What a tangled web is woven when the first ineligible player enters the scene.
Inadvertent use of ineligible players by Cascade and Kamiak have led to three forfeited games this season and those reversals of fortune have created potential ties in both branches of the Western Conference.
In the Wesco South, all potential ties except one can be resolved by head-to-head results. In that one scenario, Kamiak beats Mountlake Terrace, Everett beats Jackson, Shorewood beats Meadowdale and Mariner beats Edmonds-Woodway, leaving the top five teams in the league with identical 6-3 records. Based on head-to-head results, Kamiak would be Wesco South No. 1 and E-W, Meadowdale and Everett would tie for Wesco No. 2. They would play off the tie using Kansas tiebreakers at 6 p.m. Monday at either Goddard or Edmonds Stadium.
In the North, depending upon the outcomes of tonight’s games, there could be a five-way tie for first place or a three-way tie for third that would require tiebreaker playoffs at 6 p.m. Monday at Mount Vernon H.S.
If Snohomish beats Stanwood, Oak Harbor beats Marysville-Pilchuck and Arlington beats Cascade, the top five teams in the North would tie for first place with 6-2 records and all would have 2-2 head-to-head records, necessitating a five-team tiebreaker for three playoff berths.
If Stanwood beats Snohomish, M-P beats Oak Harbor and Cascade beats Arlington, Oak Harbor, Arlington and Snohomish would tie for third with 5-3 records and 1-1 head-to-head records, forcing a three-team tiebreaker for one playoff berth.
There are some certainties, though. In the North, if Stanwood defeats Snohomish, it will be Wesco North No. 1. If Marysville-Pilchuck defeats Oak Harbor, it can do no worse than Wesco North No. 2. If Oak Harbor or Snohomish win, they are assured of at least a tiebreaker for one of the division’s three playoff berths. Arlington needs a win over Cascade and an M-P win to advance. If M-P loses, Arlington needs a win and a Snohomish win to get into a tiebreaker.
In the South, if Edmonds-Woodway beats Mariner, it will snag one of the division’s three playoff berths. If Jackson beats Everett, it’s in. If Meadowdale beats Shorewood, it’s in. Everett needs a win over Jackson and a Kamiak loss to reach the playoffs. Kamiak needs a win over Mountlake Terrace and a Meadowdale loss.
Here’s a look at those key games and the rest of the weekend schedule:
Marysville-Pilchuck at Oak Harbor
Kickoff: 7 tonight at Memorial Stadium.
Records: M-P is 6-1 in the Wesco North, 7-1 overall. Oak Harbor is 5-2, 5-3.
Last year: Oak Harbor scored 20 unanswered points in the second half of a 33-14 win. The Wildcats out-gained M-P 346-201 yards.
Players to watch: M-P backs Marquise Moses (1,268) and Justin Petry (480) have combined for 1,748 rushing yards.
Oak Harbor back Dan Raymond has 692 yards rushing and 226 receiving. QB Marshall Lobbestael has 66 completions in 135 attempts for 1,015 yards and nine TDs.
Breaking down the game: Only Stanwood has successfully shut down the M-P running game. Oak Harbor, which allows an average of three TDs a game probably won’t match the Spartans. If the Wildcats are to win this game, they will have top do it with their offense against a defense which had not allowed more than two TDs in a game until last week.
Little-known fact: Oak Harbor is trying for its third straight playoff appearance.
Pick: M-P 21-9.
Stanwood at Snohomish
Kickoff: 7 tonight at Snohomish H.S.
Radio: KRKO (1380 AM).
Records: Stanwood is 6-1 in the Wesco North, 6-2 overall. Snohomish is 5-2, 6-2.
Last year: Placekicker Ace Younggren kicked a 28-yard field goal with five minutes, 17 seconds to play, giving Snohomish a 16-14 win. Stanwood punted on its last possession with 3:06 to play and Snohomish ran out the clock.
Players to watch: Stanwood back Jon Rockstad (979) is close to 1,000 yards rushing. Teammate Dan Schwarze has 450. QB Aaron Boehme is 33-for-76 for 421 yards and five TDs.
Snohomish back Casey Fortin has rushed for 774 yards. QB Nick Caraballo has passed for 895.
Breaking down the game: Momentum may carry the day in this game. Snohomish has been unstoppable since losing its first two games. But motivation could be a factor, too. Stanwood is playing for a league championship and a home game in the preliminary round of the state playoffs.
Little-known fact: After losing two games to start the season, Snohomish has out-scored opponents 257-76 in winning six in a row.
Pick: Snohomish 35-28.
Arlington at Cascade
Kickoff: 8 tonight at Everett Memorial Stadium.
Radio: KRKO (1380 AM), delayed at 8 a.m. Saturday.
Records: Arlington 5-2 in the Wesco North, 6-2 overall. Cascade is 3-4, 4-4.
Last year: Cascade rushed for 301 yards and held Arlington to 44 yards rushing in a 25-13 win.
Players to watch: Arlington back Jake Webb has 631 rushing yards, QB Kenny Gunter has 775 passing yards and receivers Taylor Brown and Tim Acker have combined for 29 catches for 435 yards.
Cascade backs J.P. Oliver has rushed for 614 yards. Teammate Blake Vigoren has 399 yards rushing.
Breaking down the game: Arlington has all the motivation of earning a playoff berth, but no momentum having lost its last two games. Cascade had a three-game winning streak stopped last week by Stanwood.
Little-known fact: Arlington out-scored opponents 160-71 in winning its first six games, but the Eagles have been held to 14 points in losing their last two.
Pick: Arlington 21-10.
