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Steamboat Springs — Sit down and look at the Western Slope League football playoff formulas, mash the numbers, predict outcomes and try to figure out who the three playoff qualifiers will be, and it can be nauseating.

The bottom line, and the only thing the Steamboat Springs High School football team can control, is winning Friday at Battle Mountain.

"We're not quite there," Steamboat coach Aaron Finch said. "We're not going to talk about it."

What is known is with three league games and a nonleague game with Buena Vista left on the schedule, Steamboat is right where it wants to be.

The Sailors are 6-0 overall and 5-0 in league play. If Steamboat keeps winning, the playoffs will come, Finch said.

"If you just play to win, you're not getting the most out of yourself," Finch said. "We're trying as individuals and as a team to get better. We want to be better at understanding the offense and getting better on defense. We game plan the best we can to beat the opponent that we play this week. But we still go to practice and get better."

It's no secret what Steamboat is getting into at 7 p.m. Friday.

Battle Mountain (1-5, 0-4) has spent the better part of the decade in the cellar of the league.

The Huskies snapped a 19-game losing streak earlier this season against Highland High School.

Offensive playmaker Parke Robbins leads Battle Mountain. The senior is equally adept at running the ball, catching the ball and throwing the ball.

He has topped 200 yards rushing multiple times this year and is one of the top athletes in the league.

"We approach it like we approached the last two weeks against Palisade and Rifle," defensive lineman Darian Buelter said. "We come in and watch film. We know their offense can move the ball. We have to play like we can and shut them down in the first couple of minutes. If we play our game, we'll beat them."

The key might be for Steamboat to get off to a fast start.

The Sailors have outscored opponents 139-34 in the first half this season. But being what many consider the No. 1 team in Class 3A means Steamboat is likely to get Battle Mountain's best shot.

And the longer the Huskies stay in the game, the tougher they're likely to get.

"People decided we're a good football team and ranked us accordingly, no matter how much I like it or not," Finch said.

"The target is on us. People play their best against good football teams. We have to play our best football. It doesn't matter if we're playing someone in the league or nonleague."