The local prep football scene is like a box of chocolates: You never know what you’re going to get.
There were surprises galore in the Western Conference South Division last Friday night.
Jackson looked unstoppable against Shorewood in week two until running into Jake Parduhn and Arlington, who beat the Timberwolves 28-22 in overtime in week three. How about this contrast in personnel: Twelve players had rushing attempts for Jackson against Shorewood while Arlington only has 29 guys on its entire roster.
Highly-regarded 3A Meadowdale went into its nonconference game a heavy favorite over 4A Mountlake Terrace but lost three fumbles and its run defense got beat on the outside by Casey Ellersick and company at times.
Shorecrest couldn’t believe it had a 21-0 lead on Snohomish at the half and went on to win 28-14, methodically picking apart the Panthers. Small but quick beat big and powerful in that one.
So what does week four bring?
Edmonds-Woodway and Jackson do battle in Everett with the two top backs in the league, the Warriors’ Tony Heard and the Timberwolves Taylor Cox, facing off one last time.
Shorecrest and Shorewood face off in the Rotary Cup, the big crosstown rivalry, and while the Scots are riding high the Thunderbirds would like nothing more than to pull off an upset of their own.
King’s will try to go 4-0 on the road at Lakewood behind super sophomore Thomas Vincent.
Meadowdale will have running back Naji Moore-Taylor back against Kamiak as the Mavericks try to bounce back from the Terrace defeat.
Mountlake Terrace will try to keep the dream alive against an 0-3 but dangerous Glacier Peak team that almost beat Marysville-Pilchuck last week.
Lynnwood faces Mariner, which might be the best team in the Western Conference South Division right now.
Edmonds-Woodway at Jackson
Game time: 8 p.m., Friday at Everett Memorial Stadium. Records: Edmonds-Woodway 2-1, Jackson 2-1.
Last year’s result: Edmonds-Woodway 56, Jackson 21. Last week’s results: Edmonds-Woodway 40, Lynnwood 0; Arlington 28, Jackson 22 OT.
Players to watch: Edmonds-Woodway running back Tony Heard did not play last week due to a sore leg. In his place, junior Jimmy Spears rushed for 241 yards and four touchdowns. Quarterback Andy Willcock likes to throw to wide receiver Din Kuses. Jackson running backs Riley Carr and Taylor Cox are two of the top running backs in the league. Junior quarterback Andy Gay threw a touchdown pass to Carr in the loss to Arlington.
Breakdown: Three of the best running backs in the league will be on display with Heard, Cox and Carr. It’s difficult to read much into the Warriors’ lopsided victory over a depleted Lynnwood squad, but it’ll be hard to slow down a well-rested Heard. Both quarterbacks have shown the ability to throw the ball. If it’s a high scoring game then the edge likely goes to Edmonds-Woodway. The Timberwolves’ defense looks to be improved and if it can contain Heard, they should have a shot at the victory.
Enterprise pick: Edmonds-Woodway 35, Jackson 34
Mariner at Lynnwood
Game time: 5 p.m., Friday at Edmonds Stadium. Records: Mariner 2-1, Lynnwood 0-3.
Last year’s result: Mariner 37, Lynnwood 7. Last week’s results: Mariner 14, Cascade 0; Edmonds-Woodway 40, Lynnwood 0.
Players to watch: Mariner quarterback AJ VanWieringen threw a 25-yard touchdown pass and ran for 1-yard score in the Marauders’ victory over Cascade. The Lynnwood offense, led by quarterback Jared Shippey, was unable to generate any points against Edmonds-Woodway.
Breakdown: Mariner showed that it will be a playoff contender with a shutout victory over a highly-regarded Cascade team. The Marauders came into last week’s contest averaging more than 40 points per game and should be able to put up the points against an injury-depleted Lynnwood squad. The Royals are looking to get healthy before league play starts.
Enterprise pick: Mariner 35, Lynnwood 14.
Meadowdale at Kamiak
Game time: 7 p.m., Friday at Goddard Stadium. Records: Meadowdale 1-1, Kamiak 1-2.
Last year’s result: Kamiak 38, Meadowdale 35. Last week’s results: Kamiak 35, Shorewood 2; Mountlake Terrace 23, Meadowdale 17 OT.
Players to watch: Kamiak quarterback Sam Ruppel threw for 128 yards and a touchdown to lead the Knights to their first win of the year. Running backs Aaron Miller and Jake Sorter combined for 95 yards. Meadowdale senior running back Ben Shebly rushed for 135 yards on 13 carries and scored two touchdowns. Teammate Sam Werner had 100 yards on eight carries, but has an ankle injury.
Breakdown: The Knights come into the non-league game with a little momentum after dispatching Shorewood at Qwest Field. Meadowdale will be looking to rebound after being upset by district rival Mountlake Terrace. The Mavericks must cut down on turnovers as two fumbles in the fourth quarter were costly. The Mavericks also need to be able to throw the ball to take some of the pressure off the run game.
