Lake Stevens (9-0) Crushes Arlington 55-7 to Claim 13th Straight Wesco Title; Second-seeded Viks Host Playoff Game Friday, 7 pm
J425 has the playoff seeding for all classifications, a game report on the Viks' blowout win, stats, pictures, highlights...and an early look at the top contenders' paths to Husky Stadium
LAKE STEVENS — “We waited 365 days to get a little redemption.”
That’s how Lake Stevens Vikings Head Coach Tom Tri began his post game media address Friday, after his Vikings moved to 9-0 with a 55-7 home defeat of the Wesco rival Arlington Eagles. The win sewed up the Wesco title and a top seed in the Round of 32 playoff that begin this week.
It’s probable that the quest for redemption never strayed far from Coach Tri’s mind on any one of those 365 days.
A year ago, Lake Stevens’ 63-game Wesco winning streak came to an end on a cold November night in Arlington, as the Eagles bullied Tom Tri’s Vikings 28-14, turning Lake over four times and frustrating the-then two-time repeat 4A champions.
Blake Moser post game interview, Friday 10/21/25.
Lake ended up Wesco co-champs as the Viks, Arlington and Glacier Peak finished tied at the top – so the 12-year reign atop Wesco was alive Friday, as was the prospect of revenge…and if not revenge, then at least a palate-cleansing: Tom Tri told his charges all week during practice that the two touchdown loss had left a bad taste in his mouth for a full year.
The oft-repeated anecdote became a slogan of sorts with the term 28-14 standing in for the loss of the win streak, the loss to a rival, and the ending of a two-year reign atop state 4A.
So needless to say, Tri and the Vikings were not looking past the Halloween Night contest, hosting 4-4 Arlington for a tilt that also served as Senior Night for the Viks.
Given that Lake averages over 13 games a year over the last decade (and often 14, especially recently), it sometimes seems like a false conclusion holding senior night ahead of what is likely to be a four game home stand. That said, traditions are traditions, and Lake’s 2026 class was honored before and after the game.
When the action started between the lines, Tri took the governor off the engine early, unleashing his cat-quick junior signal caller on a designed run right out of the gate, sending junior QB Blake Moser around the right end of an unbalanced line that featured two tight ends and both tackles deployed on the right side.
Moser stoned a would-be Eagle tackler at the line with a javelin of a stiff arm, crumpling the defender where he stood (reminiscent of the iconic stiff arm Moser used in his first run as a stand-in WR last year during the playoff charge, a 29-yard TD off of a fly sweep versus Tahoma) before jetting around the right end and up the sideline for 12 yards before most of us could so much as blink.
The alacrity with which the 6’ 180-pound 2027 star accelerates is stunning to behold and the potential damage he can unleash on his feet has been readily apparent since he vivisected the Sumner defense for a 40-yard game-breaking touchdown run Week 1 – but like Jedd Fisch does with Demond Williams on Montlake, Tri keeps Moser in the pocket or on the rollout, allowing the strong armed righty to deal strikes out to a balanced receiving core that caught 26 touchdowns from number six so far this season. After beginning with somewhat of an uneven start passing, Moser has steadied the ship and pushed the throttle to full steam ahead, sharpening his passing to an All State level of proficiency.
For the season, Moser is now completing passes at a 67% clip and owns a shining 26/4 TD to interception ratio. Combine that with 270 yards and 5 TDs on the ground – accompanied by a ten yard per carry average – and Moser represents quite the problem for opposing defenses. Even more so when Tri makes it a point to unleash his star on the first drive of the game. It’s a point designed to catch the attention of Tri’s contemporaries, studying Viking tape ahead of possible playoff matchups…and it was more directly a statement made directly to the upstart Arlington Eagles: here’s something we’ve been saving for you.
After the initial first down on the ground, Moser conducted an efficient scoring drive that culminated with a 21-yard catch and run by junior wideout Seth Price. Just seven plays later, Moser would take it in himself from five yards out. 14-0 Lake Stevens, 1Q.
And after the two teams exchanged punts (with Moser doing the honors for Lake), Moser hit on four straight passes before jetting around the right end again, diving headfirst through a would-be tackler and inside the pilon for a score. After picking himself up, the usually-reserved junior discussed a few points with an Arlington defender, energizing the crowd and his teammates while staking the Viks to a 20-0 lead.
