The playoff races in the Western Conference 4A South Division and the Western Conference 3A heat up with a pair of key games.
Defending South Division champion Jackson takes on Mountlake Terrace, a team not accustomed to being in the hunt for a postseason football berth.
The game is more critical for the Hawks, who already have lost to Cascade and who most likely will need to beat either Jackson or Kamiak to claim one of the three 4A quad-district playoff berths. The Timberwolves face Cascade next week but surely won’t overlook the Hawks, who have defeated Glacier Peak, Mariner and Edmonds-Woodway.
Shorecrest hopes to claim one of the three 3A playoff slots and will need to beat Everett this week and then take down Glacier Peak next week. Meadowdale appears to be a lock for the No. 1 seed.
King’s also needs to keep winning to set up an interesting matchup with first-place Archbishop Murphy next week. The Knights should be able to Granite Falls this week.
Mountlake Terrace vs. Jackson
Game time: 8 p.m., Friday at Everett Memorial Stadium
Records: Mountlake Terrace 3-1 in the league, 5-2 overall; Jackson 4-0, 7-0
Last week’s results: Mountlake Terrace 28, Edmonds-Woodway 7; Jackson 37, Mariner 14
Last year’s results: Jackson 17, Mountlake Terrace 0
Players to watch: Mountlake Terrace quarterback Brandyn Eckhart ran for a touchdown and threw for two more against Edmonds-Woodway. Running back Casey Ellersick rushed for 94 yards on 23 carries and scored one touchdown. Jackson quarterback Andy Gay completed 12 of 24 passes for 131 yards and three touchdowns and running back Riley Carr had 99 yards on 18 carries with one touchdown against Mariner.
Breakdown: The marquee matchup of the week features two potent offenses. Jackson quarterback Andy Gay and running Riley Carr have been models of consistency throughout the regular season. They’ll be going up against a strong Mountlake Terrace defense that limited Edmonds-Woodway to one touchdown last week and shut out Shorewood two weeks ago. The Hawks’ offense is led by the versatile Eckhart and standout running back Ellersick. No team has been able to shut down the Timberwolves for all four quarters and we don’t expect Mountlake Terrace to succeed either. Jackson’s defense has two shutouts this season and should be able to contain the Hawks when it matters.
Enterprise pick: Jackson 35, Mountlake Terrace 21
Shorecrest vs. Everett
Game time: 5 p.m., Friday at Everett Memorial Stadium
Records: Shorecrest 1-1 in the league, 3-4 overall; Everett 1-1, 3-4,
Last week’s results: Shorecrest 20, Lynnwood 0; Glacier Peak 31, Everett 13
Last year’s results: Everett 40, Shorecrest 13
Players to watch: Shorecrest running back Jordan Brown rushed for 205 yards on 27 carries and scored three touchdowns against Lynnwood. Everett quarterback Chase Herrick threw a pair of touchdown passes to Luke Frauenholtz in the loss to Glacier Peak.
Breakdown: Brown continues to pile up the yards and the Scots will need him to have another big game. Shorecrest appears to be peaking at the right time, having won three of its last four contests. The Seagulls have dropped three of their last four games. Enterprise pick: Shorecrest 21, Everett 14
Meadowdale vs. Lynnwood
Game time: 5 p.m., Friday at Edmonds Stadium
Records: Meadowdale 2-0 in the league, 7-0 overall; Lynnwood 0-3, 0-7 Last week’s results: Meadowdale 20, Mount Vernon 19 OT; Shorecrest 20, Lynnwood 0
Last year’s results: Meadowdale 42, Lynnwood 0
Players to watch: Meadowdale running back Naji Moore-Taylor rushed for 86 yards on 22 carries and scored one touchdown and quarterback Danny McDonald completed 7 of 18 passes for 177 yards and one touchdown against Mount Vernon. Lynnwood quarterback Michael Stanley completed 9 of 14 passes for 103 yards and ran for 50 yards on 11 carries in the loss to Shorecrest.
Breakdown: Cross-town rivals Meadowdale and Lynnwood appear to be heading in different directions this season. The Mavericks simply have too many weapons – Moore-Taylor, McDonald, running back Sam Werner, tight end Connor Hamlett – for the Royals to handle. Lynnwood’s offense could not get in a rhythm due to four fumbles. This is a rivalry game but emotion will only go so far. Expect a big Meadowdale win.
