PREP FOOTBALL GAMES OF THE WEEK

Can any team stop, or at least slow down, running back Naji Moore-Taylor and the Meadowdale Mavericks?

So far the answer is no as Edmonds-Woodway, Stanwood and Mountlake Terrace all tried but were unsuccessful. This week should be a good test for the Mavericks as they face Kamiak, which has posted wins over Cascade and Shorewood.

Jackson, the defending league champions, takes on Edmonds-Woodway, which started out with a pair of losses to Meadowdale and Everett before rebounding against Lynnwood. The Timberwolves appear to be the class of the league but the Warriors have a rich tradition of success and are looking to reclaim their league title.

The most intriguing matchup, at least in terms of offense, features King’s quarterback Thomas Vincent vs. Lakewood quarterback Justin Lane. The two combined for seven touchdowns last week.

Shoreline Stadium hosts what no doubt is the most heated rivalry of the week when Shorecrest and Shorewood, two winless teams, face off in the Rotary Cup. The Scots appear to be the favorite based on the first three games, but anything can happen on any given Friday night.

Jackson vs. Edmonds-Woodway

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

Records: Edmonds-Woodway 0-0 in the league, 1-2 overall; Jackson 1-0, 3-0

Last week’s results: Jackson 56, Arlington 21; Edmonds-Woodway 39, Lynnwood 6

Last year’s results: Jackson 29, Edmonds-Woodway 25

Players to watch: Jackson senior running back Riley Carr ran for 116 yards on 18 carries and scored four touchdowns and senior quarterback Andy Gay completed 14 of 23 passes for 218 yards and one score in the win over Arlington. Edmonds-Woodway senior running back Jimmy Spears ran for 152 yards on 19 carries and scored two touchdowns against Lynnwood. Teammates Jay Kwon and Zack Berg rushed for 73 and 71 yards, respectively.

Breakdown: The Jackson offense has scored 107 points in its last two games. Gay and Carr are shaping up to be the best one-two punch in the league. Even though Edmonds-Woodway is 1-2, the Warrior defense has played well in all three games. Edmonds-Woodway must find a way to contain the explosive Jackson offense. The Warrior offense has struggled in the red zone, though last week was a significant improvement. Edmonds-Woodway is a young team still trying to forge its identity. Jackson is one of the most experienced teams in the league and should prevail.

Enterprise pick: Jackson 35, Edmonds-Woodway 21

Meadowdale vs. Kamiak

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

Records: Meadowdale 0-0 in the league, 3-0 overall; Kamiak 2-0, 2-1

Last week’s results: Meadowdale 49, Mountlake Terrace 7; Kamiak 35, Shorewood 10

Last year’s results: Meadowdale 28, Kamiak 7

Players to watch: Meadowdale’s Naji Moore-Taylor ran for 175 yards on 15 carries and scored three touchdowns against Mountlake Terrace. Quarterback Danny McDonald completed 7 of 8 passes for 58 yards. Senior Sam Werner caught four passes for 37 yards and one touchdown. Kamiak quarterback Jake Sortor completed 8 of 12 passes for 192 yards and four touchdowns to lead the Knights past Shorewood. Nic Cooper rushed for 87 yards.

Breakdown: No one has been able to stop Moore-Taylor and the Meadowdale ground game so far. If the Mavericks continue to do what they’ve been doing, they should pull out their fourth straight victory. After losing to Snohomish in its opener, Kamiak has bounced back with solid wins over Cascade and Shorewood. The Knights must keep the Meadowdale offense off the field.

Enterprise pick: Meadowdale 28, Kamiak 21

Lynnwood vs. Mariner

Game time: 7 p.m., Friday at Goddard Stadium

Records: Lynnwood 0-0 in the league, 0-3 overall; Mariner 0-2, 0-3

Last week’s results: Edmonds-Woodway 39, Lynnwood 6; Cascade 20, Mariner 14

Last year’s results: Mariner 49, Lynnwood 0

Players to watch: Senior running back Typhis Cochran is Lynnwood’s main threat out of the backfield along with quarterback Michael Stanley. Mariner running back Matt Rae rushed for 147 yards on 25 carries and scored two touchdowns in the loss to Cascade.

Breakdown: Lynnwood has the misfortune of facing a reeling Mariner squad that is off to a 0-3 start. The Royals could only muster 91 yards of total offense against Edmonds-Woodway. The Lynnwood defense did a credible job in allowing only 39 points to Edmonds-Woodway. Expect to see more improvement from the Royals but not a victory.

