Prep football notebook: Storylines, analysis, Week 6 stars

As the weather grows colder and local high school football teams enter the closing stretch of the regular season, the battle for conference titles and postseason positioning is heating up.

Here’s a look back at the notable storylines and stars from Friday night’s prep football action, and what it means going forward.

LAKE STEVENS ROUTS GLACIER PEAK IN CLASH OF UNBEATENS

Top-ranked Lake Stevens continued its tear through Wesco 4A with a 41-3 rout of Glacier Peak in Friday night’s showdown of unbeatens at Veterans Memorial Stadium.

The Grizzlies entered the night allowing just 9.4 points per game, but it didn’t take long for the Vikings’ high-powered offense to surpass that mark. Lake Stevens (6-0 overall, 4-0 Wesco 4A) scored touchdowns on each of its first four possessions to build a 27-0 lead just nine seconds into the second quarter.

The Vikings had a much easier time against Glacier Peak (5-1, 3-1) than last year, when the Grizzlies battled toe-to-toe in a 24-21 loss that marked Lake Stevens’ closest conference game since 2014.

“(Glacier Peak coach) Shane Keck outcoached me last year, and I didn’t want that to be the case again this year,” Vikings coach Tom Tri said. “So we watched all their films, and then we watched our film from last year an awful lot. (We) had a pretty good idea of what they were trying to do with their 4-2-5 defense. We just kind of ran away from their strength over and over.”

With the victory, Lake Stevens extended its conference win streak to 42 games and cleared the most significant remaining hurdle to a seventh consecutive Wesco 4A title.

It was yet another dominant performance for the juggernaut Vikings, who have outscored their opponents by an average of 46.7 points per game. Lake Stevens has averaged 57.2 points per contest and scored more than 40 points in five of their six games, twice topping the 70-point mark.

ELSEWHERE IN WESCO 4A

Monroe rolled to a 42-0 first-quarter lead en route to a 56-7 victory over winless Jackson. The Bearcats are tied with Glacier Peak for second place in the conference, with both teams at 3-1 in league play. The two teams square off Oct. 25 at Monroe in a game that likely will determine Wesco 4A’s No. 2 seed.

Mount Vernon earned a 33-7 win over Mariner to gain the inside track to Wesco 4A’s fourth and final postseason berth. The Bulldogs are in a fourth-place tie with Mariner and Cascade in the conference standings at 2-2 in league play, but they hold head-to-head tiebreakers with victories over both teams.

SNOHOMISH BEATS E-W, CREATES CHAOS IN WESCO 3A SOUTH

Snohomish handed Edmonds-Woodway its first conference loss of the season, earning a 24-14 road win over the Warriors to create a logjam atop the Wesco 3A South standings.

With just two weeks of league play remaining, Snohomish, Edmonds-Woodway, Shorecrest and Meadowdale are tangled in a four-way tie for first place with 3-1 conference records.

It was a bounceback victory for the defending Wesco 3A South champion Panthers, who were dealt a heartbreaking 36-35 loss to Shorecrest last week after the Scots converted a game-winning 2-point attempt with 24 seconds to play.

“It shows the true character and the grit of the team,” Snohomish coach Joey Hammer said. “There’s no quit. There’s no give-up. It’s, ‘Hey, we got to grow. We got to get better.’ So I love seeing our boys respond the way they did.”

MARYSVILLE PILCHUCK CONTINUES BERRY BOWL DOMINANCE

Another year, another Berry Bowl rout for Marysville Pilchuck.

The unbeaten Tomahawks continued their dominance of crosstown rival Marysville Getchell, rolling to a 47-7 victory over the Chargers. Since the annual contest began in 2012, Marysville Pilchuck has won all eight editions of the Berry Bowl by an average margin of 34.4 points.

The victory kept the Tomahawks in control of their destiny in the Wesco 3A North title race, with a pair of massive contests looming over the next two weeks.

Marysville Pilchuck (6-0, 4-0 Wesco 3A North) plays host next week to Ferndale (3-3, 3-1), which suffered its first loss in league play Saturday night against Squalicum. If the Tomahawks beat the Golden Eagles, the following week’s regular-season finale at second-place Arlington (5-1, 4-1) will decide the league title.

LAKEWOOD TOPS ARCHBISHOP MURPHY IN SKY DIVISION SHOWDOWN

No. 10-ranked Lakewood overcame a sloppy start to earn a 35-27 home victory over third-ranked Archbishop Murphy in a Northwest 2A Sky Division showdown of top-10 teams.

After fumbling his team’s first two snaps of the game, dual-threat Lakewood quarterback Jared Taylor bounced back to run for three TDs and pass for two more. The senior scored on TD runs of 51, 47 and 6 yards — the latter of which gave the Cougars a 35-20 fourth-quarter lead.