Arlington would score a first half touchdown, but from this point forward the game was not in doubt and Lake cruises to a running-clock 55-7 Wesco title-winning victory over Arlington.
Moser was 13-18 passing for 223 yards and four touchdowns passing with another 60 yards and two touchdowns rushing. Junior back Jay Ferrell scored twice for Lake and receivers Seth Price, Max Cook and Kekoa Okiyama all caught TD passes. Junior running back Colten Fink added a touchdown on the ground.
Lake Stevens 14 27 7 7 — 55
Arlington 0 7 0 0 — 7
Passing: Moser (LS) 14-19 223 yards, 4 TD.
Rushing: Ferrell 10-89-TD, Moser 5-60-2TD, Fink 6-48-TD.
Rec: Price 5-74-TD, Cook 3-70-TD, Okiyama 4-57-TD, Ferrell 1-9-TD.
Tackles: Yonesaka 6, Tautolo 4, Phinney 4. Sacks: K. Brown, A. Griffin III.
Notes: Mooring, LS: Nine kickoffs, nine touchbacks.
Full stats are attached at the bottom of the post.
Lake Hosts Kingco Opponent to Open Playoffs This Friday, 7 pm
The second-seeded Viks (9-0) open the 2025 playoff chase hosting #31 Woodinville (3-6) Friday in Lake Stevens. The Falcons finished dead last in KingCo Crown division, slogging through an 0-5 league campaign. The Viks and the Falcons have a common opponent: Bellevue, whom thrashed the Falcons 55-19. Lake Stevens beat Bellevue at Bellevue 21-14 in Week 2.
Mapping Out Lake’s Possible Playoff Path
Based on the initial seeding, the action picks up significantly the following week. The seeding committee will re-seed the remaining 16 teams and place them into the 4A bracket next Sunday, but we can see roughly where everyone is headed, assuming chalk victories this week. Lake, thanks to an undefeated regular season, will be seeded no worse than second, which is virtually the same as a one-seed, given that both one and two are on opposite sides of the bracket and get home turf advantage all the way until Husky Stadium.
As currently seeded, the Viks side of the bracket would contain #15 Eastlake, which at 5-4 would be Lake’s Round of 16 opponent, #10 Skyline, #7 Moses Lake, #3 Gonzaga Prep, #14 Curtis, #11Kennedy Catholic and #6 Sumner.
After Eastlake, Lake would get the winner of the 7/10 game, and could well be looking at a very interesting quarterfinal opponent in
either a resurgent Skyline team – the same Skyline whose boosters tried to fire the coach two weeks ago – or an undefeated Moses Lake team led by the 50+ TD quarterback Brady Jay.
Parallel to Lake, #3 Gonzaga Prep and #6 Sumner could hypothetically be squaring off in Spokane with the winner headed back to face Lake Stevens in the semis. Having to beat Gonzaga Prep or Sumner again represents a tough test for the Viks, but at least they wouldn‘t have to face both. And facing a .500-ish team in the Round of 16 and either Moses Lake or Skyline (at home) for a trip to the semis demonstrates why it’s such a big advantage to nab a top seed in the WIAA playoffs.
Home field advantage and the benefits of receiving the low end seed to kick things off paves a smooth road to the final four for Lake, with perhaps the most drama coming from the Sumner / Gonzaga Prep faceoff that seems destined for the quarterfinals. If all goes chalk for the Vikings, the quarters would see either the defending champion Sumner Spartans would be back in Lake Stevens for the second time this season, looking to avenge their last-second Week 1 loss – or an undefeated Gonzaga Prep team that’s run roughshod over the GSL would make the trip over the passes, visiting Lake Stevens in November for the third time since 2021.
The last two meetings involved Lake dismantling similar undefeated Bullpup teams, as Defensive Coordinator Eric Dinwiddie is known for his ability to dissect heavy run-based offenses like the Bullpups’ adapted triple option. Under this scenario, Lake can’t face top seed Puyallup, undefeated Chiawana or 8-1 Graham-Kapowsin until the finals.
Puyallup just dispatched G-K by 29 points in the SPSL title game, and the southend’s Viks haven’t been tested since a one-score win Week 1 over 2A power Tumwater.
