Hey fans, are you ready for some football?

Yes, it’s that time again. Are you ready for some football?

For opening night, the Edmonds School District teams face off against each other, with Edmonds-Woodway and Meadowdale the highlighted game.

New leagues and alignments in the Wesco mean more opportunities to make the playoffs for teams. Who will emerge on top?

Also, will it be another long fall in Shoreline, or can Shorecrest, Shorewood and King’s surprise?

Time will tell.

Look to the Enterprise this fall for complete prep football coverage on our new publication day, Wednesday, which should be better for you the reader.

Let’s get started!

Shorecrest at Marysville-Pilchuck

Game time: 7 p.m. at Quil Ceda Stadium

Last year’s records: Shorecrest (3-5 Wesco South, 3-7 overall), Marysville-Pilchuck (4-4 Wesco North, 5-5 overall)

Last year’s result: Did not play.

Players to watch: The Tomahawks are led on offense by receiver Levi Cartas (6-3, 170), who led them in receptions and yards per catch last year, and running back Ryan Sterly (5-10, 200) who was their fifth-leading rusher. New quarterback Devin Peterson (5-11, 200) also will try to step up this season. Shorecrest’s offensive leaders are quarterback Steven Shomaker (5-9, 175), a deft runner, and speedy running back Michael Harris (5-10, 175), who decided to turn out for football after all. It will be interesting to see how running back/receiver Jordan Brown (6-3, 180) performs after missing most of last season with an injury. Breakdown: The Scots are young and don’t have a lot of players who have played under the Friday night lights, as coach Mike Wollan, who is in his eighth year, put it. Marysville likes to grind it out on the ground and runs a full-house, three-back running attack designed to eat up the clock. Expect Shorecrest to put a lot of players up front and try to stop the run. Shorecrest will probably run the ball a lot too, so expect a low-scoring affair. The winner will probably be the team that minimizes its mistakes, Wollan said.

Enterprise pick: Marysville-Pilchuck 20, Shorecrest 14.

Monroe at Shorewood

Game time: 7 p.m. at Shoreline Stadium

Last year’s records: Shorewood (0-8 Wesco South, 1-9 overall), Monroe (0-8 Wesco North, 0-10 overall).

Last year’s result: Shorewood 17, Monroe 14

Players to watch: Shorewood’s Dorian Lair rushed for 126 yards and the go-ahead touchdown in the Thunderbirds’ only win over Monroe in the final game of the season last year. Lair also handles punting duties and plays safety. Quarterback Jon-O Hendricks returns more experienced and ready to throw when needed. Tight end Demarcus Taylor showed promise as a pass-catcher last year. Nose guard Dan Lydin and senior co-captain and linebacker Peter Huynh figure to be key cogs in the defense for Shorewood.

Breakdown: Monroe’s new coach Dave Telford believes his team has enough athletic ability to compete but the key for the Bearcats is how they deal with adversity. Both teams struggled last year, but Shorewood emerged as the winner in last year’s finale. Hershey’s team knows its offensive scheme better with a year of experience and the T-birds can be expected to try some different things. Shorewood needs to establish the run with Lair and not turn over the ball.

Enterprise pick: Shorewood 24, Monroe 20.

LaConner at King’s

Game time: 7 p.m. at Woolsey Stadium

Last year’s records: LaConner (2-5 Northwest A/2B League, 2-7 overall), King’s (1-6 Cascade Conference, 1-9 overall)

Last year’s result: Did not play.

Players to watch: King’s new quarterback Thomas Vincent (5-10, 170) will throw the ball a lot if the opportunity presents itself. Receivers John Burley (6-2, 170) and Nick Swanson (6-0, 165) have speed and skill. Sophomore running back Zack Berg (6-1, 185) is more experienced and can grind it out.

Breakdown: Look for King’s to get off to a better start in nonleague play this year against LaConner, a 1A opponent that only won two games last year. Last year’s King’s faced one of the best small schools in Oregon in its opener Gold Beach and followed up with perennial playoff team Friday Harbor. King’s hasn’t won a game on the field since 2006. This will be King’s first home game on its new FieldTurf field.

Enterprise pick: King’s 20, LaConner 13.

Stanwood vs. Jackson

Game time: 5 p.m. at Everett Stadium.

Last year’s records: Stanwood (1-7 Wesco North, 3-7 overall), Jackson (4-4 Wesco South, 4-6 overall).

Last year’s result: Did not play.

Players to watch: Jackson’s explosive offense is led by first-team, all-league standout Taylor Cox, one of the speediest running backs in the league. He is joined by junior Riley Carr, a bruising runner, who offers a contrasting style to Cox. Junior quarterback Andy Gay will look to receivers Jordan Kellington and Trevor Bray. Stanwood had a young team in 2007 that took its lumps. Two standouts appear to quarterback Michael McCune and running back C.J. Tolbert.