“He fumbled the first two snaps, and one (was) a turnover,” Cougars coach Dan Teeter said. “Instead of getting down on himself, he battled back and he looked like the best player on the field tonight. He made the throws he needed to, … and running the ball, he was just a beast. He’s a legit dual-threat quarterback.”

Huge run here… Taylor is a really powerful runner, especially for a QB. #wafbscores https://t.co/Zi09Icuzop pic.twitter.com/i3nwCoAAI8— Josh Horton (@JoshHortonEDH) October 12, 2019

It was a big bounceback win for Lakewood, which suffered its first loss of the season last week in a 37-6 defeat to No. 2-ranked Lynden.

“We got beat by Lynden pretty good a week ago, so we (were) challenging the guys on what would show up,” Teeter said. “They really bounced back and took to heart the lessons that we taught them last week. Really, really proud of the guys.”

The victory gave the Cougars the inside track to the No. 2 seed in the Sky Division for the Class 2A Northwest/Sea-King Bi-District playoffs. Lakewood (5-1 overall, 2-1 Sky Division) is tied with Sedro-Woolley for second place in the ultra-competitive division, but holds the head-to-head tiebreaker over the Cubs after beating them two weeks ago. The Cougars’ final two regular-season games are against Blaine and Burlington-Edison, who are a combined 1-5 in Sky Division play.

Archbishop Murphy, meanwhile, dropped into a fourth-place tie with Burlington-Edison in the Sky Division standings. The Wildcats (4-2, 1-2), who fell 10-7 to Lynden two weeks ago, need to finish among the top three teams in the Sky Division to earn a first-round bye in the bi-district playoffs.

GRANITE FALLS BEATS KING’S

Granite Falls scored 14 first-quarter points and held on for a 16-7 triumph over King’s. It was just the Tigers’ second win over the Knights since 2009.

With the victory, Granite Falls gained an inside track to the North Sound Conference’s No. 2 seed. The Tigers (2-4 overall, 1-1 North Sound Conference) can secure at least a second-place league finish with victories over Sultan and South Whidbey over the next two weeks.

Granite Falls fell to defending North Sound Conference champion and league favorite Cedar Park Christian last week.

WEEK 6 STARS

Michael Purl, jr., Cascade

Purl rushed for 349 yards and four TDs on just 14 carries, averaging 24.9 yards per attempt in the Bruins’ 39-14 win over Kamiak.

Kasen Kinchen, sr., Lake Stevens

Kinchen caught six passes for 107 yards and two TDs in the Vikings’ 41-3 victory over Glacier Peak.

Dallas Landeros, sr., Lake Stevens

Landeros ran for 164 yards and three TDs on 24 carries in the Vikings’ rout of Glacier Peak.

Desmond Fox, jr., Shorecrest

Fox intercepted three passes and returned two for third-quarter TDs — including a 98-yarder — in the Scots’ 42-0 shutout of Stanwood.

Jordan Justice, sr., Marysville Pilchuck

Justice rushed for 217 yards and four TDs on just 10 carries and added a TD reception in the Tomahawks’ 47-7 win over rival Marysville Getchell.

Marysville Pilchuck defense

The Tomahawks intercepted four passes and posted a shutout through three quarters in their rout of Marysville Getchell.

Jaden Roskelley, jr., Arlington

Roskelley scored four TDs — two rushing and two receiving — and added a 2-point conversion reception in the Eagles’ 43-8 win over Oak Harbor.

Trent Nobach, soph., Arlington

Nobach tossed four TD passes in the Eagles’ rout of Oak Harbor.

Jemyre Reed, soph., Everett

Reed hauled in six catches for 122 yards — including an 80-yard TD reception — in the Seagulls’ 29-15 loss to Meadowdale.

Lynnwood defense

The Royals allowed just 155 yards of total offense and posted a shutout through three quarters in a 31-14 win over Shorewood.

Snohomish defense

The Panthers yielded just 166 yards of total offense in a 24-14 victory over Edmonds-Woodway.

Jared Taylor, sr., Lakewood

Taylor ran for 172 yards and three TDs on 21 carries and also threw two TD passes in the Cougars’ 35-27 win over Archbishop Murphy.

Jordan Sims, jr., Mountlake Terrace

Sims rushed for five TDs in the Hawks’ 41-12 victory over Sultan.

Granite Falls defense

The Tigers held King’s to just 137 yards of total offense and posted a safety in a 16-7 win.

NEXT WEEK’S BIG GAMES

Ferndale at Marysville Pilchuck, 7 p.m. Friday. This Wesco 3A North showdown carries massive league-title implications. Marysville Pilchuck is 4-0 in conference play, while Ferndale dropped to 3-1 after losing to Squalicum on Saturday night. The Golden Eagles need a win to stay in the Wesco 3A North title picture.

Shorecrest at Meadowdale, 8 p.m. Friday at Edmonds Stadium. Both teams are part of a four-way tie atop the Wesco 3A South. The winner is guaranteed to at least be tied for first place entering the final week of conference play.