Prep football notebook: Week 2 analysis, big moments, stars
Published 1:30 am Saturday, September 8, 2018
The second week of the high school football season offered no shortage of intrigue.
Among the many notable storylines: Three long-struggling area programs earned signature victories, two local teams came out on opposite ends of their respective top-10 clashes and the annual crosstown rivalry between Glacier Peak and Snohomish delivered an entertaining contest.
Here’s a look back at the local Week 2 action, and a look ahead at what’s to come.
LAKE STEVENS ROLLS, ARCHBISHOP MURPHY FALLS IN STATE-RANKED SHOWDOWNS
Lake Stevens and Archbishop Murphy ended up on oppositive ends of the spectrum in their respective state-ranked showdowns.
The Class 4A sixth-ranked Vikings controlled both sides of the ball in Friday night’s decisive 38-21 win over 3A second-ranked Lincoln, a team loaded with highly ranked college prospects.
Senior quarterback Tre Long and the running-back duo of Tom Lewis and Dallas Landeros led a balanced Lake Stevens spread offense that methodically marched up and down the field, totaling 464 yards on 77 plays.
The Vikings’ defense was similarly impressive, limiting Lincoln to just 278 yards of total offense while holding the Abes’ talented receiving corps in check.
The victory further reinforced Lake Stevens’ status as one of the state’s premier 4A programs and has the Vikings (2-0) off to a strong start heading into their Wesco 4A opener next Friday at rival Monroe.
Meanwhile, third-ranked Archbishop Murphy suffered a 42-13 non-league loss to second-ranked Hockinson in Thursday night’s clash between the previous two 2A state champions.
The Wildcats (1-1) had no answer for the defending state champions’ high-powered passing attack, which picked apart an Archbishop Murphy defense that allowed just four total yards in the previous week’s win over Eatonville.
Dual-threat quarterback Levi Crum masterfully orchestrated the Hawks’ juggernaut offense, totaling 492 yards and six touchdowns while delivering a resounding statement to the regionally televised audience on ROOT Sports.
The powerhouse program from Southwest Washington looks well on its way to contending for a repeat state title, while youth-laden Archbishop Murphy looks to regroup before facing another tough non-league test next week at 3A fifth-ranked Rainier Beach.
SHORELINE SCHOOLS FLIP THE SCRIPT IN WESCO 3A SOUTH
Edmonds-Woodway and Meadowdale have been two of the area’s more successful programs over the past decade-plus.
Shorecrest and Shorewood, meanwhile, have had plenty of struggles in recent years.
Those trends have been particularly evident the past four seasons, with all four teams playing in the Wesco 3A South since 2014. During that span, the Warriors and Mavericks combined for a 39-13 league record and three Wesco 3A South titles, while the two Shoreline schools went a combined 5-40 in league play.
But in Friday night’s Wesco 3A South openers, the Shoreline schools flipped the script with decisive victories over the perennial Edmonds School District powers.
Shorewood, which played an independent schedule last season in an attempt to build up its long-struggling program, made an emphatic return to Wesco 3A South play with a 38-7 victory over Meadowdale. The Thunderbirds (2-0) jumped to a 17-point first-half lead, sparked by running back Robert Banks’ 88-yard touchdown run for the game’s first score.
It marked Shorewood’s first conference win since September 2014 — ending a 17-game Wesco 3A South losing streak — and was just the program’s third league victory since 2011. It also was the T-birds’ first win over Meadowdale (0-2) since 2002.
Shorecrest, meanwhile, raced to a 21-0 first-quarter lead en route to a 35-14 road victory over Edmonds-Woodway. It was the Scots’ first win over the Warriors since Edmonds-Woodway moved down to the 3A classification prior to the 2014 season.
The Shoreline schools look to build on their strong starts next week, when Shorecrest (2-0) hosts Everett and Shorewood travels to face Snohomish.
As for Edmonds-Woodway (0-2), the defending Wesco 3A South champions are clearly going through growing pains after graduating all 11 starters from last year’s stalwart defense.
The Warriors, who lost 52-0 to Glacier Peak in last week’s season opener, allowed a combined 73 points in their first five quarters this season. Last year, it took five full games for Edmonds-Woodway to yield a combined 73 points.
MARYSVILLE GETCHELL ENDS CONFERENCE LOSING STREAK
The Chargers earned their first Wesco 3A North victory since 2015, snapping a 13-game conference losing streak with a 16-0 win over Stanwood in Friday night’s league opener.
The victory avenged a 48-14 loss to the Spartans last season, when Marysville Getchell (1-1) lost by an average of more than 40 points per game in conference play.
“It (was) just a bunch of pressure on everybody, and we’re just relieved that it’s not there anymore,” Chargers coach Davis Lura said of ending the losing streak. “It’s huge. We can all relax a little bit.”
Marysville Getchell dual-threat senior quarterback Caleb Koellmer accounted for 358 total yards, and the Chargers’ defense earned its first shutout in the program’s eight-year history.
“Our defense did a great job of stopping Stanwood,” Lura said. “We kept them out of the red zone and made more big plays than they did.”
GLACIER PEAK PREVAILS IN CROSSTOWN RIVALRY
The Grizzlies continued their mastery of crosstown rival Snohomish, but not without a hard-fought performance by the Panthers.
