Sports - High Schools

POSTED: Thursday, Nov. 27, 2008

PREP FOOTBALL: Stopping Wildcats is something few have been able to accomplish

When the Lynden football team meets Archbishop Murphy in the Class 2A state semifinals on Saturday, Nov. 29, it will be trying to do something no team in the state has been able to do in more than two years: defeat the Wildcats on the football field.

Archbishop Murphy enters the semifinals at the Tacoma Dome with a 12-0 record. Other than the first two games of the season when the Wildcats beat Lynden, 26-15, in the season opener, and then downed Class 3A Eastside Catholic, 26-23, in a pair of non-conference games, few teams have been able to challenge them. Over the last 10 games, Archbishop Murphy has outscored its opponents by an average score of 46-12.

"They are obviously a very quality team," Lynden coach Curt Kramme said. "They have a very quality program. We're going to have our hands full."

To find the last time the Wildcats actually lost a game on the football field, you have to go back to Class 2A state quarterfinals in 2006 when Prosser ended Archbishop Murphy's season with a 14-7 loss in Kennewick.

The Wildcats entered that game with an 11-0 record and last year were 10-0 before a clerical error forced the Wildcats to forfeit their last eight games and eliminated them from the playoffs. Even though that setback put ATM's official record at 2-8 last season, none of those losses came on the field.

So what's made the Wildcats so successful over the years?

For starters, Archbishop Murphy always seems to have a solid corps of quality athletes. This year's crop is led by running back C.J. Milburn. The senior fullback/linebacker is 6-foot-1, 205 pounds and has good speed. End J.D. Melton also has good size at 6-foot-4, 215 pounds, and the quarterback tandem of Jake Downs and Austin VanderWel can throw and run.

"They are just a good team," Lynden senior David Gaylord said. "I don't want to say anything that would take any of the credit away from them. They're big and physical. Really, they are just a very good team."

Quality coaching is something else the Wildcats have always had. Archbishop Murphy hired coach Dave Ward this season to replace another longtime coach in Terry Ennis after Ennis lost his battle with cancer last season. Ennis was the second winningest coach in state history and the only coach the program had ever known.

Ward came out of retirement to take the job, and brought a very good resume. He led Oak Harbor to a Class 4A state title in 2006 and has 17 years of experience leading a program.

Consistency within the program is another thing that sets the Wildcats apart. Archbishop Murphy has been running the same offense - the Wing-T - for so long the team is almost as synonymous with the system as Bellevue and Ferndale.

Facing the Wing-T is nothing new for the Lions, who see the Golden Eagles' version of it every year, but when it's run well it's difficult to stop.

"Defending the Wing-T is all about discipline," Kramme said. "It's about believing in your keys and continuing to believe in your keys even when you are wrong a few times. There are plays in the Wing-T offense that counter those keys and you can't get discouraged."

Since Ward has taken over the program he's also opened up the Wildcats passing game. Archbishop Murphy has thrown for more than 2,000 yards this season and that would have been unheard a few years ago. The move to throw more from the Wing-T has made the Wildcats even more difficult to defend.

"They probably aren't going to throw it a lot, but they are going to throw it effectively," Kramme said, "and sometimes when you can throw, but you use it sparingly, it's far more effective than when you line up and throw it every time."

Systems, though, will only take you so far.

"You can talk about Xs and Os all you want, but it's going to come down to who wants it more," Kramme said. "I know it's a little cliché, but this game is going to come down to effort and desire. Hopefully, our kids will be in that frame of mind."