My Schedule
Thursday – Lakes Lancers (3-0) @ Peninsula Seahawks (2-1) – 7pm
Friday – Curtis Vikings (1-2) @ Graham-Kapowsin Eagles (2-1) – 7pm
Saturday – Roosevelt Roughriders (3-0) @ Bishop Blanchet Braves (3-0) – 1pm
Saturday –
NEI Readers Pick
– 6pm or 7pm
To have a look at all the broadcast from around the state, visit the Broadcasts page of WaPrepZone.com, which can be found Right Here .
Thursday’s Top Games
There are a couple of real nice SPSL 3A games this week, ROOT Sports will be showing the Sumner Spartans (3-0) @ Auburn Mountainview Lions (3-0) game live from Auburn Memorial Stadium. That game features two of the top underclassmen in the state, junior QB Gresch Jensen (Auburn Mountainview) and sophomore RB Connor Wedington (Sumner). Expect to see a heavy dose of both, as the Lions like to throw, while the Spartans are built around a running game.
The game I will be attending is Lakes @ Peninsula. The Lancers appear to be back to their top flight ways, but will need to beat the two-time defending league champions to really prove it. Lakes’ defense has only given up 22 total points through three games, and will have to continue those ways if they want to win. Peninsula QB Robert Kvinsland is one of the top signal callers in the state, and should provide a great test for the Lancers.
Eastern Washington features two games this week, both games that many feel the outcome is highly predictable. Chiawana (2-1) absolutely hammered what many consider to be a good Richland team, and should do much of the same this week against Southridge (0-3). Expect to see a lot of Austin Urlacher for the Riverhawks, as he usually good for about 200 yards and a handful of touchdowns.
Joe Albi Stadium will be hosting what many thought would’ve been a great matchup before the season started as the Shadle Park Highlanders (2-1) and Central Valley Rams (1-2) appeared to be two of the better teams on paper. While Shadle Park is coming off a loss, it was to a good Lake City (ID) team, and the offense did manage to put up a ton of yards. Central Valley on the other hand gave up less than 50 for the first time last week in a 20-19 over Lewis & Clark.
The only Thursday night Kingco matchup this week takes place at Pop Keeney Stadium between the Newport Knights (1-2) and the Inglemoor Vikings (3-0). The Knights have really struggled the last two weeks against the top two teams in the conference, Bothell and Skyline, and should be able to get back on track this week. Inglemoor has really struggled early this season, having yet to score more than 10 points in a game.
Friday’s Top Games
The NFHS Network Game of the Week features the Curtis Vikings (1-2) travelling to Art Crate Field to take on the Graham-Kapowsin Eagles (2-1). Many people picked these two teams to top the SPSL South standings at the beginning of the season. Alex Webster and Taylor Barton will be on the call, a game that can be seen Right Here .
Two games this week feature a pairing of 4A top ten teams. The #1 Bothell Cougars (3-0) are home to the #6 Mount Si Wildcats (2-1) in a Kingco Conference game, while the #4 Camas Papermakers (3-0) host the #10 Evergreen Plainsmen (2-1) in a GSHL matchup.
Another Kingco game takes place in the 3A classification, as the #5 Juanita Rebels (3-0) head to Mercer Island (1-2) to take on the Islanders. Mercer Island is coming off a fairly impressive performance against Bellevue, while Juanita has been running roughshod over their opponents this season, to the tune of 47 points per game. This could be a key game when it comes time for state playoff seeding, as Kingco only gets two teams in the round of 32.
Top game in the Metro League Friday night is on the Sammamish Plateau where the Eastside Catholic Crusaders (2-1) host the Lakeside Lions (3-0). The Lions make their official return to the League this week, and will have to be on top of their game against the highly skilled Crusaders.
Wesco’s top matchup this week takes place at Snohomish Veterans Memorial Stadium, when the Meadowdale Mavericks (2-1) invade to take on the Glacier Peak Grizzlies (3-0). This game could easily decide the 3A South champion when all is said and done.
Eastern Washington’s top matchup looks to be in Spokane, where the Gonzaga Prep Bullpups (3-0) play host to the Mount Spokane Wildcats (2-1). The Bullpups have been running wild early in the season, with senior RB Jack Bamis doing most of the damage. The Wildcats were on the verge of entering the top ten rankings, before running into a roadblock named the Sandpoint Bulldogs (2-2).
