Meadowdale looks to claim Wesco 3A crown
Published 11:05 pm Tuesday, October 25, 2011
Regular season games don’t get any bigger than the Oct. 27 matchup between Meadowdale and Oak Harbor.
Both teams head into their regular season finale with 7-0 league records and 8-0 overall marks. The winner claims the Western Conference 3A championship and the league’s top seed to the playoffs.
The Wildcats possess one of the league’s most explosive offenses, while Lynnwood coach Mike Don described the Meadowdale defense as the best he’s seen in his high school coaching career.
“I think it’ll be a heck of a game,” Don said. “Something’s got to give.”
The Mavericks have limited opponents to one touchdown or less in six games this season. That includes district rival Edmonds-Woodway, who managed to score 63 points against Jackson.
Oak Harbor has scored 42 or more points in seven games this year.
As coach Don said, something’s got to give.
Game time is scheduled for 8 p.m. at Edmonds Stadium.
The 5 p.m. contest is an intriguing matchup between Lynnwood and Mountlake Terrace. Neither team is headed to the playoffs, so Thursday night’s contest will be for pride and bragging rights.
Edmonds-Woodway, the Wesco 4A champion, faces Lake Stevens, the Wesco North champion, in the league title and playoff seeding contest at 7 p.m, Oct. 28 at Edmonds Stadium.
Last week’s record: 3-1
Year to date: 22-8
MOUNTLAKE TERRACE VS. LYNNWOOD
Game time: 5 p.m., Thursday at Edmonds Stadium
Records: Mountlake Terrace 2-5 in the league, 2-6 overall; Lynnwood 1-6, 1-7
Last week’s results: Everett 27, Mountlake Terrace 12; Meadowdale 42, Lynnwood 7.
Last year’s results: Mountlake Terrace 43, Lynnwood 13
Players to watch: Mountlake Terrace is led by junior quarterback Beau Kennedy, who scored on a 3-yard run against Everett. Sophomore running back Devante Downs, who ran for two TDs in a win over Shorewood, suffered an ankle injury and his status for the game as of Monday was questionable. Lynnwood quarterback Blake Lord threw a touchdown pass to Morgan Skelton against Meadowdale. Senior running back Corey Hoerner ran for two touchdowns against Marysville-Getchell.
Breakdown: The best player may not be on the field as Downs is battling an ankle injury. Downs starts on offense and defense so his absence could be crucial. Lynnwood’s Lord and Skelton can be a potent combination and will be a challenge for Mason Stone and the Hawk secondary.
Weekly Herald pick: Lynnwood 35, Mountlake Terrace 28
MEADOWDALE VS. OAK HARBOR
Game time: 8 p.m., Thursday at Edmonds Stadium
Records: Meadowdale 7-0 in the league, 8-0 overall; Oak Harbor 7-0, 8-0
Last week’s results: Meadowdale 42, Lynnwood 7; Oak Harbor 69, Marysville-Getchell 0
Last year’s results: Meadowdale 41, Oak Harbor 20
Players to watch: Meadowdale quarterback Brian Marty has upped his game the last few weeks. He threw for a pair of touchdowns against Lynnwood and had three scoring strikes against Shorewood. Kyler Larsen ran for two TDs and caught a pass for a third. Running backs Giavani Shepard and Kyle Newsom bring speed and power to the backfield. Oak Harbor’s Josiah Miller ran for three touchdowns and also had a TD reception against the Chargers. Teammate Brent Ryan ran for four touchdowns against Shorecrest.
Breakdown: The Meadowdale defense is the best in the league and goes up against arguably the best offense in the league in Oak Harbor. So far no team has been able to bust loose against the talented Mavericks. The Vikings have good speed in the backfield with Miller but Meadowdale likely will find a way to slow him and his teammates down. Meanwhile, the Meadowdale offense has multiple options with Marty, Larsen, Shepard and Newsom.
Weekly Herald pick: Meadowdale 28, Oak Harbor 21
EDMONDS-WOODWAY VS. LAKE STEVENS
Game time: 7 p.m., Friday at Edmonds Stadium
Records: Edmonds-Woodway 5-3 overall; Lake Stevens 8-0 overall
Last week’s results: Edmonds-Woodway 34, Redmond 7; Lake Stevens 47, Stanwood 0
Last year’s results: Did not play
Players to watch: Edmonds-Woodway running back Desmond Young rushed for 139 yards on 17 carries and scored two touchdowns. Teammate Mark Coutee had 104 yards on 15 carries with one TD. The Edmonds-Woodway offense is led by sophomore quarterback Davis Giles. Lake Stevens quarterback Jake Nelson threw four touchdown passes to wide receiver Christian Gasco in the victory over Stanwood. Nelson completed 11 of 16 passes for 373 yards and five TDs. He also ran for a score.
Breakdown: Edmonds-Woodway will look to keep the ball out of Nelson’s hands by running the ball with Young and Coutee. The Viking defense has allowed only 14 points in its last three games. Lake Stevens probably will stack the line to try to shut down the Warrior ground attack. That means Giles will need to air it out with receivers Spiral Horn and David Hansen. Edmonds-Woodway is a relatively young team going up against an experienced Lake Stevens squad.
Weekly Herald pick: Lake Stevens 21, Edmonds-Woodway 14
