and 16 (or 12 in 1A) schools in each classification (4A-1B) are still alive for a Gridiron Classic championship, which will be held Dec. 6-7 at Husky Stadium in Seattle.

Here is a quick Class 1B primer for first-round action around the state of Washington:

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CLASS 1B FIRST ROUND (Bracket)

1-seed Liberty Christian (10-0) vs. No. 16 Ocosta (6-3), 5 p.m. Friday, Fran Rish Stadium, Richland

2-seed Wilbur-Creston-Keller (10-0) vs. No. 15 Waterville-Mansfield (5-5), 7 p.m. Friday, Lions Field, Moses Lake

3-seed Naselle (10-0) vs. No. 14 Moses Lake Christian (5-4), 1 p.m. Saturday, South Bend HS

4-seed Almira-Coulee-Hartline (8-2) vs. No. 13 Inchelium (8-2), 4 p.m. Friday, Lions Field, Moses Lake

5-seed Neah Bay (10-1) vs. No. 12 Wahkiakum (8-3), 6 p.m. Friday, Forks HS

6-seed Pomeroy (9-1) vs. No. 11 Odessa (7-2), 7 p.m. Friday, Odessa HS

7-seed Entiat (9-0) vs. No. 10 Garfield-Palouse (5-5), 4 p.m. Saturday, Apple Bowl, Wenatchee

8-seed DeSales (9-1) vs. No. 9 Quilcene (9-1), noon Saturday, DeSales HS, Walla Walla

Most intriguing matchup: DeSales needs QB Cohen Wood healthy, but can Irish stop punishing Quilcene run game, led by QB Andrew Perez-Lopez, RBs Robert Evans and Mason Iverson and big offensive line?

Deep upset potential: Undefeated Entiat will utilize the (Ethan) Fogelstrom-to-(Noah) Fogelstrom passing connection a lot, but Garfield-Palouse RB Lane Collier is one of the classification's top playmakers.

Moving on to WIAA quarterfinals: Liberty Christian, Wilbur-Creston-Keller, Naselle, Almira-Coulee-Hartline, Neah Bay, Pomeroy, Quilcene, Garfield-Palouse.

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