Prep Notebook | West Seattle trying to beat Metro power O'Dea for first time

West Seattle coach Davis Lura won't lack pep-talk material before his team plays O'Dea Friday night.

If the Wildcats pull the upset, they will be the first West Seattle football team to beat O'Dea. The Irish joined the Metro League in 1977 and played West Seattle for the first time in 1981, winning 33-0.

The 7 o'clock game at West Seattle Stadium will be a battle of ranked Class 3A teams. The Irish (2-0) are No. 4 and the Wildcats (2-0) No. 7.

O'Dea, which has won 12 of the past 14 Metro League titles, has a 21-game league winning streak. The last Metro team to beat the Irish was Rainier Beach, in the league title game in 2004, when ex-Huskies coach Rick Neuheisel helped coach at Beach.

"They don't rebuild, they reload," West Seattle coach Davis Lura said of O'Dea, which lost the state-championship game to Skyline last year. "They have kids waiting in the wings over there."

Lura said the key for his team is to avoid being overpowered by the beefy Irish lines, while O'Dea coach Monte Kohler said his team must avoid giving up big plays.

"They are a big-play offense," Kohler said. "We need to slow them down. ... They have some speed. That [Aaron] Grymes kid is a great player. And that [T.J.] Lee kid -- both those kids can go the distance in a hurry. If we play good team defense, hopefully we slow them down and don't give them too many big plays."

Lee rushed for 162 yards and two touchdowns in last Friday's 31-6 win over Franklin.

Lura said Grymes suffered a knee injury against Franklin, and whether he plays will be a game-day decision. The Huskies recruit plays multiple positions, including quarterback, but is used primarily as a receiver and defensive back.

The Irish will be without fullback Zach Fogerson (ankle) and lineman Danny Kistler (ankle). Chandler Gayton, a running back-defensive back, is questionable, also with an ankle injury.

O'Dea's Fogerson in purple

It wasn't all negative for the Washington Huskies Saturday after a 55-14 loss to Oklahoma. After the game, O'Dea's Fogerson gave coach Tyrone Willingham a verbal commitment.

The Huskies had always been a clear leader for the 6-foot, 225-pound junior.

"I know it's early," said Fogerson, who also has an offer from Nebraska. "But I figured I was going to end up going there, so I might as well just say it."

His brother Johri plays safety for the Huskies and mother Monique Avery is a UW alum.

"Me and Johri, we're real close. That was a huge part of it," Fogerson said.

Humphrie starts fast for Seattle Prep

Call him Big Play.

Jon Humphrie returned a kickoff 94 yards for a touchdown in Seattle Prep's season opener and caught three passes for 210 yards and three touchdowns last week.

Those are the only high-school games he's played.

"He's got a Division I football body," said Prep coach David Clawson. "If I was a college coach, at UW per se, looking for sleepers, I would definitely keep an eye on him. He's all potential at this point."

Humphrie, a 6-1, 210-pound senior, previously was known more for his baseball and basketball skills.

Great catch for Edmonds-Woodway

Looks like Edmonds-Woodway might have found its next great receiver.

After a 10-catch, 203-yard performance in a 21-7 win over Everett last week, senior Din Kuses has emerged as the Warriors' go-to receiver.

He has big shoes to fill. E-W's last two standout wideouts, Eric Greenwood and Antoinne Wafer, were Star Times all-area selections.

"He played second fiddle to Antoinne, as Antoinne did to Eric," coach John Gradwohl said of Kuses. "It's now his time to shine."

Lake Stevens' Baker a record breaker

Here's the scary part of Lake Stevens senior quarterback Nick Baker's record-setting night last Friday: He could have been better.

"He'd be the first to tell you he could play better," said Vikings coach Tom Tri.

Tri said Baker missed open receivers on deep go routes three times and had a 78-yard touchdown pass and a 44-yard TD run erased by penalties.

But ...

"The stat's don't lie," Tri said.

Baker, a 6-foot-1, 185-pound left-hander, broke four school records in 10th-ranked Lake Stevens' 35-21 win over Glacier Peak. He was 32 of 43 for 363 yards with four TDs and no interceptions. He added 66 yards rushing.

