PREP FOOTBALL FORECAST: Plenty of playoff spots still up for grabs

Some teams have locked up their postseason positions. Some can do so this week. A few may have Kansas tiebreakers in their futures.

Here’s what we know going into this week’s prep football action:

Wesco North

Marysville-Pilchuck is the No. 1 seed win or lose Friday against Oak Harbor. Lake Stevens is the second seed with a win over Snohomish. The Stanwood-Arlington winner would then be the third seed.

If M-P wins and Snohomish beats Lake Stevens, the Stanwood-Arlington winner is the second seed and Lake Stevens is the third seed.

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If Oak Harbor and Snohomish win, the Stanwood-Arlington winner is the second seed and Lake Stevens, the Stanwood-Arlington loser and Oak Harbor go to a tiebreaker for the third seed.

Wesco South

Jackson is the No. 1 seed win or lose Friday against Cascade. Kamiak is the No. 2 seed if it beats Mountlake Terrace. If Jackson and Kamiak win, Cascade is the third seed if Shorewood beats Edmonds-Woodway. Otherwise, Cascade, E-W and Terrace go to a tiebreaker.

If Jackson and Terrace win, Terrace is the No. 2 seed and Kamiak is No. 3.

If Cascade and Kamiak win, Kamiak is No. 2 and Cascade is No. 3

If Cascade and Terrace win, Cascade, Kamiak and Terrace go to a tiebreaker to decide seeds 2 and 3.

Wesco 3A

If Meadowdale beats Everett and Glacier Peak beats Shorecrest, Meadowdale is No. 1, Glacier Peak No. 2 and Everett goes to the play-in game.

If Meadowdale and Shorecrest win, Meadowdale is No. 1 and Glacier Peak, Everett and Shorecrest go to a tiebreaker for No. 2 and the play-in berth.

If Everett and Glacier Peak win, Everett, Glacier Peak and Meadowdale go to a tiebreaker to decide seeds 1 and 2 and the play-in berth.

If Everett and Shorecrest win, Everett is No. 1, Meadowdale is No. 2 and Shorecrest goes to the play-in game.

Cascade Conference

The three seeds to 2A district are decided: Archbishop Murphy is No. 1, Cedarcrest is No. 2 and South Whidbey is No. 3. The play-in team is yet to be decided. If Granite Falls beats Sultan tonight, it goes to the play-in game. If Sultan and Cedarcrest win, Sultan goes to the play-in. If Lakewood and Sultan win, Lakewood goes to the play-in.

Here’s a look at six key games and the rest of the weekend schedule:

Granite Falls at Sultan

When: 7 tonight

Where: Sultan H.S.

Records: Both teams are 1-5 in the Cascade Conference, 2-6 overall.

Last year: QB Zach Beebe threw for 180 yards and a TD to lead Sultan to a 16-15 win.

Last week: Zach Jones had 14 tackles for Granite Falls in a 31-6 loss to King’s. Sultan lost 40-26 to Lakewood.

Players to watch: RB Coty Walker leads Granite Falls with 691 yards rushing. QB JJ Campbell has thrown for 650 yards. Sultan QB Zach Beebe has thrown for 1,579 yards and 18 TDs.

On paper: Sultan has almost doubled Granite Falls’ offensive output against league opponents but has yielded better than 100 points more than the Tigers. Defense trumps offense.

Predictions: John McDonald picks Granite Falls 26-18. Mike Cane picks Granite Falls 14-13. Tom Lafferty picks Granite Falls 28-14.

Meadowdale at Everett

When: 7 tonight

Where: Everett Memorial Stadium

Records: Meadowdale is 3-0 in the Wesco 3A, 8-0 overall. Everett is 2-1, 4-4.

Last year: RB Ben Shelby scored all four Meadowdale TDs in a 28-21 win.

Last week: RB Naji Moore-Taylor ran for 171 yards and three TDs to lead Meadowdale to a 46-24 win over Lynnwood. WR Ben Barhanovich caught a TD pass, recorded a safety and kicked four extra-points to lead Everett to a 36-6 victory over Shorecrest.

Players to watch: Moore-Taylor has 1,135 rushing yards and 21 TDs. Meadowdale QB Danny McDonald has 1,103 passing yards and 12 TDs. Everett QB Chase Herrick has 158 yards rushing and 464 passing. RB Garrick Koehler has 413 yards rushing and 144 receiving.

On paper: There’s a reason why Meadowdale hasn’t lost. The Mavericks’ offense is a step above the rest of the league.

Predictions: John McDonald picks Meadowdale 28-24. Mike Cane picks Meadowdale 31-20. Tom Lafferty picks Meadowdale 44-15.

Kamiak at Mountlake Terrace

When: 7 Friday

Where: Edmonds Stadium

Records: Kamiak is 4-1 in the Wesco South, 4-4 overall. Terrace is 3-2, 5-3.

Last year: Kamiak held Terrace to a field goal in a 24-3 win.

Last week: RB Nic Cooper ran for two TDs to lead Kamiak to a 28-14 win over Mariner. Terrace succumbed to Jackson, 27-17.

