Oct. 25th, 2013 - Mount Si Football Looks to Bounce Back for Homecoming, After Tough Bellevue Loss

The next week the Wildcats took on Mercer Island high school, and won easily.

Original article: http://www.livingsnoqualmie.com/bens-breakdown-mount-si-footbal-looks-bounce-back-homecoming-tough-bellevue-loss/

Mount Si Football suffered its first loss of the season last week at the hands of #1 state-ranked Bellevue High School by a score of 52-13.

The Wildcats surprised everyone in attendance, including the Bellevue defense, with a huge march down the field and a touchdown on their initial possession. But from there, Bellevue quickly took over and went on a 52-13 rout.

Mount Si dropped one spot in the state rankings (AP), moving down to #5.

Two games remain for Mount Si before the playoffs start. Winning both games is critical for the Wildcats. If they drop one, it could have negative repercussions on seeding and home field advantage throughout the state playoffs.

This week, the Wildcats host Mercer Island High School. The Islanders come in at 4-2, but don’t let their record fool you. They have not played many quality opponents, and have yet to play Bellevue. Their one impressive win came two weeks ago, upsetting Juanita High School 31-25. Bad losses to Redmond and Liberty High School expose the Islander’s lack of talent.

It’s a big game for Mount Si, as games against Mercer Island always fire up the rivalry between both schools. In addition, it is homecoming weekend for the Wildcats.

Expect a return to the norm for Mount Si – another weaker conference opponent with whom they should have no trouble. If they let the Bellevue loss fire them up, not bring them down, there should be no problem. The Wildcats blew out Mercer Island last year. It shouldn’t be any different this year.

Prediction: Mount Si 34 Mercer Island 14

Oct. 18th, 2013 - Mount Si Faces Biggest Test of Season, Faces Nationally-Ranked Bellevue

The next week, Mount Si took on #1 in state Bellevue High School. Unfortunately, the Wildcats were blown out like I had predicted. It was their first loss of the season.

Original article: http://www.livingsnoqualmie.com/bens-breakdown-mount-si-faces-biggest-test-season-faces-nationally-ranked-bellevue/

It was another blowout win for Mount Si football last week. The Wildcats went up 35-0 on Lake Washington by halftime, thanks to a variety of scoring capitalizations. QB Nick Mitchell ran for a touchdown and threw two touchdowns to wide receivers Jake Smith and Trevor Daniels. Running back Bailey Takacs also scored, while linebacker Evan Johnson returned an interception for a touchdown.

The second half was more of the same for Mount Si, as Takacs produced another touchdown run and JoJo Hillel had the Wildcat’s second “pick 6” of the day. In the end, Mount Si won 49-7.

The win puts Mount Si at 6-0 and ranked #4 in the state by the Associated Press. But this is the week  the Wildcats face an opponent they have looked forward to playing all season – Bellevue High School.  They game kicks off October 18, 2013, at 7PM in Bellevue.

Last year, Bellevue was the only team to beat Mount Si and they did so twice — once in the regular season and once again in the state championships at the Tacoma Dome.

The Wolverines have the best football history of all Washington High Schools, especially in recent years. They have won 11 of the last 13 state football titles and last year finished the season ranked #1 in the entire country (ESPN, Sports Illustrated). They have sent numerous players to big colleges and currently have two players in the NFL.  The star of last year’s team, Myles Jack, is now a starting linebacker for the nationally-ranked UCLA Bruins.

This year is more of the same for Bellevue. They come in at 6-0, with the #1 ranking in the state, and the #21 ranking in the nation (USA Today). They flexed their muscles against defending 4A state champion, Skyline High School, with a 45-7 win in week one. They have talent at every position, and will be the toughest team Mount Si faces all season.

In order for Mount Si to win this game everything will have to go in their favor. Offensively, Mitchell must avoid turnovers. He needs to be patient, not force plays and make smart decisions. The Wildcats need to control the tempo of the game in order to score on the Wolverine defense.

The secondary of Bellevue is roamed by US Army All-American Bowl selection, Budda Baker, and the defensive line is anchored by Washington State-commit, Marcus Griffin. Moving the ball and staying competitive will not be an easy task for the Wildcats.

