Four teams face key conference openers
Published 9:57 pm Thursday, September 11, 2008
No team wants to lose its first league game of the season, but two teams with postseason aspirations are going to do just that tonight.
With Cascade moving to the Wesco South, there are now four 2007 playoff teams in a division that receives three playoff berths. So any time two of those four clash — as in tonight’s Kamiak at Cascade contest — something has to give.
Meanwhile, in the North, Snohomish, last season’s runner-up, tangles with wanna-be Marysville-Pilchuck. The Tomahawks finished a win out of third last season and the team immediately in front of them (Cascade) has moved out of the division.
Here’s a look at those two games as well as Oak Harbor at Monroe and the rest of the weekend schedule:
Oak Harbor at Monroe
When: 7 p.m.
Where: Bearcat Stadium
Quick slant: You wouldn’t think a game between a team which was 8-0 in league last season and a team which was 0-8 would be of much interest. But last week’s outcomes make it intriguing. Oak Harbor struggled with its offense in a 15-10 loss to Cascade, not really achieving much until quarterback James Jordan engineered a fourth-quarter TD drive. Monroe, on the other hand, ended its losing streak in explosive fashion, scoring 20 points against Shorewood. And the Bearcats offense fired on all cylinders. QB Bryan Sonneveldt was 11-for-16 for 189 yards and two TDs. RB Austin Bray carried nine times for 86 yards and a TD. WR Connor Shelford caught four passes for 121 yards and a TD.
Mike Cane’s pick: Oak Harbor 27-14; John McDonald’s pick: Oak Harbor 21-13; Tom Lafferty’s pick: Oak Harbor 42-14
Kamiak at Cascade
When: 7 tonight
Where: Everett Memorial Stadium
Quick slant: Cascade undergoes its first test as a new member of the Wesco South. Both teams made the playoffs last season as third seeds from their respective divisions.
Mike Cane’s pick: Cascade 20-17; John McDonald’s pick: Cascade 15- 14; Tom Lafferty’s pick: Cascade 14-10
Snohomish at Marysville-Pilchuck
When: 7 tonight
Where: Quil Ceda Stadium
Quick slant: Despite the opening of Glacier Peak, the district’s new high school, Snohomish looked like the perennial power it has always been against Kamiak. The Panthers ran for 289 yards, 159 by Ray Purviance. Containing M-P may be more challenging than anyone expected, however. The Tomahawks exploded for 46 points against Class 3A Shorecrest. Junior running back Austin Denton, a backup forced into action by an injury, carried 15 times for 208 yards and four TDs. As early as it is, this is a must-win game for any team hoping to win the division title.
Mike Cane’s pick: Snohomish 21-20; John McDonald’s pick: M-P 34-27; Tom Lafferty’s pick: Snohomish 14-13
Other games tonight
Wesco South: Jackson (1-0) vs. Shorewood (0-1) at Shoreline Stadium, Mountlake Terrace (1-0) at Mariner (0-1), 7 p.m.
Non-conference: Everett (1-0) vs. Edmonds-Woodway (0-1) at Edmonds Stadium, 5 p.m.
Shorecrest (0-1) at Ferndale (1-0), Eastside Catholic (1-0) at Archbishop Murphy (1-0), Seattle Prep (1-0) at Cedarcrest (0-1), Lakeside (1-0) at Coupeville (0-1), Nathan Hale (0-1) at Granite Falls (0-1), King’s (1-0) at Charles Wright (1-0), Lakewood (0-1) at Lynden Christian (0-1), Lake Stevens (1-0) vs. Glacier Peak (0-1) at Snohomish Veterans Memorial Stadium, Meadowdale (1-0) at Stanwood (0-1), Mount Vernon (1-0) at South Whidbey (1-0), 7 p.m.
Arlington (1-0) vs. Lynnwood (0-1) at Edmonds Stadium, 8 p.m.
Saturday games
Non-conference: Sultan (0-1) at Life Christian (1-0), Darrington (0-1) at Lake Stevens sophs, 7 p.m.
Herald Writer Mike Cane was 5-1 on his picks last week. KRKO radio broadcaster Tom Lafferty was 3-3, Herald Prep Editor John McDonald was 2-4.
