Several local teams find themselves in the same position they were last year going into the final week of the football season.
Edmonds-Woodway will try to put the icing on the cake of its fourth consecutive Western Conference South Division title against Jackson tonight, Friday, Oct. 26, at Everett Memorial Stadium.
Meanwhile, Shorecrest tries to clinch a tie for the final 3A quad-district playoff berth with a win over Mountlake Terrace, a must-win situation the Scots found themselves in last year.
Archbishop Murphy tries to clinch its fourth Cascade Conference title with a win over South Whidbey.
Lynnwood is out of the playoff hunt after a loss to Shorecrest last week, but they will try to rebound and win their third game of the year against nonleague opponent Stanwood.
Edmonds-Woodway at Jackson
Game time: 8 p.m., Friday, at Everett Stadium.
Records: Edmonds-Woodway 7-0 league, 8-0 overall; Jackson 4-3 league, 4-4 overall.
Last week: Edmonds-Woodway 21, Marysville-Pilchuck 10; Jackson 7, Shorewood 3.
Last year’s result: Edmonds-Woodway 31, Jackson 7
Players to watch: Edmonds-Woodway senior Antoinne Wafer had three interceptions, including one that was returned for a touchdown, in the Warriors’ victory over Marysville-Pilchuck. Quarterback Kyle McCartney and running back Tony Heard are virtual locks for all-league honors. Running back Taylor Cox ran for 197 yards on 27 carries in Jackson’s win over Shorewood. Sophomore quarterback Andy Gay and sophomore running back Riley Carr also have been key components of the Timberwolves’ resurgence after a tough start.
Breakdown: Edmonds-Woodway looks to close out a perfect regular season, but it won’t be easy. Jackson’s Cox is one of the fastest running backs in the league and the Warriors will key on him. Quarterback Gay and running back Carr must take some of the pressure off of Cox. The Timberwolves must sustain drives to keep Edmonds-Woodway’s offense off the field. The Warriors’ defense has limited their opponents to single digits in four out of their last five games. Edmonds-Woodway’s offense simply has too many options to defend. The Warriors want to head into the playoffs with momentum.
Enterprise pick: Edmonds-Woodway 35, Jackson 10.
Archbishop Murphy at South Whidbey
Game time: 7 p.m. Friday at South Whidbey High School.
Records: Archbishop Murphy 6-0 league, 8-0 overall; South Whidbey 5-1 league, 7-1 overall.
Last week: Archbishop Murphy 46, King’s 0; Cedarcrest 19, South Whidbey 0.
Last year’s result: Archbishop Murphy 41, South Whidbey 6.
Players to watch: Last week, Alex Martinez rushed 68 yards on six carries and two touchdowns and threw for another to J.D. Melton on a halfback pass. Russel Stiegler had 47 yards on five carries and Tyler Allen rushed for 40 yards on eight carries. Ian Houts rushed for 65 yards and two late touchdowns last week. South Whidbey is led by tailback Levi Sawyers and fullback Hunter Hawkins as well as quarterback Kyle Hoch.
Breakdown: Archbishop Murphy is coming off two consecutive 46-0 shutouts but they will face a more formidable challenge in the Falcons, who were unbeaten until last week’s loss to Cedarcrest. South Whidbey’s offense struggled against Cedarcrest’s fast, physical defense and committed five turnovers in windy, rainy conditions. The Wildcats’ defense, which shut out Cedarcrest, looks even tougher. The Wildcats are the pick here even though their top running back Henry Woods is expected to miss the game with a strained medial collateral ligament in his left knee. Archbishop Murphy’s wing-T system, however, relies most heavily on the line play and that won’t change so expect the Wildcats to gain plenty of yards as usual with their multitude of backs.
Enterprise pick: Archbishop Murphy 34, South Whidbey 14.
Mountlake Terrace at Shorecrest
Game time: 7:30 p.m., Friday, at Shoreline Stadium.
Records: Shorecrest 2-5 league, 2-6 overall; Mountlake Terrace 1-6 league and 1-7 overall.
Last week: Shorecrest 27, Lynnwood 0; Mariner 35, Mountlake Terrace 13.
Last year’s result: Shorecrest 21, Mountlake Terrace 9.
Players to watch: Shorecrest’s Michael Harris rushed 18 times for 160 yards, ran for three touchdowns and caught a touchdown pass for the Scots last week. Harris also kicked three extra points. Quarterback Lars Swenson returned from a shoulder injury to lead the offense and he’ll be more likely to find the rhythm running and passing he had earlier in the season this week. Mountlake Terrace’s Billy Lechtenberg ran for a touchdown and Tony Ellersick threw a touchdown pass to Jeff Odell against Mariner last week.
