Prep football notebook: Storylines, analysis, Week 3 stars

Offensive fireworks and blowouts were the norm for Snohomish County high school football teams Friday night.

Ten local teams scored at least 40 points, including a pair of 73-point performances from perennial powers Lake Stevens and Archbishop Murphy.

And then there was the double-overtime shootout between Mount Vernon and Cascade, with the teams combining for 95 points in the Bulldogs’ one-point victory.

Here’s a look back at the notable Week 3 storylines and stars from across Snohomish County, as well as a look ahead at what’s to come.

LAKE STEVENS DOMINATES MONROE … AGAIN

Monroe was coming off a strong start to the season, having split a pair of one-point contests against KingCo 4A powers Eastlake and Woodinville.

But once again, the Bearcats were no match for their rival to the north.

Lake Stevens beat Monroe for the 13th time in 14 years and piled up a whopping 661 yards of total offense in a resounding 73-28 rout of the visiting Bearcats in Friday’s pivotal Wesco 4A showdown.

Aside from their possessions at the end of each half, the Vikings (3-0 overall, 1-0 Wesco 4A) scored touchdowns on each of their other nine drives. Tanner Jellison completed 17 of 19 passes for 290 yards and three TDs, and Dallas Landeros led a Lake Stevens rushing attack that totaled 371 yards at a clip of 8.4 yards per carry.

The Vikings have posted plenty of massive point totals in recent years, but this was their highest-scoring output since at least 2004.

“Our offensive goal ultimately is to be as balanced as we can be,” Lake Stevens coach Tom Tri said. “We want to run the ball between the tackles. We want to run the ball to the edge. We want to throw the ball outside. We want to throw the ball intermediate, and we want to throw the ball over the top.

“I felt like we were able to accomplish all those things tonight. I don’t know what the total numbers were tonight, but I felt like we did a good job of mixing it up.”

Monroe (1-2, 0-1) hung with the six-time defending Wesco 4A champions for much of the first half, trailing just 28-21 midway through the second quarter. But the Vikings then distanced themselves with 24 straight points, and the rout was on.

Despite the Bearcats’ overall success in recent years, blowout victories by Lake Stevens have become commonplace in this rivalry. The Vikings have won the teams’ last seven meetings by an average of 35.3 points per game.

With this latest rout, Lake Stevens extended its conference win streak to 39 games and cleared quite possibly its biggest hurdle to a seventh straight Wesco 4A crown. Furthermore, the Vikings likely put the rest of the state on notice as they continue their push toward a return trip to the Class 4A state-title game.

And here’s a scary thought for opponents down the road: If Washington State University-bound left tackle Devin Kylany can make a late-season return from a torn anterior cruciate ligament, these Vikings could get even better.

CASCADE FALLS TO MOUNT VERNON IN 2 OTs

Friday featured a slew of blowouts throughout the area, but it also delivered what could be one of the best games of the entire season.

Mount Vernon and Cascade went back and forth in a Wesco 4A shootout at Everett Memorial Stadium, with the Bulldogs ultimately prevailing for a 48-47 double-overtime win.

The Bruins raced to a 19-0 second-quarter lead, but Mount Vernon (2-1 overall, 1-0 Wesco 4A) stormed back and pulled in front after opening the second half with back-to-back TDs sandwiched around an onside-kick recovery.

After the teams ended regulation tied at 41 apiece, both offenses lost fumbles in the first overtime period.

Davanta Murphy-Mcmillan’s fourth TD run of the game gave Cascade a 47-41 lead in the second overtime, but an ensuing missed extra point proved costly for the Bruins (1-2, 0-1).

Mount Vernon answered with Victor Martinez’s fourth TD run of the night, and Jacob Perez followed with a game-winning extra point to lift the Bulldogs to a dramatic victory.

Murphy-Mcmillan posted another massive performance for Cascade, rushing for 313 yards and four TDs on 43 carries. The senior running back already has 859 yards and 13 TDs on the ground through three games, averaging a whopping 9.5 yards per carry.

MP, ARLINGTON OFF TO STRONG STARTS IN WESCO 3A NORTH

Marysville Pilchuck and Arlington appear to have established themselves as early favorites in the Wesco 3A North, with both teams riding stifling defenses to strong starts.

The Tomahawks opened league play last week with a 42-0 rout of Oak Harbor, then rolled past defending Wesco 3A North champion Squalicum in a 34-7 rout Friday. Marysville Pilchuck (3-0 overall, 2-0 Wesco 3A North) nearly pulled off back-to-back shutouts, holding the Storm scoreless until the game’s closing seconds. The Tomahawks have allowed just 21 points combined through three games.

Arlington also owns a dominant win over Squalicum, having beaten the Storm 33-7 in last week’s league opener. The Eagles then continued their mastery of archrival Stanwood with a 44-10 rout Friday, which extended their Stilly Cup win streak to 10 games. Arlington (3-0, 2-0) has yielded just 24 points this season and scored three defensive TDs in its past two games.

Plenty could be at stake when these two teams clash in their regular-season finale Oct. 25 at Arlington.

ARCHBISHOP MURPHY ROLLS

One week after defeating Hockinson and ending the two-time defending 2A state champions’ 28-game win streak, Archbishop Murphy continued its strong start with a 73-0 non-league dismantling of Cleveland.