Breakdown: Jackson clearly looks to be a team on the upswing. The Timberwolves return 17 starters, including 10 on offense. The Timberwolves appear to have one of the most potent offenses in the league with much expected out of Cox and Gay. Stanwood should be an improved team since the Spartans return seven starters. But the Wolfpack appear to have too much firepower. Jackson head coach Joel Vincent was an assistant under Stanwood coach Dick Abrams, when Abrams was the head coach of the Timberwolves. Vincent succeeded Abrams when he left Jackson.

Enterprise pick: Jackson 42, Stanwood 13.

Lynden vs. Archbishop Murphy

Game time: 7 p.m. at Terry Ennis Stadium.

Last year’s records: Lynden (7-2 Northwest, 10-3 overall), Archbishop Murphy (7-0 Cascade Conference, 10-0 overall, before team was forced to forfeit eight games due to use of ineligible player).

Last year’s result: Did not play.

Players to watch: Archbishop Murphy brings back plenty of experience on both sides of the ball. Two of the key players on both offense and defense are seniors J.D. Melton (wide receiver/defensive back) and J.J. Quinlan (wide receiver/defensive back). The ground game is led by Russel Stiegler, Kelso Wilkins and C.J. Milburn. The Wildcats are expected to throw the ball more with quarterback Austin Vanderwel. Lynden graduated all but three of its starters on offense. A veteran presence in the backfield is running back David Gaylord. The Lions defense should be solid with eight starters back.

Breakdown: These are two of the top Class 2A teams in the league and it wouldn’t be a surprise if the two met somewhere down the line in the playoffs. It’ll be an emotional night at Terry Ennis Stadium as former coach Terry Ennis no doubt will be on the minds of the Wildcats as they open their first season without him on the sidelines. Expect Lynden to be a stern test as the Lions have advanced to the state semifinals five out of the last seven years, including 2007.

Enterprise pick: Archbishop Murphy 35, Lynden 17.

Edmonds-Woodway vs. Meadowdale

Game time: 8 p.m. at Edmonds Stadium.

Last year’s records: Edmonds-Woodway (8-0 Wesco South, 12-1 overall), Meadowdale (5-3 Wesco South, 7-5 overall).

Last year’s result: Edmonds-Woodway 35, Meadowdale 13.

Players to watch: Edmonds-Woodway returns one of the top players in the state in running back/linebacker Tony Heard. While the senior standout likely will be the workhorse throughout the season, the Warriors have plenty of other options on offense. Junior quarterback Andy Willcock has three or four targets, including senior wide receiver Din Kuses. Meadowdale has plenty of experience in the backfield with senior quarterback Matt McDonagh and running backs Darin Dysart and Sam Werner. McDonagh’s favorite targets include tight end Connor Hamlett and wide receiver Cameron Bayer.

Breakdown: The matchup between the two Edmonds District teams should be one of the best games of the season as both teams made deep runs into the state playoffs last season and are expected again to be top contenders. The best Meadowdale can probably do is to somewhat control Heard rather than shut him down. If the Mavericks are successful, then the burden will shift to Willcock, who is making his first varsity start. Meadowdale will be without starting running back Naji Moore-Taylor, who is serving a three-game suspension for an athletic code violation, but there shouldn’t be too much of a dropoff with the likes of Dysart and Werner. In his second season as the starting quarterback, McDonagh should be a strong veteran presence in the backfield and if the game is close, he could be the difference.

Enterprise pick: Edmonds-Woodway 28, Meadowdale 24.

Lynnwood vs. Mountlake Terrace

Game time: 5 p.m. at Edmonds Stadium.

Last year’s records: Lynnwood (2-6 Wesco South, 2-8 overall), Mountlake Terrace (1-7 Wesco South, 1-9 overall).

Last year’s result: Lynnwood 28, Mountlake Terrace 7.

Players to watch: Lynnwood running back Geoff Meinken isn’t your typical running back. Meinken, who has verbally committed to Washington State, is 6-foot-3 and 260 pounds. In addition to size, he brings speed to the Lynnwood backfield that also includes new quarterback Jared Shippey and running back Fabian Duron. Senior Dylan Burnett-Lewis, a three-year starter on defense, also will moonlight at wide receiver. Like the Royals, Mountlake Terrace has plenty of talented skill players. Senior wide receiver Billy Lectenberg should see plenty of touches, along with junior running back Casey Ellersick and senior running back Percy Anyimah. The Hawks also have a new quarterback in junior Brandon Eckhart.

Breakdown: Both teams are stocked with experienced talent at the skill positions, but have inexperienced lines and new starting quarterbacks. Shippey has a little more varsity playing experience than his Mountlake Terrace counterpart Eckhart. It will be tough to bring down Lynnwood’s Meinken if he breaks free from the line of scrimmage. The Royals need to contain Billy Lechtenberg, who did not play in last year’s matchup. Lynnwood has a strong senior class and experience should be an advantage.

Enterprise pick: Lynnwood 28, Mountlake Terrace 21.