Snohomish cut the deficit to seven points with five minutes to play in the fourth quarter, but the standout Glacier Peak duo of Ayden Ziomas and Evan Mannes connected for a 59-yard touchdown pass less than a minute later as the Grizzlies prevailed for a 36-28 non-league victory.
Glacier Peak (2-0) has won all seven meetings since the two schools began playing in 2012. This was just the second time that the annual rivalry game was decided by single digits.
Snohomish (0-2) showed definite signs of improvement from last week’s 63-34 season-opening loss to Marysville Pilchuck, especially considering Glacier Peak was coming off a 52-0 rout of Edmonds-Woodway.
“I’m so happy my team stayed strong and stayed believing, and we came out with the win,” Ziomas said. “And props to Snohomish. They came out and they were ready to play. They really turned some heads, and they did really good.”
OAK HARBOR OFF TO STRONG START IN WESCO 3A NORTH
Oak Harbor’s defense made a statement in the Wildcats’ 28-0 shutout of Marysville Pilchuck in Friday night’s Wesco 3A North opener.
One week after the Tomahawks totaled 63 points and over 500 yards rushing in a rout of Snohomish, Oak Harbor limited Marysville Pilchuck to just 161 yards of total offense.
With Ferndale off to an 0-2 start after decisive losses to Lake Stevens and 2A power Lynden, Oak Harbor looks like the early favorite in the Wesco 3A North. Squalicum also is off to a strong start after beating Arlington 42-21 in its league opener Friday night.
WEEK 2 STARS
Garrett Holden, jr., Jackson: Holden intercepted two passes, returning one for a 100-yard touchdown in the Timberwolves’ rout of Mount Rainier. He also had four catches for 126 yards and a score.
Kasen Kinchen, jr., Lake Stevens: Kinchen intercepted two passes and helped keep Lincoln’s talented receiving corps in check during the Vikings’ win over the Abes. The two-way standout also had three catches for 62 yards and a touchdown.
Tre Long, sr., Lake Stevens: Long completed 23 of 33 passes for 239 yards, four touchdowns and no interceptions in the Vikings’ win over Lincoln.
Evan Mannes, sr., Glacier Peak: Mannes caught seven passes for 146 yards and three touchdowns in the Grizzlies’ win over crosstown rival Snohomish.
Ayden Ziomas, sr., Glacier Peak: Ziomas completed 18 of 24 passes for 256 yards, four touchdowns and no interceptions in the Grizzlies’ rivalry win over Snohomish. The dual-threat quarterback also rushed for a score.
Robert Banks, sr., Shorewood: Banks rushed for over 150 yards and three touchdowns, including an 88-yard score, helping the Thunderbirds beat Meadowdale to end a 17-game conference losing streak.
Dorian Hardin, sr., Oak Harbor: Hardin ran for 71 yards on 11 carries and scored a pair of touchdowns, including a 64-yard scoring reception, in the Wildcats’ win over Marysville Pilchuck.
Oak Harbor defense: The Wildcats shut out Marysville Pilchuck in their Wesco 3A North opener, limiting the Tomahawks to 161 yards of total offense just one week after Marysville Pilchuck totaled 63 points and over 500 yards rushing.
Caleb Koellmer, sr., Marysville Getchell: Koellmer accounted for 358 total yards, helping lead the Chargers past Stanwood for their first Wesco 3A North win since 2015. The dual-threat quarterback threw for 243 yards and two touchdowns and added 115 yards rushing on 11 carries.
Marysville Getchell defense: The Chargers blanked Stanwood for their first shutout in the program’s eight-year history, helping end a 13-game conference losing streak.
Tyler Massena, sr., Snohomish: Massena rushed for 130 yards and two touchdowns on 14 carries in the Panthers’ rivalry loss to Glacier Peak.
Sean Phillips, sr., Lakewood: Phillips caught six passes for 148 yards and a touchdown in the Cougars’ rout of Bellingham.
Michai Harris, sr., Lakewood: Harris rushed for 145 yards and a score on just four carries in the Cougars’ rout of Bellingham.
Zach Wilkins, jr., Cedar Park Christian: Wilkins rushed for 299 yards and three touchdowns on 23 carries in the Eagles’ loss to Blaine. He scored on long runs of 48, 71 and 85 yards.
NEXT WEEK’S BIG GAMES
Lake Stevens at Monroe, 7 p.m. Friday: The five-time defending Wesco 4A champion Vikings take a 31-game conference winning streak into their league opener against rival Monroe. Each of the past two seasons, this game has decided the Wesco 4A title. Lake Stevens has won 11 of the teams’ past 12 meetings, including five consecutive blowout victories.
Jackson vs. Glacier Peak at Everett Memorial Stadium, 7 p.m. Friday: This matchup has produced thrilling finishes each of the past two seasons. Glacier Peak rallied for a 37-31 win over Jackson in 2016 and outlasted the Timberwolves for a 48-41 double-overtime victory last year. Both teams are 2-0 entering this Wesco 4A opener.
Squalicum at Marysville Pilchuck, 7 p.m. Friday: Coming off a shutout loss to Oak Harbor, the Tomahawks look to get back on track with a key Wesco 3A North matchup against Squalicum. The Storm handed Marysville Pilchuck a 38-28 defeat last season.