Defensively, it might be even harder for the Wildcats to stop Bellevue’s offense. The Wolverines have a deep backfield and one of the best offensive lines in the country. Bellevue loves to run the ball and last year ran circles around the Mount Si defense.

Don’t expect this game to be close – at all. Bellevue is just too good at every position and it should be over by halftime. Once the second half starts, Mount Si may be able to get onto the scoreboard, but it will be too little, way too late. The defense of Bellevue will disrupt the flow of the Wildcat offense and force turnovers. The Mount Si defense will most likely be helpless against Bellevue’s starters and the Wildcats will take their first loss of the season.

Prediction: Bellevue 42 Mount Si 14

Oct. 11th, 2013 - Mount Si Football Still Undefeated at Season Halfway Point

The season pressed on, and my next article about Mount Si vs Lake Washington was published again.

Original article: http://www.livingsnoqualmie.com/bens-breakdown-mount-si-football-still-undefeated-season-halfway-point/

For the second straight year, Mount Si Football finds itself at 5-0 and ranked among the State 3A  top 5 – coming in at #4. As conference play continues, the Wildcats travel to Lake Washington High School to take on the Kangs tonight, October 11, 2013.

Last week, Mount Si hosted conference foe Sammamish High School. Quarterback, Nick Mitchell, had another great game, passing for two touchdowns and rushing for two more. Jake Smith caught the first touchdown pass on the first play from scrimmage, and Jackson Nelson caught the second, marking his first career touchdown reception. Three additional rushing touchdowns from Jordan Chapman, Evan Johnson, and Drew Cotto put Mount Si up 49-0 at halftime.

The second half saw many backups finding playing time for the second straight week and when it was all said and done, Mount Si won 52-13.

At the halfway point of the season, Mitchell has been on a tear, passing for 13 total touchdowns in just five games.  Even more remarkable is that he has yet to throw an interception. His stats are even better than they were in 2012, which some credit to his star Senior wide receivers. But so far, new names like Trevor Daniels, Beau Shain, Parker Dumus, and Jake Smith have all greatly surpassed expectations.

The rushing game has also been valuable to Mount Si. Bailey Takacs has helped this team move the ball, and his numbers are right up there with the best in the conference. Chapman has been a good option behind Tackas, while Cotto and Johnson have proved to be very good goal-line backs. All four running backs have scored this season, so if the passing game isn’t working for Mount Si, the ground game can still carry the offense.

Game six has the Wildcats taking on Lake Washington High School. The Kangs are 2-3 on the year, but that isn’t saying much. When they have won, it has been against weaker teams like Liberty and Cedarcrest. Their losses have come against Bellevue, Mercer Island and Foss High Schools.

Like most teams in the KingCo 3A Conference, Lake Washington is just not that good – and shouldn’t be any problem for the Wildcats. Lake Washington is certainly better than Interlake and Sammamish, but don’t expect any big upset here.

It should be another big game from Mitchell and the offense shouldn’t experience any major bumps. Defensively, as long as they avoid giving Lake Washington any kind of hope early, Mount Si should prevent the Kangs offense from moving the ball.

The only realistic problem facing the Wildcats is looking ahead to the huge Bellevue game next week, but that wasn’t a problem last year and shouldn’t be this year either.

Prediction: Mount Si 49 Lake Washington 10

Oct. 3rd, 2013 - Mount Si Football Will Roll Against Sammamish

Mount Si improved to 5-0 with a big win over Sammamish. My prediction of a blowout was correct.

Original article: http://www.livingsnoqualmie.com/bens-breakdown-mount-si-football-will-roll-sammamish/

After a blowout victory over Interlake, Mount Si Football takes on Sammamish High School this week, a team that might actually be worse than Interlake.  The Friday, October 4th, game starts at 7PM at Wildcat Stadium.

Against Interlake, Mount Si started out with few bumps, but quickly got everything together and jumped out to a 34-0 lead by halftime. But in the second half, with backups in, the Wildcats cooled down. Despite the offense putting up no second half points, the defense maintained the shut-out over the helpless Interlake Saints.