Baker's completions, passing yards and 429 total yards broke 26-year-old school records by Dave Powrozik. The pass attempts broke a 27-year-old record by Powrozik.

Kamiak getting a baptism

Kamiak's Dan Mack can't remember the last time his team began the season 0-2.

"It's no fun being 0-2," said the 11th-year coach. "There's a benchmark that's been set, and we're trying to get to it."

The Knights have lost 24-7 to Snohomish and 27-15 to Cascade.

Kamiak plays Shorewood (0-2 overall, 0-1 WesCo South) Saturday in the Best of the West Football Classic at Qwest Field. But things won't get much easier for the inexperienced Knights in the coming weeks. They host WesCo 3A favorite Meadowdale Sept. 26 and play at WesCo 4A favorite Edmonds-Woodway on Oct. 3.

"Baptism by fire," Mack said of the tough schedule. "I'm proud of them. Our kids are working hard. They understand the task at hand. Nobody's happy with 0-2, but we're getting better."

K-M sick of overtime

Two games, three overtimes, two losses.

Kent-Meridian's 0-2 record in the SPSL 4A North is a bit deceiving. After a season-opening, double-OT loss to Auburn Riverside, the Royals lost to Kentlake last week in overtime.

The Royals aren't hanging their heads, according to coach Trevor Roberts.

"We keep preaching that the longer we play, the better we are," he said. "We haven't won a game, but our attitude, our effort, our desire, we're a different ballclub this year."

Flying Air Interlake

Interlake junior Dylan Amell had already caught 11 passes for more than 200 yards and four touchdowns when he walked up to coach Sheldon Cross on the sideline last Friday night.

"Listen coach," he said, "I'm not done yet."

Neither was sophomore quarterback Matt Malos, who on the next drive threw a 76-yard touchdown pass to Amell that was the winning score in a 53-48 victory over Yelm.

Malos passed for 433 yards and seven touchdowns, a record for a school that has produced three quarterbacks drafted by the NFL. Amell's five touchdown receptions also set a school record -- "Should have been six," he said -- and he finished with 303 receiving yards.

"He was getting open," Malos said. "A lot of times they would man up on him, and a lot of times he would run a seam route by them for a touchdown."

Interlake, 2-0 for the first time in four seasons, has scored 94 points. And they've played without injured junior Brett Kirschner, who rushed for 97.7 yards per game last season. Kirschner returned to practice this week.

The Saints open KingCo 3A/2A play Friday at Mount Si. Interlake is the only 2A team in KingCo, and it's not certain how the Saints can qualify for the playoffs. But after going 3-17 as a 3A school the past two seasons, the possibility of playing against teams their own size in the postseason has inspired confidence. The Saints close each practice by yelling "T-Dome" -- short for Tacoma Dome, home of the state-championship games.

"Since day one," Amell said, "we've been saying we have a great opportunity to go to the playoffs this year, and that we have a great opportunity to go to the T-Dome."

Cleveland staying grounded

Cleveland's 14-13 win over Ingraham last week was only the Eagles' second win in their past 23 games. Coach Kelvin Goliday said he's trying to keep the energized Eagles grounded.

"We're trying to not get too excited," he said. "We haven't won the championship. I've been telling them it's easy to lose, but it takes hard work to win, and that's what we've been focusing on."

Note

• A fundraiser is scheduled for 6 p.m. today at the Lake Stevens High School cafeteria to raise money for Kyle Bigham, a Vikings assistant coach who collapsed on the sideline before the team's Sept. 5 game against Mariner. There will be a live and silent auction, and a spaghetti feed.

• Running back Andre Barrington, a Washington State recruit who missed Federal Way's first two games with a knee injury, should be in the lineup Friday when the Eagles face Kentridge.

• Seattle Prep quarterback Paul Sauvage fractured his ankle before the season, but is expected back in several weeks. Senior lineman Jordan Gonzales suffered a groin injury last week and will be out a couple of weeks.

Times staff reporters Sandy Ringer and Tom Wyrwich and correspondents Zach Landres-Schnur and Joshua Mayers contributed to this report.