King’s-Lakewood game looms large
Published 11:06 pm Thursday, September 25, 2014
In a lot of ways, the Lakewood and King’s football programs are mirror images of each other.
Both head coaches, Dan Teeter at Lakewood and Jim Shapiro at King’s, have used the past half decade to turn their teams from also-rans in the Cascade Conference to perennial powers. For the past three seasons, the Lakewood-King’s game has decided — or had a big hand in deciding — the league championship.
The two teams meet tonight, and though it is just Week 4 of the regular season, the stakes once again are high.
“King’s was a team that was picked by the coaches in our conference to win our league this year — and Archbishop (Murphy) got some votes for that as well,” said Teeter, whose team opened conference play last week with an 18-17 win over Murphy. “According to what the coaches seem to think and recent history, it lays out pretty clear that this could be a deciding game for the league title.”
No matter what happens tonight, both coaches agree a lot can happen between now and the time the league crown is awarded.
“There are plenty of league games to be played and (plenty of) teams that have strength in their squads this year in our league,” Shapiro said, “so we’re not looking down that road.”
Still, Shapiro said, tonight’s game is a big one for both teams.
“I’m sure Dan is preaching the same things this week that I am: That this is a championship week,” Shapiro said. “It’s obviously not a championship, but you’re playing a high-caliber 2A ball club. We’re treating it like a chance to compete and a chance to win this week. This could pencil out to be the championship-game decider later on.”
Teeter and Shapiro used similar strategies to get their teams ready for conference play. Both opened the season with a pair of difficult non-conference games, including a common opponent in defending Class 2A state champion Lynden. The result was the same for both squads — an 0-2 record going into the first Cascade Conference game of the season. Both teams rebounded by winning their league openers.
“For us it’s very intentional,” Shapiro said of the difficult early schedule. “It really in some ways becomes less about the wins and more about preparation for the league.”
Teeter agreed.
“We loaded up our schedule in the front in our non-league (games) with some tough competition all for the goal of trying to make sure that we’re prepared for the end of the season to hopefully have a shot to go to state and win a few games there,” he said. “I think at first some of kids were maybe a little anxious about the schedule and who we scheduled, but then they got to the point where they were excited about it. It’s an opportunity that they had to go face some teams that you’re going to have to face in the playoffs anyway.”
Here’s a looking at this week’s key games:
King’s at Lakewood
Where: Lakewood High School
When: 7 p.m.
Key Players: Lakewood—Blake Watts, Sr., RB/S; Brett Bustad, Sr., DB/WR; Alec Burbee, Sr., OL/DL; Paulmer Gregory, Sr., QB/DB.; Jordan Jira, Jr., OL/DL; Bryce Stanton, Sr., TE/LB. King’s—Ryan Fransen, Sr., WR/DB; Koa Wilkins, Jr., QB; Calvin Kispert, Sr., OL/DL; Carl Sather, Sr., RB/LB; Jackson Hand, Sr., WR/DB.
Records: Lakewood 1-0 league, 1-2 overall, King’s 1-0, 1-2.
Twitter: @krueger_david
What you need to know: Both teams opened the season 0-2 after difficult non-conference schedules, but both rebounded with impressive league wins last Friday. The King’s-Lakewood game has had a hand in deciding the past three Cascade Conference champions and this year should be no different.
Herald Pick: Lakewood
Meadowdale at Glacier Peak
Where: Veterans Memorial Stadium
When: 7 p.m.
Key Players: Meadowdale—Malik Braxton, Sr., RB/DB; Charlie White, Sr., TE/LB; Nick Neely, Sr., LB; Tim Smith, Sr., OL/DL; Brett Schafer, Sr., K; Garrett Walsh, Sr., FB/DE; Rory Spillum, Sr., RB/DB; Jimmy Bruders, Sr., LB. Glacier Peak—Mosese Fifita, Sr., OL/DL; Spencer Pettit, Sr., K; Brandon Jensen Sr., OLB; Justin Guffey, Jr., WR/FS; Andrew McCoy, Jr., TE/OLB; Iain Black, Jr., RB/ILB; Brady Southard, Sr., QB.
