No. 2 Hockinson at No. 3 Archbishop Murphy
When: 7 p.m. Thursday
Where: Archbishop Murphy H.S.
TV: ROOT Sports
Hockinson: 1-0; beat Toppenish 52-14 last week
Archbishop Murphy: 1-0; beat Eatonville 23-3 last week
Outlook: Archbishop Murphy hosts the defending Class 2A state champions in a non-league showdown of state title contenders, which should provide a fascinating matchup between Hockinson’s high-powered offense and the Wildcats’ stingy defense. The Hawks averaged 9.5 yards per play in their season-opening rout of Toppenish, while Archbishop Murphy held Eatonville to just four yards of total offense in its season-opening win. Hockinson graduated standout quarterback Canon Racanelli from last year’s 14-0 team, but returning is his brother, Sawyer, a junior receiver with a scholarship offer from Oregon State University. Racanelli had three catches for 99 yards and two touchdowns last week, and also returned a punt for a score. Junior running back Mason Mathis led Archbishop Murphy’s offense in its season opener, rushing for 120 yards and a touchdown on just 17 carries.
Did you know?: This marks the second year in a row that ROOT Sports has televised an Archbishop Murphy regular-season home game. Last year, the Wildcats opened their season on ROOT Sports with a 37-18 home win over eventual 3A state semifinalist Garfield.
Herald pick: Hockinson
Monroe at No. 8 Woodinville
When: 7 p.m. Thursday
Where: Pop Keeney Stadium (Bothell)
Monroe: 0-1; lost to Eastlake 35-19 last week
Woodinville: 1-0; beat Foster 34-8 last week
Outlook: Both teams made deep state playoff runs last season, with Woodinville advancing to the 4A state championship game and Monroe reaching the state quarterfinals for the first time in program history. However, both teams also graduated a significant amount of talent. The Falcons, whose dominant defense led the way in their run to the Tacoma Dome last year, held 2A opponent Foster to just 85 total yards and 1.8 yards per play in last week’s season-opening rout. Junior standout Efton Chism III starred for the Bearcats in last week’s loss to Eastlake, returning a kickoff for a score, catching a touchdown pass and intercepting two passes on defense.
Herald pick: Woodinville
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