The Cascade Conference title will be on the line next week.
With last week’s 42-14 victory over Sultan, the Archbishop Thomas Murphy football team kept its perfect record intact and moved a step closer to a league championship.
The Wildcats host fellow unbeaten Lakewood at 5 p.m. Nov. 4 in a game that will determine the conference title.
“The last game is going to have a lot of significance,” said Archbishop Murphy coach Terry Ennis.
But before the Wildcats turn their attention to the Cougars, they travel to Nooksack Valley for a non-conference encounter at 7 p.m. tonight (Friday, Oct. 29).
“We know that this game coming up doesn’t mean anything other than it’s a football game and we certainly want to play hard and get better,” Ennis said.
The Pioneers like to spread the field and throw the ball.
“We really haven’t played any teams from up north,” Ennis said. “It will be a new experience for us. It probably will give us some kind of feel for what’s ahead for us in the playoffs.”
Last Friday’s game against Sultan was played in a constant downpour, which likely was a factor in the three fumbles the Wildcats lost.
Junior Stan Smith rushed for 175 yards on nine carries and scored two touchdowns on offense and ran back an interception for another score.
Smith caught a deflected ball and ran it back 15 yards to give Archbishop Murphy a 7-0 lead in the first quarter.
Touchdown runs of 1 and 6 yards by Craig Duncan and Smith enabled the Wildcats (5-0 in the league, 8-0 overall) to take a 21-0 advantage into the second quarter.
“(Smith) ran very hard. He broke tackles,” Ennis said. “He did a nice job.”
Senior quarterback Kyle Wilkins returned to the lineup but his play was limited to offense.
“We just tried to limit him to some ball handling,” Ennis said.
Junior running back Shiloh Keo added a 24-yard touchdown run in the second quarter. Smith scored on a 60-yard run and junior Chris Hoerauf added a 5-yard score in the third quarter.
Lakewood (4-0, 8-0) kept its league title hopes alive with a 41-13 victory over King’s. The Cougars face Granite Falls this week.
Archbishop Murphy amassed 437 rushing yards, while Sultan had 189 yards on the ground and threw for 96 yards.
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