Enterprise pick: Meadowdale 28, Kamiak 21.
Archbishop Murphy at Sultan
Game time: 7 p.m. Friday at Sultan High School Records: Archbishop Murphy 3-0, Sultan 0-3
Last year’s result: Archbishop Murphy 69 , Sultan 34. Last week’s results: Archbishop Murphy 42, Granite Falls 7; Cedarcrest 49, Sultan 19.
Players to watch: Six different players scored touchdowns for the Wildcats’ in their romp over Granite Falls. Quarteracks Jake Downs and Austin VanderWel completed 11 of 19 passes for 275 yards and four touchdowns. Sultan is led by junior quarterback Zach Beebe and senior running back Bubba Dideum.
Breakdown: Last year the Wildcats almost put up 70 points on the Turks. Most of Sultan’s returning starters are juniors who will be tested against an Archbishop Murphy squad that is shaping up to be among the Class 2A’s best. The Wildcats are slowly but surely developing a strong passing attack to go with their ground game.
Enterprise pick: Archbishop Murphy 49, Sultan 14.
Glacier Peak at Mountlake Terrace
Game time: 8 p.m., Friday at Edmonds Stadium. Records: Glacier Peak 0-3, Mountlake Terrace 2-1.
Last year’s result: Did not play.
Last week’s results: Marysville-Pilchuck 20, Glacier Peak 17; Mountlake Terrace 23, Meadowdale 17 OT
Players to watch: Glacier Peak’s John Darling ran for a touchdown and Zach Richter threw a TD pass to Tanner Southard in the loss to Marysville-Pilchuck. Mountlake Terrace’s Casey Ellersick rushed for 163 yards on 30 carries and two touchdowns in the win over Meadowdale.
Breakdown: Mountlake Terrace’s huge upset over district rival Meadowdale could be a turning point in the season for the Hawks. The Hawks’ defense came up with two key fourth quarter turnovers and the ground game was effective with Ellersick. Mountlake Terrace must not letdown against a Glacier Peak team that played 4A Marysville-Pilchuck tough. If the Hawks can stay motivated against a 3A school fielding a first-year team, they should secure the victory.
Enterprise pick: Mountlake Terrace 24, Glacier Peak 10.
Shorecrest vs. Shorewood
Game time: 7 p.m. Friday at Shoreline Stadium Records: Shorewood 0-3, Shorecrest 1-2.
Last year’s result: Shorecrest 28, Shorewood 14. Last week’s results: Shorecrest 28, Snohomish 14; Kamiak 35, Shorewood 2.
Players to watch: Jordan Brown and Michael Harris are Shorecrest’s are a tough one-two punch out of the backfield and they proved it last week against Snohomish. Brown ran for 75 yards and a touchdown while Harris ran for 94 yards and two scores in the upset. Quarterback Sam Heck was 3-for-6 for 65 yards last week. Shorewood’s heart and soul is senior running back Dorian Lair who accounted for the T-birds’ only two points last week on a safety.
Breakdown: Pride is always on the line in the annual Rotary Cup game and despite a four-game win streak for Shorecrest, don’t count Shorewood out of this one. For Shorecrest to come out 1-2 after facing a brutal schedule the first three weeks of the season is a testament to coach Mike Wollan, his staff and players. To come back from a 61-0 drubbing by Ferndale and beat tradition-rich Snohomish, the preseason favorite to win the 4A Wesco North, proves the young Scots should not be taken lightly by anyone. Then again, week four might be Shorewood’s chance to surprise people. Stranger things have happened. The last time Shorewood beat Shorecrest was in October 2003 and the game went three overtimes that night.
Enterprise pick: Shorecrest 27, Shorewood 24.
King’s at Lakewood
Game time: 7 p.m. Friday at Dick Cardinal Stadium Records: King’s 3-0, Lakewood 0-3
Last year’s result: Lakewood 18, King’s 7 Last week’s results: King’s 23, Coupeville 12; South Whidbey 42, Lakewood 21.
Players to watch: King’s quarterback Thomas Vincent can run and he can throw. His favorite target is receiver John Burley, who he found seven times for 136 yards and a touchdown last week. Vincent ran for 74 yards and passed for 198 in the win over Coupeville. Lakewood quarterback Justin Lane ran for two touchdowns and had 162 yards passing last week.
Breakdown: King’s turnover ratio is 10-0 in its favor, which is a big part of why the Knights are 3-0, as well as an improved attitude and better focus. Will the perfection continue? Lakewood hung with a good South Whidbey team until the mid-fourth quarter last week so this could be King’s toughest test. Can Vincent stay undeated as a starting quarterback? We shall see.
Enterprise pick: King’s 24, Lakewood 14.
Last week: 4-3
Season: 15-6
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