Archbishop Murphy Football Under Fire: All Eight NWC Coaches Call for Investigation of Transfer Practices
Coalition of coaches suggests Wildcats should classify as 4A; calls for systemic change to state playoff format…AMHS football already in need of new conference for ‘26 after NWC ouster
RENTON, WA — Investigate recent football transfers, change the post-season system and re-think classifications — or we’ll stop scheduling games with Archbishop Murphy High School (AMHS) football, the state’s reigning 2A champion.
These are the explosive takeaways from a letter eight public school head football coaches wrote to the Washington State Football Coaches Association (WSFCA) last Fall.
“Without a doubt, a school with a 50-mile recruiting radius in a population dense area like Everett /North Seattle should not be playing 2A sports,” the coaches argued.
Citing existing private school transfer and eligibility advantages — and a spate of high profile football enrollees at the Everett-based Catholic high school — all eight Northwest Conference (NWC) public school coaches petitioned the state coaches association for help dealing with perceived competitive imbalances tied to AMHS football and its status as a private school — and referenced the 2016 scandal in which competitors refused to play against Archbishop Murphy’s stacked rosters.
J425 subscribers can read and download the entirety of the coaches’ letter at the bottom of this post, as well as the WSFCA draft response.
Coaches Call for Open Division in Playoffs; Immediate Investigation of AMHS Transfer Practices
The letter proposes an overhaul of current classification and playoff systems, including moving the 2A champs to 4A and/or implementing a California-style “open division” for WIAA postseason football, in which private schools and competitive public schools could elect to compete, theoretically.
The eight coaches also called for WSFCA’s assistance in requesting an immediate WIAA investigation into AMHS’ recent history of football transfers, writing that AMHS has “added 16 new or transfer players in 10th grade or above over the past few seasons, many of them all league” while noting that “seven of the current year’s starters were not on the roster two years ago”.
“While each transfer may individually meet WIAA eligibility standards, the collective effect of this talent influx has created a competitive landscape that is no longer level for 2A schools,” the coaches wrote. J425 did not independently verify these claims.
A draft response from the WSFCA argues that the coaches’ association lacks the power to adopt changes, while pledging to assist the coaches in communicating their concerns to the WIAA.
NWC to Oust AMHS Football
The call for an investigation and systemic change comes on the heels of a November 2025 J425 report that the Northwest Conference (NWC) moved to revoke AMHS’ football membership at the end of the 2025 season.
J425 also reported that Wesco membership was seen as a non-starter and that the 2A champs would likely have to consider other KingCo/Metro petitions — or the possibility of going fully independent in football. From our November 22 report:
J425 is hearing that more momentous decisions were made coming out of the Northwest Conference 2A league meeting, where apparently Archbishop Murphy is expected to be shown the door following the Wildcats’ dominant 8-0 league campaign.
However it’s not the 10-0 state quarterfinalists’ league record at issue, instead it is a series of complaints and issues piling up, some having to do with the inherent advantages that private schools maintain with respect to attracting athletes, whereas other issues involve what some coaches and adminstrators see as the Wildcats weaponized use of a 7v7 program run by figures linked to Archbishop football. Finally, there’s questions around facilities, improvements and contractual obligations laid out when Archbishop’s football program joined Northwest Conference play. Football is an outlier at Archbishop, as the rest of the private school’s sports compete in Wesco.
At the private school’s inception, famed initial Wildcat head coach Terry Ennis hammered out baseline rules with then-Marysville School District athletic director Greg Erickson regarding what it would take for Archbishop football to receive an invite into Wesco…(link to the rest of the article)
Apparently, J425 hears that Wesco remains a non-starter as far as a future destination for Wildcat football, leaving several less-than-ideal possibilities including Metro League and independent status. How exactly does an independent team qualify for postseason play? We aren’t sure. Regardless, the current fissure between Northwest Conference and Archbishop shows that while it may be permissible to leverage advantages related to private status or to push the boundaries of regarding maintaining staff with links to are
AMHS retains Wesco membership in its other sports, although sources tell J425 that member schools want to see improvements in line with contractual components (regarding facilities, for instance) agreed at the time AMHS was granted membership.
A Coalition of Concerned Coaches
You’ve received the summary, now let’s get into the weeds.
In the October 21, 2025 letter, the coalition of eight public high school head football coaches from the Northwest Conference (NWC) formally requested the Washington State Football Coaches Association’s (WSFCA) assistance in addressing what they describe as a “growing competitive imbalance” in 2A football caused by private school transfer trends and recruiting advantages.
The letter generally argues…
