A look at this week’s top local high school football matchups
Published 1:30 am Thursday, September 29, 2022
Bitter rivals meet and conference races are heating up during Week 5 of the Snohomish County prep football season.
Here’s a look at some of this week’s top matchups involving local teams:
STANWOOD AT ARLINGTON
When: Friday, 7 p.m.
Where: John C. Larson Stadium (Arlington H.S.)
Radio: KRKO 1380 AM
Webcast: Twin City Sports Network
The skinny: Bragging rights and position in the Wesco 3A North-title hunt are on the line when Stanwood and Arlington clash in the annual Stilly Cup rivalry game. The Eagles have owned this rivalry for over a decade with 12 straight wins in the series, but the Spartans enter this matchup unbeaten and look to have their best shot at ending their losing streak in recent seasons. First-place Stanwood holds a one game advantage in the win column over Ferndale in the Wesco 3A North standings. Arlington, which is one game behind the Spartans and one loss behind Ferndale, has a chance to catch its rival and create a chaotic title race over the season’s final few weeks.
Stanwood: 4-0, 3-0 Wesco 3A North; beat Lakewood 42-0, beat Marysville Pilchuck 30-16, beat Oak Harbor 38-14, beat Mount Vernon 35-3
About the Spartans: Stanwood aims to bring the Stilly Cup home for the first time since 2009, a streak that dates back to before any of the current Spartans players reached elementary school. But unlike many of the past dozen seasons, Stanwood enters this matchup as a favorite. The Spartans are continuing to build on their 2021 state playoff run with a 4-0 start this fall, and they’re already halfway to an unbeaten record in Wesco 3A North play. Stanwood’s Wing-T offense averages 36.3 points per game and features Snohomish County’s leading rusher, Ryder Bumgarner. The senior has 854 yards, nine touchdowns and averages 12.6 yards per carry. Senior Carson Beckt adds to the ground game with 229 yards and six touchdowns on a 12.7-yards-per-carry average. Beckt also has team highs with 99 yards and two touchdowns receiving. The Spartans defense is just as strong, allowing just 8.3 points per game and holding two of its four opponents without a TD. The defense has forced seven turnovers and held its past three opponents to less than 200 yards of offense. Junior defensive back Max Mayo has a team-best two interceptions.
Arlington: 3-1, 2-1 Wesco 3A North; beat Kamiak 28-14, beat Marysville Getchell 21-14, beat Mount Vernon 21-6, lost to Ferndale 27-24
About the Eagles: After graduating nearly the entirety of both starting lineups from last season’s state playoff team, a new group is helping Arlington deliver a strong start to the season. The Eagles are 3-1 and nearly knocked off preseason Wesco 3A North-favorite Ferndale last week. Ferndale kept the Stilly Cup from being unbeaten versus unbeaten by rallying from a 12-point fourth-quarter deficit. Despite a tough fourth quarter in Week 4, Arlington’s defense is a strength of the team once again. The Eagles allow just 15.3 points per game and held their first three opponents to 14 points or less, including pitching a second-half shutout to rally for a victory over Marysville Getchell in their league opener. On offense, Arlington is showing it can still move the ball through the air while being more balanced with the run game. Senior Jacoby Falor and sophomore Leyton Martin do a little bit of everything for the Eagles’ offense, which averages 23.5 points per contest. Falor is completing 51.9% (28 of 54) of his passes for 383 yards, seven touchdowns and five interceptions. He also has a team-best 214 yards rushing and a team-high 223 yards receiving with two touchdowns on 18 receptions. Martin is completing 61.4% (43 of 70) of his throws for 507 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions. He also has 115 yards and a TD on the ground and 72 yards receiving.
Herald pick: Stanwood
MARINER VS. 4A NO. 1 GLACIER PEAK
When: Friday, 7 p.m.
Where: Veterans Memorial Stadium (Snohomish H.S.)
Webcast: STSPN.com
The skinny: Unbeaten Mariner and 4A top-ranked Glacier Peak square off in the Wesco 4A opener for both squads. The Marauders look to continue to their banner start to the season and prove they can compete with one of the state’s best. The Grizzlies aim to rebound from their first loss and remain unbeaten against teams from Washington.
