Terry Ennis never shies away from a new challenge.
So last March when Ken Peralta, head football coach at Marin Catholic High School (Kentfield, Calif.), responded to Ennis’ online ad requesting a 2005 season-opening opponent for Archbishop Murphy High, an intriguing matchup was born.
Ennis’ Wildcats, who went 13-1 last season (their first at the 2A classification) and won consecutive Class 1A state titles in 2002 and 2003, will play host to Marin in a non-conference game at 7 p.m. Friday in Everett. Marin has a 23-3 record over the past two seasons and last year advanced to California’s North Coast Section D-II championship.
Why start the season with such a formidable foe?
“It’s always kind of good to stretch your kids. It brings out the best in them,” said Ennis, Murphy’s athletic director and head football coach.
Last fall Murphy opened with a 63-7 blowout of Bremerton, a 4A squad, albeit a lowly one.
This Friday’s contest will be a game of firsts: The first time Murphy has hosted an out-of-state opponent, and Marin’s first-ever contest beyond California borders. Anticipation of the game motivated Murphy players during the summer, Ennis said. Still, the coach wants to keep Friday’s history-making event in perspective.
“We really have to balance the fact that we’re preparing for the entire season,” Ennis said. “We’re not putting in anything special for Marin Catholic or spending too much time on what they might do or what they might not do.”
Senior running backs Stan Smith (1,694 yards and 28 touchdowns in 2004) and Shiloh Keo (1,271 yards, 15 TDs) lead Murphy’s ever-potent Wing-T offense. Junior John-Paul Blair and senior Mark Leone are still competing for the starting quarterback spot, Ennis said.
This week’s game will help Ennis learn a lot about his team, which graduated eight seniors, including two-way standouts like Tony Slater and Kyle Wilkins.
“We’re kind of looking forward to this game to see how our new faces will perform,” Ennis said.
“I think it’s going to be great for both schools,” said Marin’s Peralta, who was an assistant coach for one season at Mount Vernon in the early 1990s.
Peralta said he’s excited to face a team coached by Ennis, who he heard speak years ago at an American Football Coaches Association convention.
Marin, which draws from a student body of around 600, also runs the Wing-T. Its top returners are quarterback Cam Taylor and running back Jono Grayson.
Running back Kahlil Bell, a 2005 Marin graduate, is No. 2 on the depth chart at UCLA. He rushed for 2,292 yards and 31 TDs in 2004, both Marin school records.
Monroe stadium update: Construction of Monroe High’s new stadium is nearly complete but the facility won’t be ready for opening weekend. According to Kathy Abultz, the school’s athletic secretary, the football team and the girls soccer team have been practicing on the stadium’s turf but more work, including installation of press boxes, remains. The Monroe football team will play its season opener against Stanwood at its old field in downtown Monroe. It’s possible the new field could be finished in time for Monroe’s second home game, Sept. 16 against Marysville-Pilchuck.
“We’re keeping our fingers crossed,” Abultz said.
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