A look at this week’s top local high school football matchups

Week 4 of the prep football season brings an array of conference clashes, non-league bouts and a pair of interesting interstate battles featuring the top two teams in Class 4A.

Here’s a look at this week’s top matchups involving local teams:

EDMONDS-WOODWAY AT SNOHOMISH

When: Friday, 7 p.m.

Where: Snohomish H.S.

Webcast: STSPN.com

The skinny: Two of Wesco 3A South’s three defending co-champions aim to remain unbeaten early in their league schedules. These teams have combined to win at least a share of the past four Wesco 3A South titles. Snohomish won last season’s game 21-14 and has won three straight overall in this series.

Edmonds-Woodway: 1-2, 1-0 Wesco 3A South; lost to Marysville Pilchuck 20-16, lost to Kamiak 21-20, beat Lynnwood 44-21

About the Warriors: After a pair of narrow one-possession losses to start the season, Edmonds-Woodway broke into the win column by thumping Edmonds School District rival Lynnwood in its conference opener last week. The Warriors are just a few plays from being 3-0 this year. Their first loss came after allowing a go-ahead TD in the fourth quarter and the second after a missed extra point kept the Warriors from tying up an eventual one-point loss. Edmonds-Woodway sports a balanced offense, averaging 162.7 yards passing and 125.3 rushing per contest. Junior quarterback Steven Warren has completed 52.3% (34 of 65) of his passes for 488 yards, six touchdowns and two interceptions. His top target is senior wide receiver Will Kishbaugh, who has seven receptions for a team-best 165 yards and three TDs. Senior running back Liam Fitting paces the ground game with 264 yards and two TDs on 8.8 yards per carry. The defense is surrendering 19.0 points per game. Junior defensive lineman Austin Renfro has a team-high four tackles for loss and junior defensive back David Danyo has an interception. On special teams, junior Diego Escandon has a punt return for a TD.

Snohomish: 2-1, 2-0 Wesco 3A South; lost to 4A No. 2 Glacier Peak 42-13, beat Mountlake Terrace 23-7, beat Shorecrest 37-14

About the Panthers: Snohomish opened the season with its 11th straight loss to rival Glacier Peak in the Dick Armstrong Cup, but the Panthers responded with back-to-back wins and most importantly a 2-0 start in Wesco 3A/2A play. A win this week would mean Snohomish, which was won at least a share of the past three league titles, is halfway to an unbeaten conference record. Snohomish’s defense allowed just 10.5 points per game over the past two weeks. Senior linebacker Gavin Maynard leads the Panthers with four tackles for loss, and senior linebacker Mason Podoll has a team-best 2.5 sacks. The Panthers’ offense, which is averaging 24.3 points per game, is led by a balanced run game. Kyle Larson has a team-high 172 yards on 5.2 yards per carry. Six more players have registered at least 30 yards on the ground. Senior quarterback Kale Hammer, a Gonzaga University baseball commit, has completed 43.6% (17 of 39) of his passes for 262 yards, one TD and zero interceptions. He also has two rushing scores. His top target is senior Mason Orgill, who has six receptions for 105 yards. Orgill also has three rushing touchdowns.

Herald pick: Snohomish

4A NO. 1 LAKE STEVENS AT WEST LINN (OREGON)

When: Friday, 7 p.m.

Where: West Linn H.S. (Oregon)

Webcast: NHFSNetwork.com

The skinny: The 2021 Class 4A runner-up Vikings travel for a marquee interstate clash with Oregon 6A state semifinalist West Linn. Lake Stevens looks to further cement its status as Washington’s top-ranked 4A team.

Lake Stevens: 2-1; lost to 3A No. 7 Garfield 26-16, beat 3A No. 4 Bellevue 37-28, beat Federal Way 63-21

About the Vikings: Lake Stevens’ gauntlet of a non-league schedule continues this week with another opportunity to take down a tough opponent. After a disappointing Week 1 showing against Garfield, the Vikings appear to have regained their winning form with a titanic non-league victory over Bellevue and a thrashing of a Federal Way squad that had blown out its other opponents. University of Notre Dame-bound running back Jayden Limar, a four-star recruit according to 247sports.com, leads an offense that’s averaging 38.7 points per game. He has 442 yards and six touchdowns on the ground over the past two games. In total, the senior has 555 yards of total offense (503 rushing, 52 receiving) and seven touchdowns on 69 touches. Quarterbacks Kolton Matson, a sophomore, and Kaden LaPlaunt, a junior, have combined to complete 65.1% (41 of 63) of their passes for 419 yards, five touchdowns and six interceptions. Their top targets are the trio of senior Isaac Redford, junior Cole Becker and sophomore Cassidy Bolong-Banks. They’ve totaled 316 yards and three TDs on 27 receptions. Redford and juniors Paul Varela and David Brown each have an interception on defense, and senior Joe McGinnis returned a fumble recovery for a score last week.

