Unlike Lake Stevens, Cascade and Oak Harbor don’t have to worry about next week. Their playoff berths are secure.
But it’s a lot easier to play those quad-district games at home.
That’s Cascade’s advantage tonight against Oak Harbor – that and playing at home in Everett Memorial Stadium. Win or lose, the Bruins are home for their first playoff game. They will either be the No. 1 seed from the Wesco North by beating the Wildcats and earning a share of the division championship, or they’ll be the No. 2 seed. Either way, they’ll be at home for the quad-districts.
Oak Harbor, on the other hand, has a lot to lose and not a lot to gain – other than an outright league championship. With a win, the Wildcats will get the No. 1 seed. But they’ll have to play their “home” game at Mount Vernon because Memorial Stadium is not deemed playoff worthy.
And a loss could send them all the way to the third seed and road trip next week.
Lake Stevens can’t afford to lose. They must win or Stanwood gets the North’s third seed. However, if the Vikings win and Cascade beats Oak Harbor, Lake Stevens will be home for the quad-district playoffs as the North’s No. 2 seed.
Now, you want some confusion in your life? Let’s look at the 3A picture.
Meadowdale has clinched Wesco’s top seed and a home game for the quad-district playoffs.
Arlington (2-5 North), Everett (2-5 North) and Shorecrest (2-5 South) go into play tonight tied for the second and final berth. Arlington’s at Marysville-Pilchuck. Everett’s at Lake Stevens. Shorecrest’s at Mountlake Terrace.
OK, here we go:
If two teams from the same division finish in a tie, head-to-head decides the issue (Arlington beat Everett).
If two teams from different divisions tie, they’ll play off Tuesday.
If three teams tie, they’ll play off Tuesday. Arlington would play Shorecrest for a half. If Arlington wins, the playoff is over and Arlington advances. If Shorecrest wins, it plays Everett for a half. If Shorecrest wins, the playoff is over and Shorecrest advances. If Everett wins, Everett plays Arlington for a half with the winner advancing.
Got it? Good cause I don’t think I can explain it again.
Here’s a look this week’s key games and the rest of the weekend schedule:
Oak Harbor at Cascade
Kickoff: 7 tonight at Everett Memorial Stadium.
Records: Oak Harbor 6-1 in the Wesco North, 7-1 overall. Cascade 5-2, 6-2.
Last year: Quarterback Marshall Lobbestael was 8-for-14 for 108 yards and a touchdown to lead Oak Harbor to a 14-7 win.
Last week: Tony Thulin caught two passes for 116 yards and returned a kickoff 88 yards for a touchdown to lead Oak Harbor to a 35-27 win over Monroe. Lobbestael was 13-for-21 for 290 yards and three TDs.
Cascade scored 21 unanswered points to start the second half and converted two fourth-quarter interceptions into touchdowns in a 35-14 win over Arlington. Running back Lorne Bridgford had 31 carries for 161 yards and two TDs and quarterback Dirk Snel was 8-for-8 for 106 yards and a touchdown.
Players to watch: Lobbestael leads the North in passing, completing 102 of 179 attempts for 1,608 yards and 24 TDs. The Wildcats’ Rodrick Rumble (24 catches, 409 yards) and Thulin (11 catches, 347 yards) rank two and three in receiving. Chris Valencia (102 carries, 611 yards) is Oak Harbor’s top rusher.
Bridgford leads Cascade in rushing with 829 yards on 116 carries. For the season, Snell is 25-for-43 for 445 yards and four TDs.
Breaking down the game: Cascade is fresh off a win over the division’s second-best passing team. Can it handle No. 1? The momentum and home field would seem to favor Cascade. The Bruins, after an 0-2 start, have won six straight games.
Little-known fact: Travis Warren had a 70-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter for Cascade’s only score in last year’s game.
John McDonald’s pick: Oak Harbor 35-34.
Mike Cane’s pick: Oak Harbor 21-17.
Tom Lafferty’s pick: Oak Harbor 28-14.
Kamiak at Mariner
Kickoff: 7 tonight at Goddard Stadium.
Records: Both teams 6-1 in the Wesco South, 7-1 overall.
Last year: Raymond Fry ran for 261 yards and four TDs to lead Mariner to a 36-7 win.
Last week: Ben Iddins and Justin Glenn each had first-half pass interceptions and both caught TD passes for Kamiak in a 26-14 win over Meadowdale. Glenn rushed 17 times for 96 yards and caught four passes for 39. Quarterback Cub Jansen was 12-for-22 for 149 yards and three TDs.
Quarterback Tyler Tuiasosopo threw of a touchdown and ran for a touchdown to lead Mariner to a 35-12 win over Mountlake Terrace.
Players to watch: Bryson Kelly leads Kamiak in rushing with 796 yards on 144 carries. Glenn has 447 yards on 67 carries. Jansen is 67-for-128 for 870 yards and 10 TDs. Skylar Stormo has 13 catches for 235 yards and three TDs.
For Mariner, Mike Schmaus has 88 carries for 729 yards and 11 TDs. Matt Jones has 72 carries for 525 yards and eight TDs. Tuiasosopo is 62-for-116 for 1,020 yards and 14 TDs. Joey Dillon has 18 catches for 302 yards and five TDs.
Breaking down the game: Not much at stake here – just kidding. Really, though, there isn’t much difference between the South’s second and third seeds. Both teams play their quad-district playoff game on the road. So the big deal here is district pride and, believe me, it means a lot to both these programs. You can’t understate the importance of winning this rivalry contest. So who will it be? Your guess is as good as mine. I see the game as dead even. Last year Fry made all the difference. There’s no dominant player like that this year.
