Prep football notebook: Week 1 analysis, big moments, stars

Published 1:30 am Saturday, September 1, 2018

For local teams, the opening week of the high school football season was highlighted by thrilling finishes, statement wins, dominant rushing attacks and plenty of star players.

Here’s a look back at the non-league action of Week 1, and a look forward at what’s to come.

THRILLING FINISHES

The opening week’s most dramatic finish came on Arlington’s game-winning touchdown pass from Anthony Whitis to Griffin Gardoski with one second remaining.

After firing a 32-yard pass to Joey Stretch that moved the ball to the Mariner 5-yard line with nine seconds to play, Whitis stopped the clock with a spike.

Arlington’s standout senior quarterback then lofted a pass to the corner of the end zone, and the 6-foot-3 Gardoski hauled in the game-winner to lift the Eagles to a 27-23 victory over the Marauders on Friday night.

“Anthony put it in a nice spot, and Griffin ran a nice route and made a great catch,” Eagles coach Greg Dailer said. “It was pretty electric. It was pretty exciting.”

The game-winning pass capped an impressive drive by Whitis, who led Arlington 81 yards in just under 90 seconds for the deciding score.

“I didn’t see any quit in our kids,” Dailer said. “Our offense, when we get going, we can move the ball pretty well. And they felt pretty confident.”

Meadowdale, meanwhile, was on the wrong end of a thrilling finish in a 29-28 loss to Inglemoor.

Holding a late 28-21 lead, the young Mavericks surrendered a 90-yard touchdown drive that included a pair of fourth-down conversions. Inglemoor scored on a 34-yard desperation heave to the end zone with 17 seconds left, then converted the ensuing two-point attempt to hand Meadowdale a heartbreaking defeat.

Almost any year, the endings to these two games would be on a short list of the local prep football season’s most thrilling finishes. And it’s only Week 1.

Buckle up, football fans.

GLACIER PEAK OFF TO ROARING START

The Grizzlies are entering a pivotal season, with a trio of standout seniors leading a team looking to compete with league powers Lake Stevens and Monroe for the Wesco 4A crown.

And with a resounding 52-0 rout of Edmonds-Woodway on Friday night, Glacier Peak is off to quite a start.

The Grizzlies amassed a staggering 552-47 advantage in total yardage, compiling what coach Nick Bender said was one of the most complete games in the program’s 11-year history.

Perhaps most encouraging for Glacier Peak was the performance of its defense, which allowed 38.1 points per game last season. The Grizzlies completely shut down the Capassio Cherry-led Warriors, bottling up the star running back and limiting Edmonds-Woodway to an average of just 1.2 yards per play.

Bender said his defense was “swarming all game” and that the unit has made some changes under new defensive coordinator Shane Keck, who was Cascade’s head coach for the past three seasons.

And while it’s not uncommon to see standout quarterback Ayden Ziomas and Glacier Peak’s high-powered offense put up big numbers, this was the Grizzlies’ first time reaching 50 points since 2015.

Furthermore, though Edmonds-Woodway graduated all 11 starters from last year’s stalwart defense, that shouldn’t entirely diminish the fact Glacier Peak topped 50 points against a program known for producing strong defenses year in and year out. The last team to score 50-plus points on Edmonds-Woodway was Lake Stevens in 2013.

The Grizzlies will look to build on their impressive opening act when they face crosstown rival Snohomish in a non-league contest next Friday.

LAKE STEVENS DOMINATES FIRST TEST IN THREE-GAME GAUNTLET

The Vikings are opening the season with a challenging three-game stretch against Ferndale, Lincoln and Monroe.

Lake Stevens passed its first test with flying colors, routing Ferndale 42-14 in Friday night’s opener. The Vikings led 28-0 late in the third quarter and 42-7 in the fourth against a Golden Eagles team that graduated numerous key players from last year’s Class 3A state-quarterfinal squad.

Lake Stevens senior running back Jackson Grafe led a Vikings rushing attack that totaled 255 yards and six touchdowns while averaging 7.7 yards per carry. The Vikings ran the ball on 75 percent of their offensive plays, marking a significant increase for a high-powered spread offense that ran the ball approximately 45 percent of the time in recent years.

Next up for Lake Stevens is a home non-league showdown against 3A state-title contender Lincoln, which features a handful of players ranked among the top college prospects in the state by 247Sports.

The following week, the Vikings open conference play on the road against rival Monroe, which has been Lake Stevens’ biggest threat the past few seasons during its reign atop Wesco 4A.

CASCADE, MARYSVILLE PILCHUCK RUN WILD

Cascade and Marysville Pilchuck ran the ball at will in their season-opening victories.

