State football quarterfinal preview: Experts pick winners

Four area teams remain alive for state championships.

Who will be preparing for a football game after this weekend as other teams’ pumpkin pie tastes a little bitter after a season-ending loss?

Our Daily Herald experts have made our selections, and the coaches at Lake Stevens, Glacier Peak, Archbishop Murphy and Darrington have put the final pieces of their game plans together.

Here’s a look at this week’s state quarterfinal matchups for local teams.

Class 4A

No. 7 Moses Lake (11-0) at No. 2 Lake Stevens (11-0)

4 p.m. Saturday

The Mavericks, formerly known as the Chiefs, visit the Vikings with an undefeated record but with a relatively light resume. Moses Lake edged Bothell, 17-14, for its first state playoff win since 2015. That was also the last year any team from the Columbia Basin Big Nine won a state game.

Senior quarterback Brady Jay will sling it. He’s thrown 66 touchdown passes this year — just one shy of Kellen Moore’s 2006 season total of 67 for Prosser. It may be a tall order for the emerging Lake Stevens’ defense to keep Decubber out of the record book, but the Mavericks will face the tallest of orders when they’re on defense.

Moses Lake appears overmatched here, and this sets up as a three-touchdown win for the Vikings in front of their raucous home crowd.

No. 13 Glacier Peak (10-1) at No. 5 Sumner (8-3)

2 p.m. Saturday at Sunset Chev Stadium (Sumner)

Though they’ve lost some skirmishes this season, Sumner is one of the more battle-tested teams in the state. The defending state champs fell at Lake Stevens in the season-opener as the Vikings scored in the final seconds. Sumner then lost handily to No. 1 Puyallup, 58-22, on Oct. 4.

Glacier Peak passed a big test last week by going on the road to Pasco and breezing to a 38-18 win over fourth-seeded Chiawana. Prior to that, the Grizzlies struggled in a loss to Lake Stevens and dominated the rest of a down Wesco 4A.

GP proved it was underseeded and legit last week. Going to Sumner against a team viewed as a threat to win it all is a tall task, but the Grizzlies are as hot as any team in the state.

Class 2A

No. 9 Sehome (7-4) at No. 1 Archbishop Murphy (10-0)

7 p.m. Saturday at Goddard Stadium

Let’s keep this one simple. Archbishop Murphy beat Sehome 56-7 on Halloween. Things are not going to be any less scary for the Mariners this week.

Class 1B

No. 7 Darrington (9-1) at No. 2 Liberty Christian (10-1)

Noon Saturday at Fran Rish Stadium, Richland

The Loggers picked up their first-ever 8-man football state playoff win — and their first state playoff win of any kind since 1997 — against defending champion Wilbur-Creston-Keller last Saturday. Liberty Christian has been a state championship contender in recent years, and lost a close title game last season.

Can Darrington’s magical season continue? This could be a tough spot for the Loggers, but it would be a mistake to rule out Darrington quarterback Hunter Anderson’s ability to keep his team in it.

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Aaron Coe | Herald Sports Editor

Lake Stevens over Moses Lake

Sumner over Glacier Peak

Archbishop Murphy over Sehome

Liberty Christian over Darrington

Last week’s record: 3-2

Season record: 146-36

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Tom Lafferty | KRKO Radio

Lake Stevens over Moses Lake

Sumner over Glacier Peak