Players to watch: Kamiak WR Josh Glenn has 320 yards receiving and six TDs. RB Nic Cooper has 485 yards rushing and six TDs. Terrace QB Brandyn Eckhart has 937 yards passing. Hawks’ RB Casey Ellersick has 746 yards rushing.

On paper: Tradition points toward Kamiak, but Terrace has done slightly better against common opponents and the Hawks have to be motivated by the opportunity to secure their first-ever postseason berth.

Predictions: John McDonald picks Terrace 34-28 OT. Mike Cane picks Terrace 21-17. Tom Lafferty picks Kamiak 21-7.

Stanwood at Arlington

When: 7 Friday

Where: Arlington H.S.

Records: Stanwood is 3-2 in the Wesco North, 3-5 overall. Arlington is 3-2, 4-4.

Last year: RB Brad Gee ran for 226 yards and three TDs to lead Stanwood to a 48-39 win.

Last week: Stanwood was shut out 24-0 by Ferndale. QB Andy Smith threw four TD passes to lead Arlington to a 47-13 win over Snohomish.

Players to watch: Arlington QB Andy Smith has thrown for 1,368 yards and is coming off a 269-yard performance against Snohomish.

On paper: Stanwood had some momentum quashed by last week’s defeat while Arlington has won three straight league games after early losses to M-P and Lake Stevens. Arlington also has dominated Stilly Cup games in recent years. Last year’s win by Stanwood was its first in five seasons.

Predictions: John McDonald picks Arlington 35-28. Mike Cane picks Arlington 28-25. Tom Lafferty picks Stanwood 21-20 OT.

Jackson at Cascade

When: 7 Friday

Where: Everett Memorial Stadium

Radio: KRKO (1380 AM)

Records: Jackson is 5-0 in the Wesco South, 8-0 overall;. Cascade is 3-2, 6-2.

Last year: QB Andy Gay threw for 254 yards and three TDs to lead Jackson to a 40-27 win.

Last week: RB Trai Patrick ran for 101 yards and two TDs to lead Jackson to a 27-17 win over Mountlake Terrace. Cascade fell 28-7 to Edmonds-Woodway.

Players to watch: RBs Dominique Moore (539 yards) and Aaron Miller (616) are Cascade’s top two rushers.

On paper: Jackson, with a healthy RB Riley Carr, has too much firepower for the Bruins, who look suspect after last week’s surprising loss to Edmonds-Woodway.

Predictions: John McDonald picks Jackson 42-21. Mike Cane picks Jackson 31-13. Tom Lafferty picks Jackson 41-17.

Snohomish at Lake Stevens

When: 7 Friday

Where: Lake Stevens H.S.

Records: Snohomish is 1-4 in the Wesco North, 3-5 overall. Lake Stevens is 3-2, 4-4.

Last year: RB Ray Purviance ran for 235 yards and five TDs to lead Snohomish to a 49-48 win.

Last week: Snohomish fell 47-13 to Arlington. Lake Stevens dropped a 28-14 decision to Oak Harbor.

Players to watch: RB Nick Hund leads Snohomish in rushing with 735 yards. RB Brennan Frost leads Lake Stevens with 854 yards rushing.

On paper: Lake Stevens is playing for a playoff berth. Snohomish is playing out the string. Add to that the fact that Snohomish’s average yield to league opponents is 33 points a game and you can see which way this one’s headed.

Predictions: John McDonald picks Lake Stevens 21-7. Mike Cane picks Lake Stevens 21-14. Tom Lafferty picks Lake Stevens 14-0.

Other games tonight

Wesco 3A: Shorecrest (1-2, 3-5) vs. Glacier Peak (2-1, 6-2) at Snohomish Veterans Memorial Stadium, 8 p.m. (KRKO radio, 1380 AM)

Non-conference: Sedro-Woolley (4-4) vs. Lynnwood (0-8) at Edmonds Stadium, 7 p.m.

Cascade Conference: Cedarcrest (5-1, 7-1) at Lakewood (1-5, 3-5), Coupeville (2-4, 4-4) at South Whidbey (3-3, 4-4), Archbishop Murphy (6-0, 7-1) at King’s (5-1, 6-2), 7 p.m.

Friday’s other games

Wesco South: Edmonds-Woodway (2-3, 3-5) vs. Shorewood (0-5, 0-8) at Shoreline Stadium, 7 p.m.

Wesco North: Oak Harbor (2-3, 3-5) at Marysville-Pilchuck (5-0, 8-0), 7 p.m.

Non-conference: Monroe (2-6) at Mariner (2-6), 7 p.m.

Northwest 2B: Orcas Island (4-0, 6-2) at Darrington (2-2, 5-3), 4 p.m.

Pacific Coast 1B: Clallam Bay (0-3, 0-5) at Highland Christian (1-2, 1-5), 5 p.m.

Herald Prep Editor John McDonald, Herald Prep Writer Mike Cane and KRKO broadcaster Tom Lafferty were 3-0 last week. All three guessers are 19-8 this season.

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