Defense-minded Woodinville might see a wet and windy weather forecast as an ally in Saturday’s Class 4A football state quarterfinal playoff game against Edmonds-Woodway.
The Falcons might justifiably think that such bluster would inhibit E-W’s prolific passing game.
But Mother Nature has a way of balancing the scales.
Faced with inhospitable conditions, the Warriors might decide to feed Woodinville a steady diet of Josh Heard. The 6-foot-1, 225-pound tank of a running back rumbled through Curtis for 264 yards and five touchdowns last week.
If he does the same Saturday, Woodinville’s defense will find itself under the weather.
Here’s a look at the three Saturday state playoff games involving Snohomish County schools:
Edmonds-Woodway vs. Woodinville
Kickoff: 7:30 p.m. Saturday at Pop Keeney Stadium.
Records: Edmonds-Woodway is 11-0 overall. Woodinville is 8-3.
Playoff history: This is E-W’s first time in the quarterfinals. The Warriors lost 47-17 to Cascade in the first round last season.
Woodinville reached the 4A title game last year, losing 35-21 to Skyline.
Last week: Heard ran for 264 yards and scored five TDs in a 41-38 come-from-behind win over Curtis. Heard scored the game-winning TD on a 1-yard plunge after his brother, Tony, recovered a fumble with a little more than a minute to play to set up the final drive.
Woodinville held Tahoma to 105 yards total offense and capitalized on five turnovers in a 14-0 win. Eric Ninomiya had two interceptions and Zach Doblar had an interception and a fumble recovery. Tahoma had the ball inside the Woodinville 20-yard line on its first four possessions, but turned the ball over on downs, had two drives end in interceptions and had a field-goal attempt blocked.
Players to watch: Heard leads E-W in rushing with 197 carries for 1,529 yards and 25 TDs. Quarterback Kyle McCartney is 100-for-157 passing for 1,760 yards and 25 TDs. Eric Greenwood is the Warriors’ top receiver with 38 catches for 711 yards and 12 TDs. Three other Warriors – Tony Heard, Antoinne Wafer and Casey Hamlett – each have more than 300 receiving yards.
Brent Sorensen is Woodinville’s leading rusher, but he averages just 15 carries a game. The Falcons get it done with the pass. Quarterback Peter Roberts is 109-for-233 for 1,513 yards and eight TDs, including an 18-yarder to Steve Low last week. Low (20 catches, 417 yards) and Josh Ditzenberger (30 catches, 426 yards) are the Falcons’ top receivers.
Breaking down the game: Can they do it again? Last week the Falcons’ defense held Tahoma running back David Bentrott, who had been averaging 137 yards a game, to minus 5 yards on 16 carries. They’ll have to do an equally effective job on Josh Heard if they want to continue along the path to a second straight title-game appearance.
They’ll also have to watch out for McCartney. If they do manage to bottle up Heard, it has to open up things for the Warriors downfield and in the flats.
John McDonald’s pick: E-W 28-7.
Mike Cane’s pick: E-W 27-17.
Tom Lafferty’s pick: Woodinville 28-27.
Skyview vs. Oak Harbor
Kickoff: 7 p.m. Saturday at Snohomish H.S.
Records: Skyview is 11-0 overall. Oak Harbor is 10-1.
Playoff history: Skyview is making its first state playoff appearance. It lost 31-6 to Gig Harbor in the quad-district playoffs last year.
Oak Harbor is making its second straight quarterfinal appearance. The Wildcats lost 49-21 to eventual state champion Skyline last year.
Last week: Quarterback Marshall Lobbestael threw a two-point conversion pass to Rodrick Rumble to give Oak Harbor a 43-42 double-overtime victory over Mariner.
Running back Micah Lape ran 24 times for 203 yards and a touchdown and had a 61-yard TD catch to lead Skyview to a 14-9 win over Puyallup.
Players to watch: Lape averages 215 yards and three TDs per game.
Lobbestael is 137-for-249 for 2,084 yards and 28 TDs. Rumble is the Wildcats’ leading receiver with 32 catches for 513 yards and 14 TDs. Chris Valencia gets the bulk of the rushes. He’s run 156 times for 918 yards and 15 TDs.
Breaking down the game: Skyview played good red-zone defense to beat Puyallup. Two long Puyallup drives in the first half netted only a field goal (another try was missed). On another occasion, Puyallup turned the ball over on downs inside the Skyview 20. Oak Harbor isn’t likely to be as accommodating. The Wildcats know how to finish drives. Just ask Mariner.
Oak Harbor has handled strong running teams, but Skyview hasn’t seen a passing game like the Wildcats possess.
John McDonald’s pick: Oak Harbor 24-21.
Mike Cane’s pick: Oak Harbor 28-24.
Tom Lafferty’s pick: Oak Harbor 14-7.
Archbishop Murphy vs. Prosser
Kickoff: 12:30 p.m. Saturday at Pop Keeney Stadium.
Records: Both teams are 11-0 overall.
Playoff history: Archbishop Murphy reached the 2A state title game last year before losing 28-24 to Pullman.
Prosser reached the 3A state title game last year before losing 47-12 to Ferndale.
Last week: Jake Bos caught two touchdown passes – one on a halfback pass from Alex Martinez and the other on a fourth-down pass from quarterback John-Paul Blair – to give Archbishop Murphy a 14-7 win over Hoquiam.
With Pullman dropping seven to eight players into coverage on almost every play, prolific Prosser quarterback Kellen Moore was held to 18 completions in 28 attempts for 206 yards and three TDs in the Mustangs’ 41-19 victory. Moore was intercepted twice. However, Prosser running back Jarod Leighty had a career-high 163 yards and two TDs.
Players to watch: Running back Tony Houts leads Murphy in rushing with 130 carries for 1,244 yards and 12 TDs. Russel Stiegler (84 carries, 602 yards) has been a bigger part of the Wildcats’ offense since Dejan Sughrim (60 carries, 838 yards) went down with an injury. The Wildcats don’t pass often. Last week, for example, they threw three times, but two were completed for touchdowns.
On the other hand, Prosser throws a lot. Moore, who has verbally committed to Boise State, is 257-for-344 for 3,826 yards and 61 TDs. He ranks second in the nation in passing according to maxpreps.com. Receiver Cody Bruns has broken the state single-season record with 1,697 yards on 97 catches, 25 for TDs. And just in case something happens to the Mustangs’ passing game, running back Leighty had a career-high game last week.
Breaking down the game: Prosser is ranked No. 1 in the Class 2A and all-classes polls by WashingtonPreps.com. The Mustangs’ average 62 points a game, with an average winning margin of 54 points. Murphy’s best chance is to load up on pass defense and hope for some interception returns for TDs. The Wildcats can also do themselves a favor by controlling the time of possession. But as good as Murphy is, beating Prosser is a reach.
John McDonald’s pick: Prosser 49-24.
Mike Cane’s pick: Prosser 34-21.
Tom Lafferty’s pick: Prosser 35-14.
All three guessers were 5-0 last week. Herald Prep Editor John McDonald is 31-10 for the season. Herald Writer Mike Cane is 29-12. KRKO radio broadcaster Tom Lafferty is 28-13.
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