Breakdown: Last year, Shorecrest started the season 1-5 in league play with some close losses and then beat Lynnwood and Mountlake Terrace to earn a 3A quad-district playoff spot. The Scots are used to playing in must-win situations and they need a win over Terrace to force a tie and playoff with Arlington for the final playoff spot. With quarterback Lars Swenson back and versatile sophomore Michael Harris making big plays on offense and defense, the Scots look like they’ll get the job done against a Hawks’ team that has struggled this year. Mountlake Terrace has been plagued with injuries to key players but should have some continuity with Ellersick and Lechtenberg healthy for this week. The Hawks would like to finish the season strong.
Enterprise pick: Shorecrest 31, Mountlake Terrace 20.
Shorewood at Meadowdale
Game time: 5 p.m., Friday, at Edmonds Stadium.
Records: Meadowdale 4-3 league, 4-4 overall; Shorewood 0-7 league, 0-8 overall.
Last week: Kamiak 38, Meadowdale 35; Jackson 7, Shorewood 3.
Last year’s result: Meadowdale 42, Shorewood 26.
Players to watch: Meadowdale’s Naji Moore has stepped into the starting running back role and excelled. Moore rushed for 124 yards on 21 carries and scored four touchdowns in the Mavericks’ loss to Kamiak. Teammate Sam Werner added 123 yards on 15 carries. Shorewood quarterback Jon-O Hendricks had 51 yards rushing and 57 yards passing to lead the T-birds last week.
Breakdown: The Mavericks are looking to wrap up the No. 1 3A seed to the quad-district playoffs. Meadowdale’s run game seems to work no matter who the Mavericks line up in the backfield. That success is due to an offensive line that is getting the job done. Meadowdale had 4A-playoff bound Kamiak on the ropes last week. The Mavericks should be able to close out the regular season with a victory.
Enterprise pick: Meadowdale 34, Shorewood 14.
Stanwood at Lynnwood
Game time: 8 p.m. Friday at Edmonds Stadium.
Records: Lynnwood 2-6 league and overall; Stanwood 1-7 league and overall.
Last week: Shorecrest 27, Lynnwood 0; Everett 28, Stanwood 0.
Last year’s result: Stanwood 52, Lynnwood 7.
Players to watch: Lynnwood junior Geoff Meinken is still a little banged up but is expected to start at running back. Junior quarterback Jared Shippey completed nearly 70 percent of his passes last week and will be filling in again for Andrew Beatty, who may be done for the season after suffering a concussion against Mariner two weeks ago. The Stanwood offense looks to get on track after being shut out by Everett last week. The Spartans are led by running back Ryan Norman, who had 69 yards against the Seagulls.
Breakdown: One team will break out of a downward spiral this week. Lynnwood quarterback Shippey should feel even more comfortable in his second straight start. The Royals are hoping to get their ground game going with Meinken, who can be a force. Lynnwood’s offense has broke double digits only once in its last five games but this could be the week when things turn around against a Stanwood defense that has allowed 27 points or more in all but one of its games.
Enterprise pick: Lynnwood 20, Stanwood 13.
Granite Falls at King’s
Game time: 4 p.m. Friday at Shoreline Stadium
Records: King’s 0-6 league, 0-8 overall; Granite Falls 2-4 league, 4-4 overall.
Last week: Archbishop Murphy 46, King’s 0; Granite Falls 34, Sultan 28.
Last year’s result: Granite Falls 27, King’s 26.
Players to watch: Granite Falls’ running back Jullian Gamache rushed for 305 yards on 34 carries and three touchdowns last week against Sultan and had 18 tackles on defense. King’s Zack Berg led the Knights with 22 yards rushing against Archbishop Murphy. King’s quarterback Kevin Tranter said he missed the last two weeks because of a family emergency but said he expects to play this week.
Breakdown: Gamache is a tough back to stop but the King’s defense has been one of the Knights’ strong suits. They won’t stop Gamache but if they contain him the Knights could stay in this one for awhile. However, the offense must generate some yards. King’s could only muster 56 yards of total offense against Archbishop Murphy in the mud last week and will need to establish a running game. With quarterback Kevin Tranter expected back, the King’s passing game will likely have to carry the offense. The Knights have speedy Nick Swanson and tall John Burley at receiver and Tranter needs them to get out in the open for King’s to hang with Gamache and the Tigers.
Enterprise pick: Granite Falls 34, King’s 27.
Enterprise sports staff picks
Last week: 6-0
Season: 48-5.
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