Mariner: 4-0; beat Foster 39-14, beat Everett 19-7, beat Meadowdale 26-8, beat Marysville Getchell 33-6
About the Marauders: Mariner couldn’t ask for a much better start to the Tyler Tuiasosopo era. The Marauders are one of just two 4A teams in the state without a loss, winning their first four games by an average of 20.5 points. The defense is stout and has a knack for making big plays. Mariner allows just 8.8 points per game and has a whopping five defensive TDs, including two from senior defensive back Macky James. The Marauders have forced nine turnovers overall. Senior running back Cartez Williams leads the charge on offense. He averages 8.6 yards per carry with 535 yards and four touchdowns. Junior quarterback Isaiah Cuellar has three total touchdowns on offense and a pick-six on defense. James is also one of the team’s top receiving threats. The Marauders average 29.3 points per game. The caveat to Mariner’s start is that the team has feasted on a light schedule thus far. The four victories have come over teams with a combined 1-11 record. The level of competition cranks up more than a few notches Friday night.
Glacier Peak: 3-1; beat Snohomish 42-13, beat Camas 34-28, beat Ferndale 42-14, lost to Rocklin (California) 16-14
About the Grizzlies: GP suffered its first loss of the season after losing a 14-0 fourth-quarter lead in a tight battle with Rocklin High School in Rocklin, California. Despite the loss, the Grizzlies are now the No. 1 ranked 4A team in the Associated Press state high school football media poll. GP’s offense had a tough showing last Friday but is still averaging 33.0 points per contest and features a talented array of playmakers. Senior quarterback River Lien, a two-star recruit, is completing 54.7% (47 of 86) of his passes for 885 yards, 13 TDs and three interceptions. He also leads the Grizzlies in rushing yards. His top targets are NCAA Division-I bound seniors Trey Leckner and Cooper Jensen. Leckner, a three-star Washington State University commit, has a team-high 318 yards and six touchdowns on 11 receptions. He averages 28.9 yards per catch and has another 102 yards and two TDs on the ground. Jensen, a three-star Oregon State University commit, averages 17.0 yards per catch with 238 yards, four TDs and a team-high 14 receptions. The Grizzlies are stout on defense as well. They allow 17.8 points per game and held three of their first four opponents to 16 points or less. Leckner has two sacks and a fumble return for a TD, junior linebacker Bradley Perman has five tackles for loss and one sack and senior linebacker Will Jenkins has two sacks.
Herald pick: Glacier Peak
3A NO. 8 MONROE VS. MOUNTLAKE TERRACE
When: Friday, 5 p.m.
Where: Edmonds Stadium (Edmonds-Woodway H.S.)
The skinny: Unbeaten Wesco 3A South favorite Monroe and Mountlake Terrace square off in an important league contest for both squads. The Bearcats aim to continue their red-hot start and keep pace with Snohomish. The Hawks look to improve upon one of their best starts in recent years and remain in the mix in Wesco 3A South.
Monroe: 4-0, 2-0 Wesco 3A South; beat Roosevelt 56-14, beat Shorecrest 48-13, beat Kamiak 44-14, beat Lynnwood 70-26
About the Bearcats: Monroe hasn’t received much of a challenge yet as its steamrolled its way through its first four games. The Bearcats led each of their first four games by at least 21 points by halftime and scored all 70 of their points in the first half of last week’s rout of Lynnwood. Monroe is getting it done in all facets of the game. The team averages 54.5 points per contest with most of that production coming from its high-powered offense. Three-star junior quarterback Blake Springer leads Snohomish County with 969 yards and 14 touchdowns passing. He’s completing 70.9% (56 of 69) of his passes with just two interceptions. He has a formidable trio of playmakers to disperse the ball to in sophomore running back Beau Pruett and senior receivers Kody Edelbrock and Trent Bublitz. Pruett has 766 yards of total offense and 11 TDs. He leads the team with 343 yards rushing and 423 receiving. Edelbrock has 219 yards and one TD receiving and Bublitz adds another 141 yards and four TDs through the air. The defense allows 16.9 points per contest with 12 forced turnovers. Junior linebackers Nick Mouser and Palepoi Notoa each have a team-best three sacks. Mouser also leads the team with five tackles for loss and has an interception. Sophomore Mason Davis has two kickoff return TDs.