It was another big night for quarterback Nick Mitchell, adding two touchdowns to his season total – even running for one in the second quarter. Running back Bailey Tackas had the most impressive performance of the night, rushing for two touchdowns and catching one as well.

There weren’t any surprises for Mount Si. They rolled over Interlake and were able to give younger players valuable second half playing time.

This week, it shouldn’t be much different. Sammamish High School is 0-4, and as usual, is one of the worst teams in KingCo 3A. This one will not be close at all.

Seeing how Coach Kinnune put in backups early last week, the same should happen this week. The game should be over at halftime, with the Wildcats walking away with another one.

One problem that did plague Mount Si against Interlake was penalties. Usually penalties would have the Wildcats shooting themselves in the foot, but against such a weak Interlake opponent, it didn’t really impact the outcome. Mount Si will need to fix these issues for upcoming, tougher opponents like Bellevue, who they face in just a couple of weeks.

In the end, this one will not even be close. Expect another shut out, expect to see fans leaving at halftime again and expect the backups to get more valuable second half playing time.

Prediction: Mount Si 42 Sammamish 0

Sep. 27th, 2013 - Mount Si Football Continues Great Start to Season vs Interlake

Mount Si won the fourth game of the season 34-0 over Interlake High School. I did correctly predict the shutout. 

Original article: http://www.livingsnoqualmie.com/bens-breakdown-mount-si-football-continues-great-start-season-vs-interlake/

After surviving last week’s game versus Juanita, Mount Si football is looking like the true second best team in KingCo 3A. While the number one team may be from the City of Bellevue, Mount Si will take on another Bellevue opponent in Interlake High School Friday, September 27, 2013, at Wildcat Stadium.

The win last week over Juanita puts Mount Si at 3-0 on the season. It also ranks them at #4 in the state according to the A. Nick Mitchell continued to pass for huge numbers, with two touchdowns through the air against Juanita –  to Trevor Daniels and Beau Shane.

Interlake on the other hand is 0-3, losing all three games by a combined score of 126-10.  The losses came against less-than stellar opponents in Issaquah, Redmond, and Liberty.  The Saints usually struggle at football and this year’s squad looks even worse than usual. They are arguably the worst team in KingCo 3A,along with Sammamish. But that isn’t saying a whole lot.

For Mount Si, the win over Juanita paves the way for an easy conference schedule. No remaining teams pose any threat to the Wildcats aside from Bellevue.  In fact, KingCo 3A is a very weak conference overall this year, aside from the top three teams of Bellevue, Mount Si and Juanita. This game against Interlake should be a preview of what almost all games will look like for the remainder of the regular season – huge Mount Si blowouts.

Expect Mount Si to score on their opening possession and probably force a turnover early on Interlake’s first possession. Mitchell will throw for over 200 yards and add in multiple touchdown passes. Running back Bailey Tackas will most likely score a couple of times on the ground as well. In the second half, be prepared to see the backups come in and pad the stats.

This one will not be close and Mount Si will roll all over Interlake. The Saints have already struggled to put points on the board against much worse defenses, so it wouldn’t be shocking to see a shutout. Expect to see many more games like this from Mount Si as conference play moves on.

Prediction: Mount Si 56 Interlake 0

Sep. 20th, 2013 - 2-0 Mount Si Prepares for Big Football Test vs Juanita

Here is my article for game three against Juanita High School.

Original article: http://www.livingsnoqualmie.com/bens-breakdown-2-0-mount-si-prepares-big-football-test-vs-juanita/

My prediction for the Issaquah game may have been a little off, but late game heroics brought Mount Si to a big 28-20 win over the Eagles, with the Wildcats picking up win number two.

Quarterback Nick Mitchell continued to put up impressive numbers, throwing for 151 yards and 3 touchdowns. Two of those touchdown catches came from Beau Shain, who continues his impressive start to the season.

Shain’s efforts were not just on the offensive side of the ball, though. He had a late 4^th quarter interception, leading to a Mount Si touchdown that put the Wildcats up  28-20.  Shain also made a huge fumble recovery just a few plays later that sealed the team’s second victory of the young season.

