The End Zone

It’s that time of year again. Bellevue Reporter sports editor Joel Willits and myself are participating in a friendly “pick em’” competition where we’ll give our best insight into all KingCo (and Eastside Catholic) football games, before picking winners.

Joel got lucky and edged me by just a couple of games last year. Not this year my friend.

Without further ado, here’s a look at this week’s matchups. There are some big ones on the list, including Skyline vs. Liberty, Bellevue vs. Union and Bothell vs. Mission Veijo (Calif.).

THURSDAY
Lake Washington Kangaroos (0-0) at Garfield Bulldogs (0-0)
Kevin - On the bright side, one of these programs will get off to a much more promising start than they did last year. Lake Washington (1-8) and Garfield (3-6) struggled in 2009. New Kangs head coach Steve Supple is a former defensive coordinator at Interlake, Redmond and most recently Eastlake. He will have to prepare his team to stop a tough back in third-year Bulldog starter, Valentino Coleman. Pick: Garfield 20-14
Joel - Both of these teams are young and the Bulldogs have a three-year starter at running back with Valentino Coleman. However, I think the Kangs surprise with first-year coach Steve Supple at the helm. Pick: Lake Washington 21-14

Mount Si Wildcats (0-0) at Woodinville Falcons (0-0)
Kevin - Woodinville junior quarterback Brett Arrivey showed a ton of promise during his sophomore season. With the returning backfield of Alec Schwend and Dan Clark, the Falcons should pack a punch on offense. Mount Si is a team that has consistently made the playoffs, and returns a ton of starters on both sides of the ball. This could be a shootout. I’ll give the nod to the home team. Pick: Woodinville 24-20
Joel - A nice opening-day matchup between KingCo 3A/2A dark horse Mount Si and a young, but experienced Woodinville squad. Quarterback Brett Arrivey and running back Alec Schwend showed great promise last season. I expect that to carry over to this season, helping the Falcons pick up a win in the opener. Pick: Woodinville 35-14

Sammamish Totems (0-0) at Ballard Beavers (0-0) (Seattle Memorial Stadium)
Kevin - Second-year Sammamish head coach Brian Tucci seems to have his Totems headed in the right direction. Ballard, on the other hand, is only returning two starters from a team that finished 1-8 last season. There are a lot more unanswered questions for the Beavers. Pick: Sammamish 24-7
Joel - Hard to believe it’s been six years since Ballard played for the Class 4A state championship. It’s been hard times since for both of these squads. Sammamish looks to be on the upswing and have a little momentum after winning their final two games last season. The Beavers have won just two games the last two seasons. Pick: Sammamish 17-6

FRIDAY
Skyline Spartans (0-0) at Liberty (0-0)
Kevin - Skyline certainly has a few unanswered questions, starting with sophomore quarterback Max Browne. But, the Spartans have been here before. In 2007, a new sophomore quarterback by the name of Jake Heaps, took over and led Skyline to a 6-0 road victory over Bellevue. If the youngster can get time in the pocket he has plenty of explosive targets, led by University of Washington-bound Kasen Williams. Liberty is loaded, returning three key components from its state runner-up finish in 2009, including senior quarterback Trey Wheeler, senior running back Chandler Jenkins and senior wide receiver Jake Bainton. Expect a shootout. Pick: Skyline 28-27
Joel - Can’t really ask for a better week 1 matchup than last year’s Class 4A champion and last year’s Class 3A runner-up. Both teams lost talent – especially Skyline, with quarterback Jake Heaps off to BYU – but I have to go with the three-time defending champions for this one. Pick: Skyline 21-20

Interlake Saints (0-0) at Newport (0-0)
Kevin - Both Newport and Interlake are running new offenses this season. The experience factor tends to lean toward Newport, however. The Knights return athletic players to the field, and it suits their triple option well. Interlake returns senior quarterback Matt Malos, but his adjustment to the pro-style offense is a little more of a challenge. The learning curve could take a while, especially with a new surrounding cast. Pick: Newport 28-14
Joel - This game should be a great sneak preview for the upcoming season as both teams debut new offenses. I like what Interlake coach Jason Rimkus is doing, but Newport brings back a ton of experience in the backfield and on the line. I think the Knights take this one in a close one. Pick: Newport 20-17

Snohomish Panthers (0-0) at Inglemoor Vikings (0-0)
Kevin - Snohomish finished 3-7 in a weak WesCo last season. Honestly, I’m not aware of what kind of talent the Panthers return in 2010. It appears they lost a lot of seniors, however. Inglemoor returns a deep core of players, particularly in the backfield. I’ll give the nod to the KingCo school in this one. Pick: Inglemoor 35-14
Joel - I must admit, I don’t know much about Snohomish. But what I do know is that they play in Wesco, which usually doesn’t fare well against KingCo competition. Pick: Inglemoor 10-7

Issaquah Eagles (0-0) at Heritage Timberwolves (0-0)
Kevin - This is a long road trip for Issaquah, but I fully expect the Eagles to be prepared. Vancouver-based Heritage finished 4-6 last season, and lost their leading passer (2,720 yards) and rusher (958 yards) in quarterback Garrett Grayson. Issaquah will also be sporting a new quarterback in junior Ethan Kalin, but he has performed well in summer camps. If Issaquah can handle a five-hour bus ride, the Eagles should roll. Pick: Issaquah 32-20
Joel - Eagles are a team I like to pick up steam this season and return to the playoffs. Heritage went just 4-6 last year. Issaquah shows again the strength of the KingCo 4A Conference and put a hurting on Timberwolves. Pick: Issaquah 42-7