Mountlake Terrace: 3-1, 2-1 Wesco 3A South; beat Jackson 39-13, lost to Snohomish 23-7, beat Shorewood 26-3, beat Shorecrest 27-6
About the Hawks: Mountlake Terrace is off to its best start since 2017 and at 3-1 has already surpassed its win total from the past two seasons. The Hawks average 24.8 points per game behind a strong rushing attack. Junior running back Zaveon Jones leads the ground game. He’s one of the top rushers in Snohomish County this season with 744 yards and 11 TDs on a 8.0-yards-per-carry average. Junior receiver Logan Tews has a team-best 139 yards receiving and one TD. On defense, Terrace surrenders just 11.3 points per game and held its past two opponents to just nine combined points. Junior defensive linemen Logan Hansen and Adam Wallis provide a strong duo up front. Hansen has a team-best four sacks, three fumble recoveries and two forced fumbles to go with three tackles for loss. Wallis has a team-high 3.5 tackles for loss, two fumble recoveries, one sack, one blocked field goal and one blocked punt. Tews and junior linebacker Bede Bresee each have two interceptions, and Jones has three tackles for loss and two forced fumbles.
Herald pick: Monroe
GRANITE FALLS AT SULTAN
When: Friday, 7 p.m.
Where: Sultan H.S.
Webcast: Turk Pride TV
The skinny: Small school rivals Granite Falls and Sultan clash with bragging rights and early positioning in the league standings on the line. This is the Emerald Sound Conference opener for both teams. The Tigers have won the past four matchups, which includes a down-to-the-wire overtime victory during the COVID-shorted spring season in 2021.
Granite Falls: 1-3; lost to Meridian 56-6, lost to Friday Harbor 27-6, beat Bellingham 34-0, lost to Cascade-Leavenworth 63-7
About the Tigers: Granite Falls graduated most of its starting lineup on both sides of the ball after last year’s state playoff run, and it’s been a rough go early on for the new group of Tigers. Granite Falls has scored just one touchdown in three of its games, although one of those contests was called at halftime due to the late ferry from Friday Harbor being canceled. The Tigers did show they can get things going offensively in Week 3 when they routed Bellingham, which had just beaten a 3A team, 34-0. Granite Falls hopes to discover that offensive success this week and keep the Black and Blue Bowl trophy in Granite Falls for the fifth straight season. The Tigers average 13.3 points per game. Junior quarterback Connor Gillen has four TD passes. Junior receiver Jonathan Roberts has a team-best three TD receptions. Junior running back Spencer Shilling leads the team with two rushing TDs. Granite Falls allows 36.5 points per game.
Sultan: 2-2; beat Evergreen-Seattle 35-6, lost to Vashon Island 21-0, lost to Coupeville 30-13, beat Sammamish 28-21
About the Turks: It’s been a bit of an up-and-down start to the season for Sultan. The Turks rolled to victory in Week 1 but then struggled in back-to-back losses. Sultan bounced back last week with a close win over 2A Sammamish, a school with more than double the enrollment of Sultan. The Turks aim to ride that momentum into this week’s rivalry clash and bring the Black and Blue Bowl trophy home for the first time since 2017. Sultan averages 19.0 points per contest. Senior quarterback Westin Galle is completing 41.4% (24 of 58) of his passes for 503 yards, five TDs and two interceptions. He also had 110 yards and one TD rushing. His top targets are freshman receiver Jr. Vargas and junior tight end Hayden Murphy. Vargas averages 17.8 yards per catch with 231 yards and one TD. Murphy averages 29.8 yards per catch with 179 yards and three TDs. junior running back Derek Feltner has team highs with 291 and three TDs rushing. The defense allows 19.5 points per game.
Herald pick: Sultan