This week Mount Si is on the road once again, taking on conference-foe Juanita High School. The Wildcats poured it on the Rebels last year with a huge 60-6 win. Juanita was actually the first team to put up points on Mount Si at that point last season.

While there were only two strong teams in KingCo 3A last year (Bellevue and Mount Si), Juanita has been revamped by younger talent, now making it a serious threat to Mount Sit as the second best team in the conference.  Bellevue is still undoubtedly the best.

Most of the Rebel’s talent comes from underclassman.  On the offensive side, sophomore QB Tavin Montgomery is a threat with his arm and feet. Juanita’s defensive line is also one of the best in the state, highlighted by junior, Thomas Toki, and sophomore, Paul Finau.

Juanita is 2-0 so far this season, with wins over Inglemoor and Monroe High Schools. But this game will be the biggest test of the season thus far for both schools.

You have to worry about Mount Si’s defense and how well they can contain Montgomery. The defense has been exposed at times, especially against the run, and cannot rely on late game heroics and lucky bounces again. The defense will need to be dominant for Mount Si to pull out the win.

Offensively, the Wildcats will most likely exclusively rely on the passing game.  So far  Mount Si’s receivers have greatly exceeded expectations, helping Mitchell put up huge numbers through the air. But this will be one of the toughest group of defensive backs Mitchell will face this year, with Terin Adams and Makiah Gilmer patrolling the secondary for Juanita.

This should be a very, very close game. Juanita has slightly better talent than Mount Si, but the Wildcats have more experience.

Almost all Mount Si starters had an impact on the team’s deep playoff run last season. That experience will be invaluable for the Wildcats in a tight game. Expect the score to be high, and don’t be shocked to see Mount Si come up short, but I’ll give Mount Si the slight edge here solely based on big game experience.

It won’t be long though, before this Juanita team will take Mount Si’s place as the team to challenge Bellevue for the KingCo title. But for now, Mount Si should pull out the narrow win.

Prediction: Mount Si 37 Juanita 35

Sep. 13th, 2013 - Ben’s Breakdown: Mount Si Football Travels to Issaquah for First Road Game of Year

For game two of the 2013 season, Mount Si played Issaquah High School.

Original Article: http://www.livingsnoqualmie.com/bens-breakdown-mount-si-football-travels-to-issaquah-for-first-road-game-of-year/

After a big win over Seattle Times ranked #9 Kennedy Catholic last week, #5 Mount Si gears up for another non-conference showdown with class 4A Issaquah High School Friday, September 13th.

In last week’s victory, QB Nick Mitchell 4 touchdown passes.  Any questions about how well the receivers would play was answered with high production from different targets. It was over by halftime, as the Wildcats were up 28-0. A touchdown run in the second half gave the Mount Si one more touchdown, producing a 35-12 win.

This week, Mount Si takes on Issaquah High School. Issaquah is 1-0, with a huge 44-3 win last week over Interlake High School. However, don’t be fooled by that score. Issaquah is one of the weaker teams in KingCo 4A. They do, though, boast one of the top running backs in the entire state in Jack Gellatl. Besides this running threat, though, Issaquah lacks any other big playmakers.

Last Friday Mount Si’s defense proved they are still dominant – for the most part. They still are not quite as good as last year’s defense, but they did a very nice job of keeping Kennedy contained and preventing any scoring opportunities through the entire first half. Kennedy had an explosive running back, like Issaquah, in Colin Cossette, but Mount Si did a decent job of containing him. They at least kept Cossette from bringing Kennedy back into the game. While Gellatly is better, I still see the Mount Si defense keeping the Issaquah star in check.

Offensively, Mount Si just needs quarterback Nick Mitchell to play at least half as good as he did last week and they will be successful. They will move the ball all over Issaquah in an aerial attack, with receivers Trevor Daniels and Beau Shane hauling in catch after catch.

In the end, Mount Si’s offense is just too good for Issaquah. The Wildcat defense should be able to contain Gellatly, making the Issaquah offense ineffective. It should be another huge Wildcat win, with touchdown pass after touchdown pass. We could even see a Wildcat shutout, but Issaquah should hit double digits when it’s garbage time at the end.

Prediction: Mount Si 42 Issaquah 14