West Linn: 2-1; beat North Medford 56-6, lost to Sheldon 35-31, beat Jesuit 31-20

About the Lions: West Linn’s only loss this season came in a close defeat against top-ranked Oregon 6A squad Sheldon, and the Lions responded in a big way last week when they took down 6A No. 5 Jesuit. West Linn, which is tied for second in Scorebook Live Oregon’s 6A media poll, is led by first-year head coach Jon Eagle, who turned Camas into a 4A state power during a 17-season stint in southwest Washington. He compiled a 127-22 record with the Papermakers, including state titles in 2016 and 2019. He has a Pac-12-bound quarterback leading the offense in senior Sam Leavitt. The Washington State University commit is a three-star prospect rated as the No. 2 overall senior recruit in Oregon. Leavitt ran for a TD and finished 13-of-22 passing for 224 yards, one TD and two interceptions in last week’s win over Jesuit. He has a talented senior class around him that features three-star athlete Mark Hamper and two-stars linebacker Earl Ingle, defensive end Jake Holmes and cornerback Koffi Kouame. The Lions also have a pair of three-star juniors in brothers Wiley and Gus Donnerberg, who rank seventh and 10th, respectively, in Oregon’s class of 2024. Hamper and Wiley Donnerberg combined for 11 receptions, 141 yards and one TD last week.

Herald pick: Lake Stevens

4A NO. 2 GLACIER PEAK AT ROCKLIN (CALIFORNIA)

When: Friday, 8 p.m.

Where: Rocklin H.S. (California)

Webcast: NFHSNetwork.com

The skinny: The 4A No. 2 Grizzlies make a trip to northern California to battle defending Sierra Foothill League champion Rocklin in an intriguing interstate game. Glacier Peak looks to add another signature win under its belt.

Glacier Peak: 3-0; beat Snohomish 42-13, beat Camas 34-28, beat Ferndale 42-14

About the Grizzlies: Glacier Peak continued its strong start to the season by thumping Wesco 3A North favorite Ferndale last week at Lumen Field. Now the Grizzlies are looking to earn their fourth 4-0 start over the past five seasons. GP’s high-powered offense averages 39.3 points per game. Senior quarterback River Lien is the area’s leading passer with 835 yards through the air. He’s completing 58.9% (43 of 73) passes and has 13 touchdowns to two interceptions. The dual-threat QB also leads the team with 157 rushing yards. His top target is the area’s leading receiver, Washington State University-bound Trey Leckner. The 6-foot-2, 230-pound senior is averaging 28.9 yards per catch with 318 yards and six TDs. Oregon State University-bound senior tight end Cooper Jensen has added 204 yards and four TDs receiving. The Grizzlies are allowing 18.3 points per game on defense. Junior linebacker Bradley Perman has five tackles for loss and one sack. Leckner and senior linebacker Will Jenkins each have two sacks.

Rocklin: 3-1; lost to Turlock 14-7, beat McQueen 27-7, beat Capital Christian 42-19, beat Antioch 41-0

About the Thunder: Rocklin went unbeaten in league play on its way to winning the Sierra Foothill League championship last fall and didn’t lose a game until the Sac-Joaquin Section Division I title game. The Thunder graduated 14 starters from that team but still bring back plenty of talent, especially on defense. Senior linebackers Derek Houston and Kaleb Larson combined for 25 tackles for loss, 11.5 sacks and three interceptions last season, and senior defensive back Austin Adams had five interceptions as a junior. Rocklin is allowing just 10.0 points per game. Senior Joey Roberts is the team’s starting quarterback. He had 1,264 yards and 11 TDs last season. Senior running back Elias Brown has 546 yards rushing and five TDs through four games this season. After losing its season opener, Rocklin has won its past three games by an average of 28.0 points.

Herald pick: Glacier Peak

CASCADE VS. JACKSON

When: Friday, 5 p.m.

Where: Everett Memorial Stadium

The skinny: Everett School District rivals meet in a non-league matchup. Cascade looks to remain unbeaten. Jackson is in search of its first win. The Bruins won last year’s matchup 50-30.

Cascade: 3-0; beat Marysville Getchell 41-21, beat Newport 42-35 (2OT), beat Inglemoor 33-14

About the Bruins: Cascade is one win a way from its second 4-0 start since 2014. The Bruins, who are playing in an independent schedule, have gotten it done this season in familiar style with their Wing-T offense racking up yards on the ground. Cascade averages 325.0 yards rushing per contest. Senior running back Julian Thomas, a two-star recruit, has a whopping 11 TDs and 524 yards on 6.0 yards per carry. He’s averaging 29.3 carries per game. Junior Zach Lopez has added 277 yards and one TD. Senior quarterback Eric Sowards has completed 50.0% (9 of 18) of his passes for 198 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions. His top target is senior receiver Devin Gilbert, who has four receptions for 83 yards and two TDs. The Bruins are allowing 23.3 points per game on defense.

Jackson: 0-3; lost to Mountlake Terrace 39-13, lost to Juanita 48-0, lost to Everett 31-7

About the Timberwolves: Jackson is looking to end a nine-game losing streak that dates back to last season and is. The Timberwolves last victory came nearly one year ago — 13-12 over Shorewood on Sept. 24, 2021. Senior quarterback Mohammed Al Ezairej has completed 40.8% (22 of 54) passes for 182 yards, zero touchdowns and five interceptions. His top target is senior receiver Colton Anderson, who has five receptions for 98 yards. Sophomore running back Tyler Lykken has a team-high 180 yards and two TDs on 42 carries. Sophomore defensive back Jason Pham had an interception, a sack and a tackle for loss last week against Everett.

Herald pick: Cascade