The battle for the one remaining 3A quad-district playoff berth heats up when Lynnwood hosts Shorecrest at 5 p.m., Friday, Oct. 19 at Edmonds Stadium.
Meadowdale clinched a berth with its win over district rival Mountlake Terrace. Arlington (3-3) currently holds the advantage over the Royals (2-5) and the Scots (1-5). A tie between teams from the Wesco South and North divisions would result in a tiebreaker contest.
Shorecrest
at Lynnwood
Game time: 5 p.m., Friday, at Edmonds Stadium.
Records: Shorecrest 1-5 league, 1-6 overall; Lynnwood 2-5 league and overall.
Last week: Everett 23, Shorecrest 20; Mariner 37, Lynnwood 7
Last year’s result: Shorecrest 32, Lynnwood 20.
Players to watch: With Lynnwood starting quarterback Andrew Beatty out due to a concussion suffered last week against Mariner, junior Jared Shippey assumes the helm for a Royals’ offense that has struggled the last four games. Junior running back Geoff Meinken ran for 71 yards before being sidelined with a hip injury last week. Shorecrest quarterback Steven Shomaker rushed for 71 yards last week while filling in for injured starter Lars Swenson, who will likely miss this game as well. Shorecrest’s speedy Michael Harris returned an interception 97 yards for a touchdown last week, his second defensive touchdown in as many weeks.
Breakdown: After a 2-1 start, the Royals have fallen on hard times, losing four straight. Lynnwood should match up better against 3A rival Shorecrest, but the offense must put up points early in the game. Meinken has all the tools to be one of the premier backs in the league if the offensive line does his job. Beatty’s leadership will be missed but there are plenty of other seniors who should be able to pick up the slack. The key for Shorecrest will be to minimize mistakes. Five turnovers proved to be the difference in a loss to Everett last week. Big plays on defense have kept the Scots in ball games lately with three defensive touchdowns the last two weeks. Backup quarterback Steven Shomaker looked more comfortable last week and if the Scots can expand his repertoire, he can be a difference-maker. In a nutshell, Shorecrest needs to win out to have a shot at the playoffs.
Enterprise pick: Shorecrest 21, Lynnwood 14
Jackson
at Shorewood
Game time: 7 p.m. Friday at Shoreline Stadium.
Records: Jackson 3-3 league, 3-4 overall; Shorewood 0-6 league, 0-7 overall.
Last week: Kamiak 38, Jackson 35; Edmonds-Woodway 35, Shorewood 0.
Last year’s result: Jackson 38, Shorewood 26.
Players to watch: Jackson junior running back Taylor Cox is on a tear. He ran for 299 yards and scored four touchdowns in last week’s loss to Kamiak. That pushed his season-to-date totals to 1,049 yards and 10 touchdowns. Sophomore running back Riley Carr rushed for 118 yards. Sophomore quarterback Andy Gay should have more time in the pocket after being under siege for most of last week’s game. Shorewood’s Nathan Cook carried seven times for 21 yards last week and leads the T-birds in rushing this season.
Breakdown: The Jackson offense has found its groove, scoring 35 or more points in its last three games. Once Cox gets to the outside, he’s tough to bring down. Focus too much on Cox and fellow running back Riley Carr will gladly take advantage. The best defense is to keep the Wolfpack offense off the field. The Jackson defense allowed too many big plays last week and must be more disciplined. Shorewood’s struggling offense only produced 44 total yards last week against Edmonds-Woodway. The T-birds’ defense has played fine at times but the offense must get some first downs to take some of the pressure off the defense.
Enterprise pick: Jackson 42, Shorewood 14.
King’s
at Arch. Murphy
Game time: 7 p.m. Friday at Archbishop Murphy High School.
Records: Archbishop Murphy 5-0 conference, 7-0 overall; King’s 0-5 conference, 0-7 overall.
Last week: Archbishop Murphy 46, Granite Falls 0; Coupeville 24, King’s 14.
Last year’s result Archbishop Murphy 49, King’s 14
Players to watch: Russel Stiegler led Archbishop Murphy with 93 yards rushing and a touchdown and Henry Woods rushed for 73 yards and two scores. Wildcat quarterback Patrick Kelly threw for 80 yards and a touchdown on 4-of-6 passing. King’s quarterback Jeff Mason got his first start of the season last week and completed 7-of 11 passes for 185 yards. Nick Swanson caught three passes for 140 yards and a pair of touchdowns.
Breakdown: This looks a like tremendous mismatch between the third-ranked Wildcats and the winless Knights, but these rivals still get revved up to play each other. The Wildcat line is playing exceptional right now and the defense recorded its second shut out last week. King’s pass offense continues to produce and receiver Nick Swanson has good speed and get break the big one. However, the running game has been ineffective and Wildcat defense, which earned its second shutout last week, held Granite Falls and Jullian Gamache to 81 yards on the ground last week. King’s might hang around for a quarter but expect the Wildcats to finish with a dominant performance.