Enterprise pick: Meadowdale 49, Lynnwood 7
Edmonds-Woodway vs. Cascade
Game time: 8 p.m. Friday at Edmonds Stadium
Records: Edmonds-Woodway 1-3 in the league, 2-5 overall; Cascade 3-1, 6-1
Last week’s results: Mountlake Terrace 28, Edmonds-Woodway 7; Cascade 49, Shorewood 0
Last year’s results: Edmonds-Woodway 48, Cascade 20
Players to watch: Edmonds-Woodway’s Jimmy Spears rushed for 85 yards on 17 carries and Zack Berg had 77 yards on 12 carries and scored one touchdown in the loss to the Hawks. Quarterback Andy Willcock completed 9 of 19 passes for 79 yards. Cascade’s Chris McGrath scored three touchdowns, including an interception return, against Shorewood.
Breakdown: Cascade is right in the thick of the playoff hunt and wants a victory to set up a showdown with league leader Jackson next week. The Bruins’ ground game dominated Shorewood and will be a major challenge for the Warriors, who couldn’t contain Mountlake Terrace’s Casey Ellersick. The Warriors’ offense put up two 30-plus point games before misfiring last week. The Bruins have more on the line this week.
Enterprise pick: Cascade 21, Edmonds-Woodway 14
Archbishop Murphy vs. South Whidbey
Game time: 7 p.m., Friday at Terry Ennis Stadium
Records: Archbishop Murphy 5-0 in the league, 6-1 overall; South Whidbey 3-2, 4-3
Last week’s results: Archbishop Murphy 14, Cedarcrest 7; South Whidbey 24, Granite Falls 6
Last year’s results: Archbishop Murphy 42, South Whidbey 8
Players to watch: Archbishop Murphy quarterback Austin VanderWel ran for a touchdown and threw for another score to lead the Wildcats past Cedarcrest South Whidbey running back Henry Mead ran for 258 yards on 30 carries and scored two touchdowns against Granite Falls.
Breakdown: Archbishop Murphy is coming off an emotional victory and needs to guard against a letdown. The Wildcats need to cut down on turnovers (fumbles). Archbishop Murphy’s defense faces a major challenge in slowing down Mead.
Enterprise pick: Archbishop Murphy 35, South Whidbey 14
Shorewood vs. Glacier Peak
Game time: 7 p.m., Friday at Shoreline Stadium
Records: Shorewood 0-5 in the league, 0-6 overall; Glacier Peak 2-1, 5-2
Last week’s results: Cascade 49, Shorewood 0; Glacier Peak 31, Everett 13
Last year’s results: Glacier Peak 55, Shorewood 7
Players to watch: Shorewood quarterback Dempsey Brown and running back Eugene Holley are the Thunderbirds top offensive weapons. Glacier Peak’s Zach Richter completed 16 of 26 passes for 75 yards. His favorite target was Tommy Rollins, who caught seven passes for 62 yards.
Breakdown: Shorewood looks to finish the season strong against a talented Glacier Peak squad that dominated Everett last week. For the Thunderbirds, the keys are solid fundamentals and avoiding mistakes. Shorewood must contain the Grizzlies’ passing attack, which is led by Richter, one of the top quarterbacks in the league.
Enterprise pick: Glacier Peak 48, Shorewood 6
King’s vs. Granite Falls
Game time: 7 p.m., Friday at Granite Falls High School
Records: King’s 4-1 in the league 5-2 overall; Granite Falls 1-4, 2-5
Last week’s results: King’s 51, Sultan 7; South Whidbey 24, Granite Falls 6
Last year’s results: Granite Falls 42, King’s 13
Players to watch: King’s quarterback Thomas Vincent ran for 110 yards on 7 carries and scored three touchdowns. He also threw for a pair of scores. Granite Falls is led by Zach Jones and Coty Walker, who are both averaging almost 5 yards per carry.
Breakdown: King’s offense continues to put up staggering numbers and should have no problems against a Granite Falls squad that has lost two straight games. The Tigers’ offense has only scored 19 points in its last two contests, while King’s scored 37 points in the first quarter against Sultan.
Enterprise pick: King’s 42, Granite Falls 13
Last week: 7-0
Season: 41-10
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