Central Washington’s Big Nine Conference has an interesting matchup this week, as the AC Davis Pirates (3-0) play host to the Wenatchee Panthers (2-1). The Pirates are off to a hot start on the legs of RB Jackson Lewis , who is one of the top two-way athletes in the state. Wenatchee will be out to show they are still the top dogs in the Big Nine, after winning the league championship last season.
About as big of a Non-League game as you will find happens this week, as the Lake City Timberwolves (4-0) of Coeur d’Alene make the long drive west to play the Tumwater Thunderbirds (3-0). Lake City has beaten three straight Washington opponents, including Brett Rypien and Shadle Park last week. If the Thunderbirds are going to win, they will need a big game from junior Easton Trakel .
The Northwest 1A Conference is down to just four teams, and this week they begin league play. The teams will play home-and-home against each other, so each week will be big. The Lynden Christian Lyncs (3-0) start at the Meridian Trojans (2-1), while the Mount Baker Mountaineers (2-1) travel 20 minutes up Highway-9 to meet their rival the Nooksack Valley Pioneers (2-1).
Northwest 2A league play began last week, with the usual suspects picking up wins. The Squalicum Storm (2-1) lost to #1 ranked Lynden last week, and it doesn’t get any easier this week when they head to Sedro Woolley (3-0) to take on the Cubs.
The Cascade Conference has an intriguing matchup this week, as the King’s Knights (1-2) head on up I-5 to battle the Lakewood Cougars (1-2). Both teams are in similar situations, as they started with two tough non-league losses, before getting a win in their first league game last weekend. This game could go a long ways to determining state tournament berth/seeds.
One of the top small school matchups this week brings the Royal Knights (3-0), of the SCAC East, northwest to take on the Cashmere Bulldogs (2-1), of the Caribou Trail League. Knights head coach Wiley Allred is possibly the state’s most underrated coaches, as he quietly wins year after year in the small central Washington city.
An All-Kent matchup takes place Friday night at French Field, as the Kentlake Falcons (2-1) and Kent-Meridian Royals (2-1) will battle in a game could determine playoff seeing/berths.
Another great small school meeting this week is between the Ellensburg Bulldogs (3-0) and the Othello Huskies (2-1). The Huskies lone loss came at the hands of a good Ephrata squad, while the Bulldogs are ranked #3 in the state. This one should go a long way to determining seeds for the playoffs.
Out on the peninsula is a great Olympic 2A matchup as the North Kitsap Vikings (3-0) take on the Seqium Wolves (3-0). The Vikings are one of the surprise teams in the 2A classification, riding their defense to an undefeated start, and could get into the top ten rankings with a win.
The Central 2B looks to be very tough this year, as through three games, they have three undefeated teams, and none of them are the Morton/White Pass Timberwolves (2-1). Right now the Toledo Indians, Adna Pirates and Napavine Tigers are all 3-0, with Toledo travelling to play Adna this week.
Northwest 2B has been a tough conference the past few seasons, and this year looks to be much of the same. This week’s top game is out on San Juan Island, where the host Friday Harbor Wolverines (2-1) battle defending league champ the La Conner Braves (3-0).
The Brewster Bears are 3-0 on the young season, and being led by one of the state’s top passes, Timbo Taylor. I really do not know if their game against the Tonasket Tigers (2-1) is big or not, I just wanted a reason to mention Timbo Taylor.
Saturday’s Top Games
Not many big games on Saturday this week, with the matchup between the Roosevelt Roughriders (3-0) at the Bishop Blanchet Braves (3-0) taking the top spot. This is a non-league game, even though both teams are in the Metro League. There should be a lot of rushing yards, as both teams are based around strong run games. Blanchet will go with Oshea Trujillo , while Roosevelt will run a plethora of backs from it’s Wing-T system.
The #1 ranked Cascade Christian Cougars (3-0) are home again this week to host the Lindbergh Eagles (2-1). This is the third time this season the Cougars have played a team from a higher classification. We should see a good ground matchup here as well, as D’Angelo Faust (Lindbergh) and Robert Terhune (Cascade Christian) are two of the top athletes in Washington.
There may not be a more surprising team in 4A than the Bethel Braves (3-0), as they have already matched their win total of the past two season’s. The Rogers Rams (1-2) are coming off a huge loss to a very good Camas team, and will be looking to get back on track as they enter SPSL South play.