Enterprise pick: Archbishop Murphy 48, King’s 7
Meadowdale
at Kamiak
Game time: 7 p.m., Friday, at Goddard Stadium.
Records: Meadowdale 4-2 league, 4-3 overall; Kamiak 5-1 league, 6-1 overall.
Last week: Meadowdale 44, Mountlake Terrace 20; Kamiak 38, Jackson 35.
Last year’s result: Kamiak 26, Meadowdale 14.
Players to watch: Meadowdale sophomore running back Naji Moore ran for 177 yards, while teammates Darrin Dysart and Sam Werner each ran for two touchdowns. The Mavericks also could see the return of senior running backs Nick Montanari and Tonna Njoku. Senior tight end Jacob Clampitt has caught a touchdown pass in each of the last two games. Kamiak’s backfield produced three big first-half plays in last week’s shootout with Jackson. Running back Justin Glenn scored on runs of 76 and 51 yards, while teammate Kaniala Manzano ran 71 yards for a score. Quarterback Jacob Jansen threw a key third quarter touchdown pass.
Breakdown: Both teams already have clinched quad-district playoff berths but are still battling for seeding. Kamiak had trouble defending the run last week against Jackson’s speedy Taylor Cox. Meadowdale’s backfield might not be as fast as Cox, but Moore and company definitely are on a roll right now. If the Mavericks’ run game is effective, they’ll stick to it. Otherwise, quarterback Matt McDonagh will go to the air and look for his favorite receiver Clampitt. Kamiak runs one of the league’s best balanced attacks and will be tough to shut down.
Enterprise pick: Kamiak 24, Meadowdale 20.
Mariner at Mountlake Terrace
Game time: 8 p.m., Friday, at Edmonds Stadium.
Records: Mountlake Terrace 1-6 in the league, 1-6 overall; Mariner 5-1 league, 5-2 overall.
Last week: Meadowdale 44, Mountlake Terrace 20; Mariner 37, Lynnwood 7.
Last year’s result: Mariner 35, Mountlake Terrace 12.
Players to watch: Junior running back Billy Lechtenberg returns after serving a one-game suspension. Lechtenberg hopefully will be able to jump start an offense that has been sputtering the last three games. Mountlake Terrace will get a boost should senior quarterback Tony Ellersick be able to return to the lineup. Ellersick sat out last week’s loss to Meadowdale after suffering a concussion. If Ellersick is not back, then sophomore Brandon Eckhart will start his second game. Six different players scored touchdowns for Mariner in last week’s romp over Lynnwood. Senior quarterback Tyler Tuiasosopo is having a stellar season and has plenty of options in the backfield.
Breakdown: Mountlake Terrace is hoping all of the week’s homecoming festivities will give the Hawks a boost going into a game with one of the league’s top teams. Mountlake Terrace must control the ball and keep the potent Mariner offense off the field. The defense must minimize big plays. Lechtenberg is a playmaker and the Hawks’ top offensive threat. Mariner is still playing for playoff positioning and must avoid looking ahead to its showdown with Kamiak.
Enterprise pick: Mariner 35, Mountlake Terrace 14.
Edmonds-Woodway
at M-Pilchuck
Game time: 7 p.m. Friday at Marysville-Pilchuck High School.
Records: Edmonds-Woodway 7-0 league and overall; Marysville-Pilchuck 4-3 league and overall.
Last week: Edmonds-Woodway 35, Shorewood 0; Cascade 14, Marysville-Pilchuck 0.
Last year’s result: Edmonds-Woodway 48, Marysville-Pilchuck 7.
Players to watch: Edmonds-Woodway junior running back Tony Heard ran for 171 yards on 15 carries and scored three touchdowns in last week’s win over Shorewood. Quarterback Kyle McCartney threw for 119 yards and one touchdown. Marysville-Pilchuck is led by quarterback Denay Stell, who leads his team in rushing with 443 yards.
Breakdown: Edmonds-Woodway has clinched a 4A quad-district playoff berth but has no plans to take the night off. Instead the Warriors will look to fine tune their team the next two weeks. Marysville-Pilchuck has a four-game win streak snapped last week by Kamiak. The Tomahawks like to keep the ball on the ground but are likely to find it tough going up against an Edmonds-Woodway defense that allowed Shorewood only 44 yards of total offense.
Enterprise pick: Edmonds-Woodway 40, Marysville-Pilchuck 14.
Enterprise sports staff picks
Last week: 6-1.
Season: 42-5.
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