LAKE STEVENS — There haven’t been a lot of close calls thus far for the Lake Stevens football team.
The Vikings’ closest margin of victory this season is 28 points and Lake Stevens has allowed more than seven points just once in its five contests.
This Friday, Lake Stevens head coach Tom Tri expects that to change when his undefeated Vikings travel to Monroe. Both the Bearcats and Vikings are ranked in the Associated Press High School Football Poll with Lake Stevens holding steady at No. 2 in 4A all season and Monroe (4-1) in at No. 10.
“We haven’t had a lot of close games. I know this week’s going to be different,” Tri said. “We’re going to have to play well for four quarters. … You just want to make sure you stay hungry and focused on who your next opponent is. It just so happens it’s a big league rival at their place. They’re a talented team and it’s going to be a big test for us.
“Make no mistake about it they’re a good football team and we’re excited to go in and play them.”
Monroe suffered its first defeat of the season last week with a 32-28 loss to Wesco 4A rival Kamiak. Tri and the Vikings know the loss is only going to motivate the Bearcats more as they try to deal Lake Stevens the same fate.
“That’s something we talked about in practice. They’re a wounded animal right now after having a loss last week,” Tri said. “We know they’ve got to get back on track if they want to compete for a league title. We’re going to have to match their intensity.”
Both teams feature a bevy of offensive weapons. Lake Stevens has the experience led by senior running back Andrew Grimes, who has 524 yards and 10 touchdowns on 43 carries, and senior quarterback Jacob Eason. Eason, one of the top quarterback recruits in the nation and a University of Georgia commit, is 68 of 92 for 1,306 yards, 16 touchdowns and no interceptions through five games.
Monroe looks to a pair of juniors in quarterback Zach Zimmerman and JJ Jerome who have caused headaches for the Bearcats’ opponents all season. Zimmerman is 74 of 118 for 1,128 yards with 11 touchdowns and just two interceptions. Jerome has 91 rush attempts for 750 yards and 14 touchdowns.
“They’re a great team,” Tri said. “They’re really well-coached. They’ve got a ton of skill players and have some linemen that get after it in the trenches. I know it’s going to be a war over there playing in their stadium.”
Tri said his Lake Stevens defense is going to have to get pressure on Zimmerman and cover the Bearcats’ top receivers, including senior Jake Morrelli and sophomore Isaiah Cole, who leads Monroe with 21 catches for 434 yards and four touchdowns.
“You have to respect (Zimmerman’s) arm and his legs. He’s not afraid to pull it down and get to the edge,” Tri said. “He can throw a deep ball as well as anyone in the league. They’re going to throw the ball vertical a few times a game to keep the defense honest. We’ll try to get pressure on Zimmerman and stop the run game.”
The Vikings watched Monroe’s game against Kamiak and tried to pick out a few keys to the Knights’ success, which Lake Stevens hopes to emulate Friday night.
“Kamiak was really physical up front and challenged Monroe’s receivers with some concepts,” Tri said. “Monroe has a great defense and is really aggressive. (Kamiak’s) game plan was to get the ball out quickly to open receivers. Kamiak also did a great job of ball control on offense. They had some long drives and you could tell they did some things with their defensive front to try to stop them.
“It’s going to be tough. On paper it looks easy but you’ve got to get it done Friday night. That’s why we play the game.”
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