Cascade’s Wing-T rushing attack totaled 464 yards in Jordan Sieh’s head-coaching debut, paving the way for a 32-22 win over crosstown rival Everett in Friday night’s Battle of Broadway. Max Nelson eclipsed 200 yards rushing and Davanta Murphy-McMillan and Michael Purl both topped 100 yards for the Bruins, who averaged 7.6 yards per carry.

Marysville Pilchuck, meanwhile, rushed for 525 yards and eight touchdowns in a 63-34 rout of Snohomish on Friday night. The Tomahawks will look to continue their success on the ground in next week’s Wesco 3A North opener against Oak Harbor, which yielded just 15.5 points per game last season en route to a state-playoff appearance.

TWO TEAMS RETURN SEASON-OPENING KICKOFFS FOR TOUCHDOWNS

Monroe and Marysville Pilchuck both began their seasons in emphatic fashion with kickoff returns for touchdowns.

Efton Chism III, a junior, opened Monroe’s season with a 90-yard kickoff return for a score in Friday night’s loss to Eastlake.

Marysville Pilchuck senior Bryan Sanders set the tone in the Tomahawks’ rout of Snohomish, returning the season-opening kickoff 85 yards for a touchdown. Snohomish senior Tyler Massena also had a 90-yard kickoff return for a score.

WEEK 1 STARS

Ayden Ziomas, sr., Glacier Peak: Ziomas completed 24 of 28 passes for 387 yards and five touchdowns in the Grizzlies’ rout of Edmonds-Woodway. The dual-threat quarterback also rushed for 63 yards and a score.

Glacier Peak defense: The Grizzlies shut out Edmonds-Woodway and held the Capassio Cherry-led Warriors to just 47 yards of total offense in a blowout win.

Max Nelson, sr., Cascade: Nelson rushed for 209 yards and two touchdowns in the Bruins’ win over Everett.

Davanta Murphy-McMillan, jr., Cascade: Murphy-McMillan rushed for 149 yards and scored two touchdowns — one rushing and one receiving — in the Bruins’ win over Everett.

Efton Chism III, jr., Monroe: Chism III caught a touchdown pass, returned a kickoff for a score and made two interceptions on defense in the Bearcats’ loss to Eastlake.

Jackson Grafe, sr., Lake Stevens: Grafe rushed for 123 yards and two touchdowns on 18 carries in the Vikings’ rout of Ferndale.

Trenton Hurst, sr., Marysville Pilchuck: Hurst rushed for 205 yards and four touchdowns on just 16 carries in the Tomahawks’ rout of Snohomish.

Bryan Sanders, sr., Marysville Pilchuck: Sanders rushed for two touchdowns, returned a kickoff for a score and intercepted a pass on defense in the Tomahawks’ rout of Snohomish.

Anthony Whitis, sr., Arlington: Whitis threw for 252 yards and two touchdowns in the Eagles’ win over Mariner, tossing the game-winning touchdown with one second left to cap an 81-yard drive. He also rushed for two touchdowns.

Griffin Gardoski, sr., Arlington: Gardoski had five catches for 100 yards and two touchdowns, including a game-winning touchdown reception with one second left to lift the Eagles over Mariner.

Dorian Hardin, sr., Oak Harbor: Hardin rushed for 123 yards and two touchdowns on just eight carries in the Wildcats’ rout of Seaquam Secondary (British Columbia).

Tyler Gibson, sr., Meadowdale: Gibson had seven catches for 120 yards, including a 62-yard touchdown reception, in the Mavericks’ loss to Inglemoor.

Tyler Massena, sr., Snohomish: Massena rushed for two touchdowns and scored on a kickoff return in the Panthers’ loss to Marysville Pilchuck.

Josh McCarron, soph., Archbishop Murphy: McCarron recorded at least three sacks and a fumble recovery as the Wildcats limited Eatonville to just 4 yards of total offense in a 23-3 win.

Zach Wilkins, jr., Cedar Park Christian: Wilkins rushed for 215 yards and three touchdowns on just 17 carries in the Eagles’ rout of Chimacum.

Isaiah Phillips, sr., Sultan: Phillips rushed for 173 yards and three touchdowns on just 14 carries in the Turks’ rout of Vashon Island.

NEXT WEEK’S BIG GAMES

Hockinson at Archbishop Murphy, 7 p.m. Thursday: The Wildcats host the defending 2A state champions in a clash of state-title contenders.

Lincoln at Lake Stevens, 7 p.m. Friday: The Vikings continue their opening three-game gauntlet with a showdown against 3A state-title contender Lincoln, a team loaded with college prospects.

Glacier Peak vs. Snohomish, 7 p.m. Friday: The crosstown rivals square off in one of the area’s biggest annual rivalry games. Glacier Peak has won all six of the schools’ previous meetings.