Post-Week 7 prep football takeaways from across Snohomish County

The Snohomish County high school football regular season is in its final stretch, with the postseason just around the corner. Here are three takeaways following the Week 7 action:

UNBEATEN MONROE ESCAPES, CLOSES IN ON WESCO 3A SOUTH TITLE

After rolling through its first six games with an average victory margin of 41.2 points, Monroe received a challenge when it faced Edmonds-Woodway last Friday night. The Class 3A sixth-ranked Bearcats prevailed 28-14 to remain unbeaten and set up a de facto Wesco 3A South title game with Snohomish this Friday, but it wasn’t the most convincing performance.

Monroe (7-0, 5-0 Wesco 3A South) had two drives in the red zone that resulted in zero points, turned the ball over twice, committed 11 penalties and the offense didn’t find much rhythm early. That allowed the Warriors (3-4, 3-2) to hang around and be in a one-possession game in the fourth quarter, despite losing their starting quarterback and top receiver to injury on the same play early in the second. “We just played sloppy, made some mistakes (and) dropped some balls,” Monroe coach Scott Darrow said after the game. “We were good enough to win, fortunately.”

The good news was the defense did enough to keep E-W from ever taking a lead and came away with three critical interceptions in the second half, and Mason Davis provided a spark on special teams with a kickoff return touchdown and another long return to set up a score. Monroe’s offense also showed just how good it can be at times. The Bearcats executed a quick 51-yard TD drive late in the second to take a 14-7 lead into the half and drained over six minutes of the clock during their game-sealing 95-yard scoring drive in the fourth.

Darrow said after the game that many players were dealing with the flu early in the week and missed practice time, which could be attributed to some of the sloppy play. He also noted this was the type of game his previously unchallenged team needed. “I think for us it was good to have a close, competitive game, and we’ll use that down the road,” he said. The upcoming matchup with the Panthers (4-3, 4-1) could be a game where that experience pays off.

— Zac Hereth

SHOREWOOD STUNS SNOHOMISH IN MASSIVE UPSET

The Stormrays delivered probably the most surprising result of the local prep football season, upsetting Wesco 3A South title contender Snohomish in a stunning 46-21 victory last Friday night. Shorewood entered at 1-3 in the Wesco 3A South, including a 62-8 blowout loss to unbeaten Monroe the previous week and a 26-3 loss to Mountlake Terrace last month. Snohomish, meanwhile, came in undefeated in league play and having won at least a share of the past three Wesco 3A South titles. Since the start of 2018, the Panthers had gone 19-2 in conference games, with those two losses coming by a combined three points. On paper, they were a heavy favorite. But that’s why they play the games.

The Stormrays (3-4, 2-3 Wesco 3A South) had big performances on both sides of the ball. Their offense more than doubled their season scoring average, racking up 39 points. Senior running back Eduardo Eulogio led the way, pacing Shorewood’s rushing attack with 169 yards and a TD on 29 carries. And on the other side, the Stormrays held Snohomish’s offense to just 15 points and a mere 4.7 yards per play. They also came up with a pair of takeaways, including a 99-yard pick-six by Isaac Van Horn that put an exclamation point on the victory.

This was a signature win for second-year coach Rob Petschl and his rebuilding Shorewood program, which has already made strides this fall after last year’s 1-9 independent campaign. With one more victory, the Stormrays would reach the four-win mark for just the second time in more than 15 years. For the Panthers, however, this was a highly concerning loss. Snohomish (4-3, 4-1) can still capture the Wesco 3A South title by beating Monroe in this Friday night’s de facto league championship game. But to have any chance of taking down the Bearcats, it goes without saying that the Panthers need a considerably better performance.

— Cameron Van Til

MURPHY, LAKEWOOD ENDURING TOUGH SEASONS IN THE BRUTAL NWC

One of the most unusual parts of this local prep football season is seeing both Lakewood and Archbishop Murphy at the bottom of the rugged Northwest Conferenece 2A standings. The Cougars (2-5, 1-4 Northwest Conference 2A) are tied for sixth place in the brutally tough eight-team league, while the Wildcats (0-6, 0-5) are dead-last. With just one more Lakewood loss, this would mark the first time in at least two decades that both programs finished with losing records in the same season.

Just three years ago, both teams reached the 2A state quarterfinals. Archbishop Murphy, of course, has been a longtime 2A state power. The Wildcats have made 12 state quarterfinal appearances in the past 17 full-length seasons — including nine semifinal trips, four championship game appearances and a state title in 2016. Lakewood, meanwhile, nearly reached the 2A state semifinals in 2019 and had a dominant 5-0 team the following year that could’ve made a deep run if there had been a full season.

However, after graduating a slew of talent in recent years, both programs are in a bit of a downturn. And with the unforgiving nature of the Northwest Conference, even the slightest downturn can make for a long season in what’s consistently the state’s most challenging 2A league. Over the past 15 full-length seasons, fellow Northwest Conference 2A members Lynden, Sedro-Woolley, Burlington-Edison and Squalicum have combined for a whopping 17 state semifinal appearances. And with the sudden rise of Anacortes, the Northwest Conference could very well put another two teams in the state semifinals this year. Lynden is ranked No. 1 in 2A, Anacortes is No. 3 and Sedro-Woolley is just outside the top 10.

— Cameron Van Til