Enterprise pick: Mariner 40, Lynnwood 14

Mountlake Terrace vs. Glacier Peak

Game time: 7 p.m. Friday at Glacier Peak High School

Records: Mountlake Terrace 1-0 in the league, 2-1 overall; Glacier Peak 0-0, 2-0.

Last week’s results: Meadowdale 49, Mountlake Terrace 7; Glacier Peak 14, Miramonte (Ordina, Calif.) 10

Last year’s results: Glacier Peak 35, Mountlake Terrace 7

Players to watch: Mountlake Terrace senior running back Casey Ellersick ran for 137 yards on 25 carries. Quarterback Brandyn Eckhart ran for the Hawks’ only touchdown in the loss to Meadowdale. Glacier Peak’s Tommy Rollins ran for a touchdown and quarterback Zach Richter threw a TD to Dustin Verdin in the Grizzlies win over Miramonte.

Breakdown: The Hawks look to regroup after its tough loss to Meadowdale. Mountlake Terrace needs to establish its ground game and will need to contain an explosive Glacier Peak offense that put up 51 points in its season opener against Arlington. The Grizzlies are coming off a big win over a top team from California and may overlook the Hawks, who struggled in a lopsided loss to Meadowdale.

Enterprise pick: Glacier Peak 28, Mountlake Terrace 21

Archbishop Murphy vs. Sultan

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

Records: Archbishop Murphy 1-0 in the league, 2-1 overall; Sultan 0-1, 1-2

Last week’s results: Archbishop Murphy 30, Granite Falls 17; Cedarcrest 49, Sultan 6

Last year’s results: Archbishop Murphy 49, Sultan 19

Players to watch: Archbishop Murphy’s Alex Martinez rushed for 195 yards on 10 carries and scored two touchdowns in the win over Granite Falls. Sultan’s Clayton Knoles caught nine passes for 129 yards.

Breakdown: After suffering a rare regular season loss to Eastside Catholic, Archbishop Murphy rebounded a big victory over a tough Granite Falls team. The Wildcats jumped out to a 16-3 halftime lead and like to start strong. The Turks weren’t able to generate much offense against Cedarcrest and likely will struggle against a stout Archbishop Murphy defense.

Enterprise pick: Archbishop Murphy 52, Granite Falls 6

Shorecrest vs. Shorewood

Game time: 7 p.m., Friday at Shoreline Stadium

Records: Shorecrest 0-3, Shorewood 0-3

Last week’s results: Snohomish 44, Shorecrest 28; Kamiak 35, Shorewood 10

Last year’s results: Shorecrest 21, Shorewood 14

Players to watch: Shorecrest’s Jordan Brown ran for touchdowns of 25 and 62 yards against the Panthers. David Cannon had a 65-yard touchdown run and Kofi Asiedu scored on a 15-yard run. Shorewood’s Alex Hosen ran for 56 yards in the loss to Kamiak. Dempsey Brown scored on the lone Thunderbird touchdown on a 1-yard run.

Breakdown: Rivalries don’t get as heated or as spirited as the one between the two Shoreline District schools. On paper, Shorecrest has the advantage with two solid running backs in Brown and Cannon. All four of Shorewood’s touchdowns were scored in the fourth quarter of blowout losses. Shorecrest was competitive against Snohomish. The Scots led 14-7 after the first quarter and only trailed 21-14 at halftime.

Enterprise pick: Shorecrest 24, Shorewood 13

King’s vs. Lakewood

Game time: 7 p.m. Friday at Woolsey Stadium

Records: King’s 1-0 in the league 2-1 overall; Lakewood 0-1, 2-1

Last week’s results: King’s 45, Coupeville 13; South Whidbey 59, Lakewood 32

Last year’s results: Lakewood 25, King’s 22

Players to watch: King’s quarterback Thomas Vincent threw for two touchdowns and ran for two scores and Curtis Clauson caught three touchdowns against Coupeville. Lakewood quarterback Justin Lane completed 24 of 40 passes for 333 yards and three touchdowns against South Whidbey. Wide receiver Justin Peterson caught eight passes for 129 yards and two touchdowns.

Breakdown: Two of the top quarterbacks in the Cascade Conference in Vincent and Lane face off in what should be an offensive explosion. The key could be who gets off to the best start. King’s jumped all over Coupeville and then coasted to the victory, while Lakewood fell behind 18-0 and had to claw its way back against South Whidbey. Last year’s game at Lakewood was close. Friday’s game is at Woolsey Stadium, which could tip the scale to the Knights.

Enterprise pick: King’s 48, Lakewood 42

Last week: 6-0

Season: 15-6