You ain’t won nothin’ yet.
That’s the approach tonight’s district playoff teams must take. If they don’t win tonight, they don’t go to state.
It has already been a long season with the addition of a 10th regular-season game for most teams. And tonight’s winners will play again Saturday, giving those teams three games in 10 days.
It’s a grind, but the rewards are worth it.
Here’s a look tonight’s playoff games:
Kickoff: 7 p.m. at Everett Memorial Stadium.
Radio: KRKO (1380 AM)
Records: Snohomish is 8-2 overall. Jackson is 9-1.
Players to watch: Snohomish quarterback Jefff Rodland engineered two fourth-quarter touchdown drives last week in a 16-13 come-from-behind win over Marysville-Pilchuck. He capped an 11-play, 51-yard drive with a 6-yard TD pass to Marcus Reinhard for the game-winner with seven seconds remaining. During the drive, Rodland was 6-for-7, the one incompletion being a spike to stop the clock, and he had a fourth-down scramble for a first down to maintain possession with a minute to play. He also scored a touchdown on a 6-yard keeper to pull the Panthers within three points in the fourth quarter.
Jackson running back Johnie Kirton carried 34 times for 162 yards and scored all three Timberwolves TDs in a 24-14 victory over Mariner. Fullback Travis Snider carried four times for 70 yards.
Breaking down the game: Snohomish has been a stingier defensive team in its past seven games. Half of the Panthers’ total yield (81 points) was surrendered in their first three games.
The Panthers’ focus has to be on containing Kirton. I guess you could say Mariner did an adequate job, holding the star back to 162 yards, 72 below his average. But the few (four) times fullback Travis Snider got his hands on the football, he averaged 17.5 yards per carry, so containing Kirton isn’t the total answer.
Jackson, which has won nine straight games since a season-opening loss to Anacortes, must prepare to defend against a surprisingly effective passing game, not something one ordinarily expects out of Snohomish.
Little-known fact: Kirton needs 334 yards to break the single-season state rushing record set by Ferndale’s Matthias Wilson in 1997.
Pick: Jackson, 28-20.
Kickoff: 7 p.m. at Mount Vernon H.S.
Records: Both teams are 9-1 overall.
Players to watch: Running back Aaron Cartwright led the Mariner offense with 15 carries for 69 yards and a touchdown in last week’s 24-14 loss to Jackson.
Oak Harbor’s Dan Raymond carried six times for 93 yards and three TDs in last week’s 54-6 win over Eastlake. Blake Ward ran for a TD and caught a touchdown pass. Nate Metcalf caught TD passes of 65 and 67 yards from quarterback John Lobbestael.
Breaking down the game: Mariner smoked nine straight teams before stumbling last week against Jackson. The Marauders’ offense was slowed by nine penalties, five fumbles and an interception. The Marauders need to be much more efficient against an Oak Harbor team that has won eight straight, outscoring its opponents 276-62.
Little-known fact: The Mariner defense has allowed an average of eight points a game. The Oak Harbor average yield is nine.
Pick: Oak Harbor, 21-17.
Kickoff: 7 p.m. at Edmonds Stadium.
Records: Burlington-Edison is 5-5 overall. Meadowdale is 6-4.
Players to watch: B-E running back Saxton Shearer carried 18 times for 138 yards and four TDs in a 47-28 victory over Sedro-Woolley last week.
Meadowdale running back Travis Anderson carried 19 times for 154 yards and two TDs and caught a 28-yard TD pass in a 40-32 win over Lynnwood.
Breaking down the game: B-E has nice balance. Shearer has rushed for 1,270 yards and scored half (156) of his team’s points. Quarterback Peter Vorhees has thrown for 1,065 and nine TDs.
Meadowdale, too, has balance. Anderson has rushed for 800 yards and quarterback Eric Marty has thrown for 840.
Both teams have won their last four games, B-E by a margin of 148-66.
Little-known fact: Meadowdale lost three in a row at midseason to Kamiak, Mariner and Jackson.
Pick: B-E, 28-21.
Kickoff: 7 p.m. at Mossyrock
Records: Darrington is 2-8 overall. Mossyrock is 6-3.
Last year: Darrington won a regular-season game 15-13.
Players to watch: Kris Reece threw for a touchdown and ran for a touchdown for Darrington in its 20-19 win over the Edmonds-Woodway sophs.
Breaking down the game: Darrington won its last two games by a combined score of 69-39, so something is clicking with that offense. Mossyrock is coming off an upset victory over previously unbeaten Willapa Valley.
Little-known fact: Darrington’s schedule included two 4A sophomore teams and two Class 1A state-playoff teams.
Pick: Mossyrock, 20-13.
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