Records: Meadowdale 2-0 league, 2-1 overall; Glacier Peak 2-0, 3-0.
Twitter: @aaronlommers
Webcast: www.stspn.com
What you need to know: Both teams scored impressive victories last week to set up a pivotal early-season Wesco 3A South matchup. After beating Edmonds-Woodway last Friday, Meadowdale can grab the inside track in the race for the league championship with a win over the Grizzlies. Glacier Peak, which has title aspirations of its own, comes into the game as the only undefeated team in the Wesco 3A South.
Herald Pick: Meadowdale
Jackson at Monroe
Where: Monroe High School
When: 7 p.m.
Key Players: Jackson—Keynan Foster, Sr., WR/DB; Alex Cheesman, Sr., QB; Jason Cottingham, Sr., RB/LB; Bryan Betz, Sr., OL/DL; Ryan Fee, Jr., OL/DL; Jacob Saldana, Sr., RB/LB; Andrew Cho, Jr., RB; Aaron Avalos, Sr., LB. Monroe—Andrew Zimmerman, Sr., QB/FS; Alex Vidican, Sr., OL/DL; McKinley Braa, Sr., WR/DB; Cory Brown, Sr., RB/LB; Shanden Mixayphone, Sr., WR/DB; Dillon Fargo, Jr., RB/LB; JJ Jerome, So., RB/S; Tristan Lund, Jr., WR/LB.
Records: Jackson 0-1 league, 1-2 overall; Monroe 1-0, 3-0.
Twitter: @heraldnetpreps
What you need to know: This Wesco 4A game features two of the most surprising teams in Snohomish County — Monroe (3-0) for its undefeated start, and Jackson (1-2) for its struggles through three games. Monroe looks like a team poised to challenge Lake Stevens for a conference championship, while Jackson needs a victory to get its season back on track.
Herald Pick: Monroe
Marysville Getchell at Arlington
Where: Arlington High School (John C. Larson Stadium)
When: 7 p.m.
Key Players: Marysville Getchell—Taylor Koellmer, Jr., QB; Collin Montez, So., RB/LB/K; John Clark, Sr., OL/DL; Jesus Eschevarria, So., OL/DL; Gage Thomas, So., FB/LB; Kyle Pinca, So., RB/DB; Justin Cook, Sr., WR/DB. Arlington—Gareth Henderson, Sr., OL/LB; Anthony Parra, Jr., TE/LB/K; Cam Scrimgeour, Jr., TE/LB; Connor Bovard, Sr., WR/DB; Noah Andal, Sr., WR/DB/QB; Beni Madrigal-Reis, Jr., OL/DL; Drew Kalahar, Jr., QB.
Records: Marysville Getchell 0-0 league, 1-2 overall; Arlington 0-0, 2-1.
Twitter: @heraldnetpreps
What you need to know: This is the conference opener for both teams, which means the winner earns a welcome shot of momentum. Marysville Getchell boasts the county’s leading rusher in Montez, who’s gained 815 yards on 101 carries.
Herald Pick: Arlington
Archbishop Murphy at Sultan
Where: Sultan High School
When: 7 p.m.
Key Players: Archbishop Murphy—Nolan Rogge, Sr., QB; Reagan Gordon, Sr., RB/SS; Kerry Jackson, Jr., RB/LB; Anfernee Gurley, So., DB/WR; Nathan Bradley, Sr., OL/DL. Sultan—Deion Bonilla, Sr., QB/DL; James MacKenzie, Sr., RB/DB; Kolton Anderson, Sr., WR/DB; Matt Baller, Sr., OL/LB.
Records: Archbishop Murphy 0-1 league, 2-1 overall; Sultan 1-0, 2-1.
Twitter: @heraldnetpreps
What you need to know: Archbishop Murphy opened with a 2-0 start before losing an 18-17 heartbreaker to Lakewood last Friday. Sultan also enters the game 2-1 and is coming off a 34-20 victory over Granite Falls in last Friday’s Black and Blue Bowl. Lakewood, King’s and Archbishop Murphy were picked to make the Cascade Conference a three-team race this season. Sultan would like to make it a four-team race with a win tonight.
Herald Pick: Archbishop Murphy
