Tonight’s Wesco North game between Marysville-Pilchuck (5-0) and Lake Stevens (4-1) is a biggie. It’s a battle for first place, with M-P 3-0 in division games and Lake Stevens 2-0 so far.
I can’t think of the last time I covered a game featuring football teams with such drastically different styles. Spearheaded by fullback Austin Denton, Marysville-Pilchuck grinds out long drives with its effective T-formation offense (three running backs line up side by side, with Denton in the middle). Denton leads the North in rushing with 897 yards and 11 touchdowns.
Meanwhile, Lake Stevens uses a no-huddle spread offense that moves quickly and produces incredible passing statistics. Vikings quarterback Nick Baker is by far the area’s leader in passing yards (1,585) and passing TDs (18).
I talked to M-P head coach Brandon Carson on Tuesday. Here are some of his thoughts about tonight’s matchup.
On Lake Stevens’ preferred pace “They’re going to no-huddle and try to get as many plays as they can. I’m sure from a media standpoint it’ll be interesting.”
On the benefit of playing Glacier Peak, another no-huddle spread team, in week three. “It was nice to see Glacier Peak run that and give us a taste of what it’s like — the no-huddle and having to make your adjustments faster than normal.”
On trying to defend Lake Stevens “They’re very explosive. Their quarterback’s incredible. He can run. He can throw. He makes great decisions. They have a handful of receivers that catch the ball well. They can beat you deep. They can beat you underneath. So they’ve got our full attention.”
On the excitement surrounding the game “It should be fun. It’s a good experience for high school kids to play in a game of that magnitude. It doesn’t happen every year.”