So it’s possible that #4 Chiawana, who easily handled Lake Stevens in Pasco last year and came a triple overtime squeaker away from a state title, represents the only true test that’ll wait for Coach DJ Mims’ charges prior to a showdown with the winner emerging from a group containing Lake, Gonzaga Prep and Sumner.
Unbeaten SPSL Kings Puyallup Stakes Claim Atop of 4A
Puyallup head coach DJ Mims wasn’t shy in proclaiming his team number one Friday, making a public case for the top seed. It’s hard to argue his point, even given Lake’s non-conference wins over Sumner and Bellevue. Puyallup beat Sumner too, even more convincingly than Lake. And Lake’s close win on the road over Bellevue is only marginally more impressive than Puyallup’s home win over 2A Tumwater. Puyallup’s league rivalry win over Graham-Kapowsin (8-1) is likewise a little stronger than Lake’s throttling of otherwise-unbeaten Glacier Peak (8-1).
Mims may have tipped his hand somewhat with regard to his strategy for holding off G-K last Friday.
After ripping out to a 23-0 lead (Mims says his team typically gets out to a two score lead thanks to a bespoke pregame routine), G-K answered back and closed to within 23-14 before halftime.
Mims told VarsityWA’s Todd Milles that at that point, he instructed his offensive coordinator to take the air out of the ball, leaning heavily on 4A leading rusher sophomore Briytan Bailey and a beefy offensive line. From Milles’ report:
“I told (OC Chambers) … we have to start playing the clock game,” Mims said. “They are a team that can score in bunches. They are explosive. They have got some playmakers down the field. We not only wanted to drive the ball down the field, but we wanted to use a lot of time doing it. We wanted to make a point and get downhill (in the run game).” Puyallup took up the rest of the second quarter with a long slog through the sideways rain, culminating in a field goal, killing the Eagles’ momentum and staking Puyallup to a 26-14 lead at half. More ball control would kill the will of Graham-Kapowsin in the second half.
In the fourth quarter, Puyallup completed a 15-play, 76-yard drive that took up 7:37, ending in another Bowie field goal. Mims leaned heavily on his tenth grade back Friday, who was held to about half of his normal per-carry average, but yet still compiled a banner stat line: 35 carries for 152 yards and two touchdowns, adding two receptions for another 27 yards.
“The Bailey kid is really, really good,” G-K head coach Jeff Logan said. “And they are good up front.”
Mapping Out Lake Stevens’ Possible Playoff Path
11 JFK
6 Sumner
14 Curtis
3 G. Prep
10 Skyline
7 Moses Lake
15 Eastlake
2 Lake Stevens
Puyallup’s Side of the 4A Bracket
12 Glacier Peak
5 Graham-Kapowsin
13 Richland
4 Chiawana
9 Camas
8 Bothell
16 Bethel
1 Puyallup
All Classification Playoff Seedings
CLASS 4A
No. 32 Kamiak (3-7) vs. No. 1 Puyallup (9-0)
No. 31 Woodinville (3-6) vs. No. 2 Lake Stevens (9-0)
No. 30 Sunnyside (4-3) vs. No. 3 Gonzaga Prep (9-0)
No. 29 Wenatchee (4-4) vs. No. 4 Chiawana (9-0)
No. 28 Stadium (6-3) vs. No. 5 Graham-Kapowsin (8-1)