Everett at Jackson
Kickoff: 5 tonight at Everett Memorial Stadium.
Records: Everett is 5-3 in the Wesco South and overall. Jackson is 6-2, 6-2.
Last year: Jackson’s Johnie Kirton rushed for 207 yards and three TDs in a 19-7 win.
Players to watch: Everett running backs Justin Boyce and Justin Hudson have combined for 1,327 rushing yards.
Jackson QB Jake Gelakoska has thrown for 771 yards, 474 of them to receiver Richie Tri.
Breaking down the game: These are two teams moving in opposite directions. Jackson has won four straight games and scored 101 points in its last two contests. Everett has lost three of four and has seen its scoring average drop from 32 points a game to 14.
Little-known fact: After splitting its first four games, Jackson has out-scored opponents by 92 points in winning its last four. Everett out-scored opponents by 52 points in winning its first four games, but the Seagulls have been out-scored by 36 in losing two of their last three.
Pick: Jackson 31-20.
Edmonds-Woodway at Mariner
Kickoff: 7 tonight at Goddard Stadium.
Records: E-W is 6-2 in the Wesco South and overall. Mariner is 3-5, 3-5.
Last year: Matt Ondriezek rushed for two Mariner TDs and QB Moa Palepale threw to Tom Craddock for two in a 49-20 win.
Players to watch: E-W back Travis Smith has rushed for 1,216 yards. Teammate Josh Heard has 501 yards rushing. QB John Dawson has passed for 736 yards, 294 of them to receiver Mike Darrington.
Mariner backs Aaron Cartwright (1,003 yards) and Raymond Fry (822) comprise the top ballcarrying tandem in the Wesco South. QB Matt Kruse is 20-for-58 for 431 yards.
Breaking down the game: Mariner’s season has taken a decided turn for the worst. The Marauders have lost three straight games by a combined score of 109-55. E-W has won three straight, including a dominating performance last week against Kamiak, to put itself into position to advance to the preliminary round of the state playoffs.
Little-known fact: Mariner took a 49-0 lead into the fourth quarter of last year’s game.
Pick: Edmonds-Woodway 35-13.
Shorewood at Meadowdale
Kickoff: 5 tonight at Edmonds Stadium.
Records: Shorewood is 3-5 in the Wesco South and overall. Meadowdale is 6-2, 6-2.
Last year: Meadowdale receiver Jake Linton caught four passes, including a 29-yard game-winning TD catch in the fourth quarter, for 118 yards and had an interception in the Mavericks’ 14-7 win.
Players to watch: Shorewood QB Sean Tracey has thrown for 913 yards and receiver Alex Burns has 20 catches for 328 yards.
Meadowdale back Travis Anderson has 804 yards rushing. QB Demetri Huffman has 954 yards passing. Receiver Jake Linton has 41 catches for 644 yards.
Breaking down the game: Shorewood is no match for Meadowdale, which has won five straight games and can expect to earn a playoff berth with a victory.
Little-known fact: After a 1-2 start, Meadowdale has out-scored opponents 180-60 in winnings its last five games.
Pick: Meadowdale 29-0.
Kamiak at Mountlake Terrace
Kickoff: 8 tonight at Edmonds Stadium.
Records: Kamiak is 5-3 in the Wesco South and overall. Mountlake Terrace is 1-7, 1-7.
Last year: QB Gary Rogers completed 11 of 20 passes for 169 yards and four TDs and Tony Virata rushed for 100 yards and caught four passes, two for TDs, for 80 yards in a 49-14 Kamiak win.
Players to watch: Kamiak QB Mark Iddins was averaging 191 yards a game until he ran into the E-W defense last week. Rebel Hall and Sean Hermes are his top receivers.
Mountlake Terrace QB Anthony Rutherford has thrown for 485 yards. Receiver Adrian Blake has 14 catches for 351 yards. And running back Carroll Powell has 587 yards rushing.
Breaking down the game: Kamiak hasn’t established enough of a running game to earn the respect of opposing defenses and the E-W defense teed off on the passing game last week. But the Mountlake Terrace defense is a far cry from E-W’s. The Hawks are improved on offense, however. After scoring just seven points in their first three games, they’ve averaged 18 since.
Little-known fact: Kamiak was held four TDs below its scoring average and surrendered three more TDs than its average yield in last week’s loss to Edmonds-Woodway.
Pick: Kamiak 31-11.
Other games tonight
Wesco North: Mount Vernon (0-7, 0-8) vs. Monroe (1-6, 1-7) at Monroe Stadium, 7 p.m.
Wesco South: Lynnwood (0-8, 0-8) vs. Shorecrest (3-5, 3-5) at Shoreline Stadium, 7 p.m.
Non-conference: Sumner (3-5) at Lake Stevens, Archbishop Murphy (8-0) at Nooksack Valley (4-4), 7 p.m.
Cascade Conference: Cedarcrest (3-2, 4-4) at King’s (2-3, 3-4), Granite Falls (0-4, 2-6) at Lakewood (4-0, 8-0), Sultan (0-4, 2-6) at South Whidbey (2-3, 3-5), 7 p.m.
Northwest 1A/B: Friday Harbor (5-0, 7-0) at Darrington (2-3, 3-5), 4:30 p.m.; Cedar Park Christian (1-4, 3-5) at Coupeville (1-4, 2-6), 7 p.m.; La Conner (3-2, 4-3) at Concrete (3-2, 4-4), 7:30 p.m.
Games Saturday
Northwest 1A/B: Orcas Island (5-0, 6-2) at Charles Wright (0-5, 1-6), 1 p.m.
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