The Wildcats (3-0) dominated in all three phases of the game, particularly during a 32-point second quarter. In that period alone, Archbishop Murphy rushed for two TDs, passed for a TD, returned a punt for a score and recorded two safeties to build a 46-0 halftime lead.

The most impressive stat, however, was that the Wildcats’ defense held Cleveland to minus-66 total yards.

LAKEWOOD’S MASSIVE 2ND HALF

Lakewood trailed Evergreen 17-0 at halftime after the Plainsmen blocked a field goal on the final play of the half and returned it for a 99-yard TD.

The second half was an entirely different story.

After being shut out in the game’s first 24 minutes, the Cougars rattled off 41 unanswered second-half points to rally for a 41-17 non-league win.

Dual-threat senior quarterback Jared Taylor led the comeback charge for Lakewood, rushing for 201 yards and three second-half TDs. The Cougars (3-0) enter next week’s Northwest 2A Sky opener against Sedro-Woolley having topped 40 points in each of their first three contests.

WEEK 3 STARS

Davanta Murphy-Mcmillan, sr., Cascade

Murphy-Mcmillan rushed for 313 yards and four TDs on 43 carries in the Bruins’ 48-47 double-overtime loss to Mount Vernon.

Dallas Landeros, sr., Lake Stevens

Landeros totaled 285 yards from scrimmage and five TDs in the Vikings’ 73-28 win over Monroe. The senior running back rushed for 218 yards and four TDs on 25 carries. He also caught four passes for 67 yards and a score.

Tanner Jellison, jr., Lake Stevens

Jellison completed 17 of 19 passes for 290 yards, three TDs and no interceptions in the Vikings’ rout of Monroe.

Trey Lane, jr., Monroe

Lane caught three passes for 131 yards and two TDs in the Bearcats’ loss to Lake Stevens.

Dylan Owen, sr., Glacier Peak

Owen ran for 164 yards and two TDs on 15 carries in the Grizzlies’ 49-10 win over Jackson.

Matt Torgeson, jr., Glacier Peak

Torgeson returned a kickoff 100 yards for a TD and caught four passes for 71 yards and another score in the Grizzlies’ rout of Jackson.

Jackson Cole, jr., Mariner

Cole accounted for five TDs — three passing and two rushing — in the Marauders’ 51-6 win over rival Kamiak. The dual-threat quarterback also kicked a 30-yard field goal and made six extra points.

Dylan Carson, soph., Marysville Pilchuck

Carson ran for 139 yards and three TDs on 23 carries in the Tomahawks’ 34-7 win over Squalicum.

Snohomish defense

The Panthers allowed just 126 yards of total offense and scored two defensive TDs in a 56-10 win over Shorewood.

Joshua Vandergriend, soph., Snohomish

Vandergriend returned an interception for a score and rushed for 90 yards and a TD on nine carries in the Panthers’ rout of Shorewood.

Tyler Larson, sr., Snohomish

Larson found the end zone on all three of his carries, totaling 80 yards on TD runs of 31, 36 and 13 yards in the Panthers’ rout of Shorewood.

Michael Tsoukalas, jr., Arlington

The Oregon State University baseball commit intercepted a pass and had a fumble-return TD in the Eagles’ 44-10 win over rival Stanwood.

Archbishop Murphy defense

The Wildcats held Cleveland to minus-66 yards of total offense and scored on a pair of safeties in a 73-0 rout.

Jared Taylor, sr., Lakewood

The dual-threat quarterback rushed for 201 yards and three TDs on 20 carries in the Cougars’ 41-17 win over Evergreen. Taylor also threw for 82 yards and a TD.

Mason McBride, sr., Granite Falls

McBride hauled in four passes for 164 yards and two TDs in the Tigers’ 42-0 win over Klahowya.

NEXT WEEK’S BIG GAMES

Lynden at Archbishop Murphy, 7 p.m. Friday. The Wildcats open Northwest 2A Sky Division play with a pivotal showdown against Lynden, last year’s 2A state runner-up. These perennial powers have combined for seven of the past 13 2A state titles and have squared off four times in the state playoffs since 2008. Their first meeting as league rivals occurred last season, when Lynden erased an 11-point fourth-quarter deficit to rally for a 24-21 win that ultimately determined the Sky Division title.

Edmonds-Woodway vs. Meadowdale, 8 p.m. Friday at Edmonds Stadium. This annual rivalry game could be pivotal in a wide-open Wesco 3A South race. Meadowdale has won four of the teams’ past five meetings and six of the past eight, including a 41-20 victory last season.

Arlington at Ferndale, 7 p.m. Friday. This Wesco 3A North clash is a rematch of Arlington’s dramatic comeback win last year, when the Eagles rallied from a 12-point deficit in the final six minutes to claim a 37-34 victory. Arlington is off to a 3-0 start, while Ferndale rebounded from non-league losses to perennial powers Lake Stevens and Lynden by routing Marysville Getchell in its league opener.

Shorecrest vs. Shorewood, 7 p.m. Friday at Shoreline Stadium. The Shoreline rivals square off in the annual Rotary Cup game. The two long-struggling programs both are coming off breakthrough seasons, although Shorewood graduated a slew of talent from last year’s Week 10 playoff team. Shorecrest looks to avenge last season’s 24-0 loss to the Thunderbirds.