Little-known fact: Last year, Mariner’s win kept Kamiak from tying Jackson and Meadowdale for the South’s third quad-district berth.
John McDonald’s pick: Mariner 28-27.
Mike Cane’s pick: Mariner 14-13.
Tom Lafferty’s pick: Mariner 24-21.
Everett at Lake Stevens
Kickoff: 7 tonight at Lake Stevens H.S.
Records: Everett 2-5 in the Wesco North, 2-6 overall. Lake Stevens 5-2, 6-2.
Last year: Did not play.
Last week: Andrew Stiger carried 15 times for 104 yards and scored two TDs for Everett in a 28-20 loss to Stanwood.
David McMurray caught four passes for 110 yards and two TDs and returned a kickoff 92 yards for a game-winning touchdown as Lake Stevens defeated Snohomish 26-21. Running back Isaac Molstre carried 21 times for 145 yards and two TDs. Quarterback Paxton Paynter was 9-for-11 for 142 yards.
Players to watch: Jason Siler leads Everett in rushing with 55 carries for 551 yards and four TDs. Stiger is next with 101 carries for 478 yards and four TDs. Quarterback Brice Herrick is 34-for-108 for 512 yards and four TDs. Receiver Steve Wasilowski has seven catches for 158 yards and two TDs.
Molstre (1,061) went over 1,000 yards rushing for the season last week. Arlington quarterback Todd Milles is 131-for-204 for 1,384 yards and 11 TDs. McMurray is the leading receiver in the Wesco North with 24 catches for 439 yards and four TDs.
Breaking down the game: Plenty at stake in this one, too. For Lake Stevens it’s win or go home and watch Stanwood take the 4A playoff berth. For Everett it’s win or hope Arlington and Shorecrest lose as well. All three teams go into tonight’s games tied for the second and final Wesco 3A berth in the quad-district playoffs. Any tiebreaker would be played Tuesday.
Little-known fact: If Lake Stevens wins, the Vikings will be making their first playoff appearance since 2002.
John McDonald’s pick: Lake Stevens 24-7.
Mike Cane’s pick: Lake Stevens 21-10.
Tom Lafferty’s pick: Lake Stevens 35-7.
King’s at Granite Falls
Kickoff: 7 tonight at Jewell Stadium.
Records: King’s 2-4 in the Cascade Conference, 3-5 overall. Granite Falls 4-2, 6-2.
Last year: Andrew Lutton caught four passes for 76 yards and three TDs to lead King’s to a 35-6 win. The Knights held Granite Falls to 63 total yards. King’s quarterback Greg Uhrich was 7-for-13 for 171 yards and five TDs.
Last week: Running back Spencer Clark carried 10 times for 73 yards and a touchdown for King’s in its 49-14 loss to Archbishop Murphy.
Jullian Gamache carried 19 times for 76 yards for Granite Falls in its 52-0 loss to Sultan.
Players to watch: Clark (139 carries, 946 yards) is closing in on 1,000 yards rushing. Uhrich is 48-for-130 for 640 yards and three TDs.
Gamache leads all Granite Falls rushers with 775 yards on 121 carries. Quarterback Billy Villegas is 53-for-98 for 638 yards and nine TDs. Receivers Zach Cuddeback (13 for 150), Sean Counley (18 for 239) and Sean Nelson (11 for 152) have combined for 42 catches and 541 yards.
Breaking down the game: After back-to-back losses, Granite Falls’ spirit has to be seared. But the Tigers must bounce back if they want home-field advantage in the District 1 playoffs. If they lose, they could fall all the way to the fourth seed, forcing them to travel to Lynden, the third-ranked team in the WashingtonPreps.com poll.
King’s moves on to the 1A District 1 playoffs win or lose, but a win assures the Knights of a home game.
Little-known fact: Clark trails Sultan’s Josh Mann for the rushing lead in the Cascade Conference. But because King’s first game was a forfeit, he has played in seven games compared to eight for Mann.
John McDonald’s pick: Granite Falls 21-20.
Mike Cane’s pick: Granite Falls 20-14.
Tom Lafferty’s pick: Granite Falls 21-7.
Other games tonight
Wesco North: Snohomish (3-4, 3-5) at Monroe (3-4, 3-5), Arlington (2-5, 2-6) at Marysville-Pilchuck (1-6, 1-7), 7 p.m.
Wesco South: Jackson (4-3, 4-4) vs. Edmonds-Woodway (7-0, 8-0) at Edmonds Stadium, 5 p.m.; Meadowdale (4-3, 4-4) vs. Shorewood (1-6, 1-7) at Shoreline Stadium, 7 p.m.; Shorecrest (2-5, 3-5) vs. Mountlake Terrace (2-5, 2-6) at Edmonds Stadium, 8 p.m.
Cascade Conference: Sultan (3-3, 5-3) at Lakewood (1-5, 1-7), Coupeville (2-4, 4-4) at Cedarcrest (4-2, 5-2-1), South Whidbey (2-4, 3-5) at Archbishop Murphy (6-0, 8-0), 7 p.m.
Northwest 2B: Darrington (0-5, 2-6) at Concrete (2-3, 3-5), 7 p.m.
Non-conference: Lynnwood (0-8) at Stanwood (5-3), 7 p.m.
Games Saturday
Northwest 2B: La Conner (3-2, 4-4) at Orcas Island (5-0, 6-2), 1 p.m.
Herald Prep Editor John McDonald was 3-0 on his picks last week. Herald Writer Mike Cane and KRKO broadcaster Tom Lafferty were 2-1. McDonald and Cane are 14-6 for the season. Lafferty is 13-7.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
