By JOHN McDONALD
Prep Editor
No team wants to lose control over its own destiny.
You hate to be in the position where your fate relies on the outcome of game between two other teams.
But that’s what will happen to the Arlington (2-1 in league, 4-1 overall) football team if it doesn’t win Thursday’s Western Conference 3A game against Everett (3-0, 4-1) at Everett Memorial Stadium.
The Eagles already have one league loss (to Lake Stevens) on their record. Everett and Lake Stevens have none. Only two Wesco 3A teams advance to postseason play. The Everett-Lake Stevens winner can go unbeaten, the loser could have just the one loss. Hence, any team with two league losses will need help to get into the playoffs.
Everett will be playing its third game in 11 days. But playing twice last week didn’t seem to have hurt the Seagulls. Fullback Ben Challman had back-to-back 200-yard rushing efforts against Monroe and Meadowdale. And fellow backs Brian Price and Chris Daoust totaled more that 200 against Meadowdale and nearly that much against Monroe.
Arlington is coming off a 27-13 victory over Jackson. Eagles quarterback Kevin McCormack completed 14 of 22 passes for 309 yards and threw three touchdown passes to wide receiver Nick Yoney, who caught eight passes for 207 yards.
Arlington beat Everett handily last year (42-7) as McCormack threw four TD passes, two to Yoney. The Eagles ran for 415 yards and passed for 158, while holding Everett to 159.
That won’t happen again. No opponent, not even Cascade, the only team to beat Everett (21-14), has completely shut down the Seagulls’ ground game this season. Arlington isn’t likely to be the first to do it, either.
The question is, can the Seagulls defend against the pass?
We’ll find out Thursday.
Here’s a look at other big games this week:
Weather permitting, Sehome (4-1, 9-2) and Snohomish (4-1, 7-3) will break their tie atop the Wesco 4A North Division standings in a dual meet today at Snohomish.
In the Wesco 3A, frontrunner Everett (11-1, 13-1) seeks revenge against runnerup Jackson (11-2, 13-2) Thursday, when the Seagulls play the Timberwolves for the second time this season. Jackson won the first meeting 4-3 on Sept. 28.
Wesco 4A co-leader Shorecrest (3-0, 3-3-3) risks its share of first place tonight at Edmonds Stadium when the Scots take on Mountlake Terrace (3-1, 6-3-1).
Lake Stevens (5-1-2, 5-2-3) and Arlington (5-2-1, 6-3-1), the second- and third-place teams in the Wesco 3A, clash tonight at Arlington.
Lakewood (7-1 overall), off to a 2-0 start in the North Cascades Conference, visits South Whidbey (2-1, 5-3) on Thursday.
It’s time for the tune-up races. With a week to go before the championship season begins with league meets, most Snohomish County schools will participate in a variety of fun events Thursday. The Everett School District schools (Cascade, Everett and Jackson) will tangle with the Mukilteo District schools (Kamiak and Mariner) in a meet at McCollum Park. The Edmonds District schools will decide their district championship in a meet at Meadowdale High School. Schools outside those three districts will compete either in the North County meet at Marysville-Pilchuck or the Lake Stevens Invitational.
Meanwhile, Snohomish makes its annual trek to Bend, Ore., to compete in the Lava Bear Invitational on Saturday.
Everett (1-0, 6-1) and Meadowdale (1-0, 4-1), both winners of their first Wesco 3A meets, face off Thursday at the Lynnwood city pool.
Oak Harbor (3-0, 4-4), one of two unbeaten Wesco 4A teams, plays at once-beaten Edmonds-Woodway (3-1, 4-4) Thursday.
Stanwood (6-1), the Wesco 3A co-leader with Lake Stevens, plays at third-place Lynnwood (5-2) Thursday.
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