PREP NOTEBOOK

  • Charlie Laughtland<br>Enterprise writer
  • Thursday, February 28, 2008 10:55am

Though preseason openers are still two weeks away, some of the first high school football polls have already started popping up.

Defending state champion Archbishop Thomas Murphy is No. 1 in the WashingtonPreps.com Class 1A top 10 rankings. King’s is rated fifth.

WashingtonPreps.com is part of a nationwide network of college, high school and recruiting sites run by Rivals.com.

The site claims its rankings are compiled by a statewide panel of “coaches, analysts, sportswriters, and other high school football experts.”

Archbishop Murphy went 12-1 in 2002 and defeated Royal 35-14 in last year’s state title game. The Wildcats bring back several key players on both sides of the ball, including all-state running back Jevon Butler.

King’s fell to Archbishop Murphy by two touchdowns in the quarterfinals of the state playoffs, giving the Wildcats their stiffest challenge of the postseason.

Two of the Knights’ four losses last fall came to Archbishop Murphy and the private school powerhouses are scheduled to meet again in a non-league clash Oct. 3 at King’s High School.

Reigning Chinook League champion Cascade Christian is ranked fourth in the WashingtonPreps.com poll and Archbishop Murphy’s Northwest League rival Orcas Island is eighth.

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