Central Kitsap Cougars (0-0) at Eastlake Wolves (0-0)
Kevin - Eastlake has all the components to be successful again, starting with an experienced offensive line and a hard-nosed backfield (Sam Gilliss and Kyle Lappano). Junior quarterback Keegan Kemp also brings mobility and an accurate arm to the field. Central Kitsap presents a shotgun spread offense behind second-year starting quarterback Brett McDonald (10 TDs, 10 INTs). Playing in KingCo, Eastlake is well aware of how to slow the pass. Pick: Eastlake 32-14
Joel - Another interesting early season matchup. Eastlake lost their dynamic quarterback Kelby McCorkle as well as running back Cameron Hunt and are a pretty young team. I think they’ll hit their stride later in the season. Pick: Central Kitsap 23-17

Juanita Rebels (0-0) at Redmond Mustangs (0-0)
Kevin - Juanita mixes a large group of returners with some key transfers to present one of the more potent offenses in the KingCo 3A/2A. Senior running back Jerimiah Laufasa is the centerpiece to the offensive scheme. Redmond is coming off a difficult season, but the Mustangs do return an important element in starting quarterback Michael Conforto. The Rebels just have too many weapons, however. Pick: Juanita 35-7
Joel - Juanita brought a host of talented transfers in this season, including UW-commit Jarret Finau. Redmond is still a team finding its identity, while Shaun Tarantola’s Rebels are a team that is poised to make a run at the KingCo 3A heavyweights this season. Pick: Juanita 28-6

Mercer Island Islanders (0-0) at Seattle Prep Panthers (0-0)
Kevin - Junior quarterback Jeff Lindquist continues to wow the KingCo 2A/3A with his arm. Seattle Prep, led by defensive standout Nick Holt, is coming off a state playoff season. The Panthers return a ton of depth and are poised for a return to the playoffs. They’ll come out fired up at home. Pick: Seattle Prep 24-21
Joel - The Islanders look promising with talented junior quarterback Jeff Lindquist, but Seattle Prep has punishing linebacker/quarter Nick Holt, one of the Metro League’s best players. Mercer Island looks like it might need one more year to take the big leap. Pick: Seattle Prep 21-14

SATURDAY
Bellevue Wolverines (0-0) at Union Titans (0-0) at Qwest Field
Kevin - They’re in different classifications now, but that doesn’t mean that 4A Union won’t have revenge on its mind when it meets 3A Bellevue on Saturday in the Emerald City Kickoff Classic. The Wolverines knocked off the Titans 19-13 during the 3A state semifinals last season. There are a lot of new faces on both rosters, but Bellevue does return key components to its Wing-T offense in quarterback Kendrick Van Ackeren and running back Joey Mangialardi. Expect another hard-fought battle. Pick: Bellevue 21-17
Joel - One of the biggest games of the year on the biggest stage in the opening week. Could you ask for more? Union’s defense showed in last year’s semifinals that their coach’s have figured out a way to slow Bellevue’s Wing-T attack, holding the Wolverines without an offensive touchdown. Bellevue relied on their defense and the leg of Race Sciabica to beat Union then. Now, they’ll have to overcome their youth to go 1-0. My thought? I’ve yet to see an in-state team beat Bellevue since O’Dea in 2007, so I have no reason to doubt them now. Pick: Bellevue 30-27

Bothell Cougars (0-0) vs. Mission Viejo (Calif.)
Kevin - Bothell continues to be one of the top program’s in Washington, but the Cougars will have to fill in some key positions in 2010, including quarterback. One of the best running backs in the league, Luke Proulx, will help ease some of that pressure. Mission Viejo is one of the powerhouses of California. And word is, they don’t travel unless they’re loaded. The Diablos outscored opponents 563-137 last season, en route to a second place finish in California’s Section 3 classification. Pick: Mission Viejo 28-20
Joel - After losing to Skyline in the state semifinals, the Blue Train looks reloaded. But losing the talent they did on the line, including tight ends Michael Hartvigson and Evan Hudson and tackle Colin Porter (all three to UW), has to take a toll on a team. Mission Viejo is a traditional California power, a team that went 12-1 last season and scored 40 or more points 10 times. The Diablos even won one game 70-7. While I think the Cougars drop this one, they’ll rebound in plenty of time to contend for another KingCo 4A championship. Pick: Mission Viejo 35-14

Franklin Quakers (0-0) at Roosevelt Roughriders (0-0)
Kevin - Roosevelt had a rough ride last season, going 2-7. They return their quarterback, Peter Ianelli, and third-year starting tackle, Brian Hutchison. Franklin also had a tough season, finishing at 3-6. The Quakers have a lot more to build off, however, returning seven starters on offense and six on defense. The nod goes to the more experienced team. Pick: Franklin 24-17
Joel - Another game between two teams that look to be on the way up after a tough few years. Franklin looks to be the more improved squad, this time, however. Pick: Franklin 21-12

Cleveland Eagles (0-0) at Eastside Catholic Crusaders (0-0)
Kevin - Cleveland went winless in 2009, finishing at 0-8. Eastside Catholic was a few bad quarters away from making the playoffs. The Crusaders have suffered some early-season injuries, including the loss of transfer quarterback Bradley Wheeler, but they should still be able to use Saturday’s home opener as a nice warmup for the 2010 season. Pick: Eastside Catholic 28-7
Joel - Cleveland couldn’t find success last season, and though they’ll be improved, so should be Jason Gesser’s Crusaders. Although Eastside Catholic has been hit with some untimely injuries, this should be a good game for them to figure things out. Pick: Eastside Catholic 30-13