No. 27 Eastmont (4-4) vs. No. 6 Sumner (6-3)
No. 26 Issaquah (5-4) vs. No. 7 Moses Lake (9-0)
No. 25 Battle Ground (5-4) vs. No. 8 Bothell (6-2)
No. 24 Olympia (5-4) vs. No. 9 Camas (7-2)
No. 23 Arlington (4-5) vs. No. 10 Skyline (6-2)
No. 22 Lake Washington (9-0) vs. No. 11 Kennedy Catholic (7-2)
No. 21 Tahoma (6-3) vs. No. 12 Glacier Peak (8-1)
No. 20 Mount Si (3-6) vs. No. 13 Richland (7-2)
No. 19 Kentwood (7-2) vs. No. 14 Curtis (6-3)
No. 18 Mead (6-3) vs. No. 15 Eastlake (4-4)
No. 17 Kamiakin (7-2) or Lewis and Clark (5-4)* vs. No. 16 Bethel (5-4)
*Play-in scheduled for 7 p.m. Tuesday
CLASS 3A
No. 32 Snohomish (3-6) vs. No. 1 O’Dea (7-1)
No. 31 Prairie (6-3) vs. No. 2 Mount Tahoma (9-0)
No. 30 University (4-5) or Walla Walla (3-6)* vs. No. 3 Eastside Catholic (7-1)
*Play-in scheduled for 6 p.m. Tuesday
No. 29 Inglemoor (7-2) vs. No. 4 Bellevue (7-2)
No. 28 Decatur (5-4) vs. No. 5 Lakes (8-1)
No. 27 West Seattle (7-1) vs. No. 6 Kennewick (7-2)
No. 26 Ferndale (4-5) vs. No. 7 Cheney (8-1)
No. 25 Peninsula (6-3) vs. No. 8 White River (9-0)
No. 24 Gig Harbor (6-3) vs. No. 9 Sedro-Woolley (9-0)
No. 23 Stanwood (7-2) vs. No. 10 Rainier Beach (6-2)
No. 22 Southridge (5-4) vs. No. 11 Mount Spokane (7-2)
No. 21 Shorewood (7-2) vs. No. 12 Enumclaw (8-1)
No. 20 Mount Vernon (6-3) vs. No. 13 Lincoln of Tacoma (6-3)
No. 19 Evergreen of Vancouver (6-3) vs. No. 14 Liberty of Issaquah (8-1)
No. 18 Seattle Prep (5-3) vs. No. 15 Mountlake Terrace (8-1)
No. 17 Federal Way (6-3) vs. No. 16 Kelso (8-1)
CLASS 2A
No. 32 Pullman (4-5) vs. No. 1 Archbishop Murphy (8-0)
No. 31 Sultan (6-3) vs. No. 2 Tumwater (8-1)
No. 30 Rogers of Spokane (5-4) vs. No. 3 East Valley of Yakima (9-0)
No. 29 East Valley of Spokane (5-4) vs. No. 4 Orting (9-0)
No. 28 Ridgefield (5-4) vs. No. 5 Anacortes (7-2)
No. 27 Bremerton (3-6) vs. No. 6 Lynden (7-2)
No. 26 Cedarcrest (7-2) vs. No. 7 Franklin Pierce (7-2)
No. 25 Renton (6-3) vs. No. 8 Othello (8-1)
No. 24 Chief Sealth (6-3) vs. No. 9 Olympic (8-1)
No. 23 Columbia River (6-2) vs. No. 10 W.F. West (7-2)
No. 22 Selah (5-4) vs. No. 11 Sehome (5-4)
No. 21 Fife (4-5) vs. No. 12 Washougal (8-1)
No. 20 Ephrata (6-3) vs. No. 13 Steilacoom (7-2)
No. 19 Burlington-Edison (5-4) vs. No. 14 North Kitsap (7-2)
No. 18 North Mason (7-2) vs. No. 15 Prosser (6-3)
No. 17 Aberdeen (6-3) or Mark Morris (4-5)* vs. No. 16 West Valley of Spokane (8-1)
CLASS 1A
No. 24 King’s Way Christian (4-5) vs. No. 1 Royal (9-0)
No. 23 Kalama (4-4) vs. No. 2 Cashmere (8-1)
No. 22 Wapato (4-6) vs. No. 3 Mount Baker (8-1)
No. 21 Naches Valley (5-4) vs. No. 4 Lynden Christian (8-1)
No. 20 Tenino (6-3) vs. No. 5 Cascade Christian (8-1)
No. 19 Annie Wright (7-2) vs. No. 6 Montesano (8-1)
No. 18 Connell (5-4) vs. No. 7 Seton Catholic (7-2)
No. 17 Lakeside of Nine Mile Falls (4-4) vs. No. 8 Rochester (7-2)
No. 16 King’s (5-4) vs. No. 9 Nooksack Valley (5-4)
No. 15 Granite Falls (8-1) vs. No. 10 La Center (7-2)
No. 14 Zillah (7-2) vs. No. 11 Life Christian (5-4)
No. 13 Omak (6-3) vs. No. 12 Colville (7-2)
Lake Stevens Vikings 9-game stats (by game and season total)
