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The 2025 prep football season kicks off this week as all four Edmonds School District teams hit the gridiron on Friday, Sept. 5. The Mountlake Terrace Hawks hope to continue the success the team experienced last year while the Meadowdale Mavericks will look to build upon the upward trajectory they saw in 2024. The Edmonds-Woodway Warriors welcome in a new coach this year while the Lynnwood Royals will shoot for their first win since 2023.
Mountlake Terrace Hawks
After three consecutive winning seasons (what is believed to be a school record for Mountlake Terrace football), the Hawks are looking to extend that recent success into 2025. Coach Archie Malloy thinks this year’s team can soar — possibly even becoming a bellwether for the future of the program.
“We’re got a pretty senior-heavy team; we have 16 seniors this year,” Malloy said. “This group has an awful lot of experience. A lot of them logged a lot of minutes in stadiums as sophomore and juniors. So coming back this year, this is their year. And they feel this is an opportunity for us to put on a good display of what Mountlake Terrace football is going to look like going forward.”
Terrace returns three All-Wesco League first-team honorees from last year: inside linebacker Nate Brown, offensive lineman Liam Moore and inside linebacker Owen Boswell. Moore was also selected for the All-Wesco League second team at defensive lineman, along with defensive back Mo Sillah and quarterback Mason Wilson.
Coach: Archie Malloy (5th season)
2024 record: 5-1 in Wesco League South Conference, 6-4 overall
2025 season opener: versus Cascade; Friday, Sept. 5; 5 p.m. at Everett Memorial Stadium
Key players: junior quarterback Mason WIlson, senior tight end/linebacker Nate Brown, senior lineman Liam Moore, senior lineman D’Andre Daigre, junior running back/linebacker Owen Boswell, senior defensive back Mo Sillah
Coach’s comment: “I know we’re prepared … we’re prepared for the moment. The lights aren’t too bright, the stage isn’t too big for these kids. They’ve been around long enough that they understand that.”
Meadowdale Mavericks
After years stuck in the doldrums (the Mavericks have a record of 8-27 over the past four seasons), Coach Antwoine Gamble believes Meadowdale football has turned a corner after last year’s team qualified for a meaningful Wesco League crossover game. Playing for a berth in the 3A state playoffs was a shot in the arm for the program — suffering a 52-3 loss to Stanwood in that contest was a wake-up call.
“That was an eye-opener for us, to be honest, for setting the tone for us this summer,” Gamble said. “This summer, our weight room program and our participation actually drew roughly 50 kids each day.”
The popularity of last summer’s weight room program is indicative of the overall jolt of interest he is seeing in the Mavericks’ football program, Gamble said. “The passion and the pride back into the community is what we’re trying to grow. And you can see, in the number of kids that we have,” he said. “We have 100 on our roster right now, the highest numbers that we’ve had in 10 years.”
Meadowdale is expected to utilize that muscle developed over the summer and rely heavily on their ground game this year. All-Wesco League second-team running back selectee Cayden Rivera will lead the way, but the Mavs also have seniors Ethan Gibeault and Aiden Osborne who will take turns carrying the ball this year.
Coach: Antwoine Gamble (2nd season)
2024 record: 2-4 in Wesco League South Conference, 3-7 overall
2025 season opener: versus Kamiak; Friday, Sept. 5; 7 p.m. at Goddard Stadium in south Everett
Key players: junior quarterback Ki Gamble; senior running back Caden Rivera, senior running back Ethan Gibeault, senior wide receiver/cornerback Kealoha Kepo’o-Sebate, junior tight end Jackson Greene
Coach’s comment: “We’re excited to be behind our ‘big sexys’ as we called them last year, our MVPs, our offensive line. They’re big. We’ve had a lot of scrimmages, a lot of scout games, playing games with these guys, and they’re one of the bigger lines out there. So we’re pretty excited to run behind them and see what they can do for us.”
Edmonds-Woodway Warriors
Joe Roth, an assistant coach at Edmonds-Woodway from 2014 to 2019, is back in purple and green to this time tackle the head coaching responsibilities. He will assume a program that was shaken last year by a coaching departure (Bill Marsh, in his first season at E-W, quit after five games) and their first sub-.500 season record since 2018.
While working to regain the trust and confidence of players, parents and fans, Roth is also touting the athleticism he has found at the school. “Edmonds-Woodway has terrific athletes — last year, for example, with the basketball team going to the state final,” Roth said. “It’s here.”
Roth is also excited about the talented pocket passer that will start for the Warriors at quarterback, sophomore George Gizzi. “George is it,” Roth said with a big smile. “I’m excited about George. George is a dude.”
Roth will be counting on an experienced offensive line, led by returning seniors Alex White and Edson Belizaire, to protect the team’s young quarterback and solidify the Warrior run game this season.
Coach: Joe Roth (1st season)
2024 record: 1-5 in Wesco League South Conference, 4-6 overall
2025 season opener: versus Lindbergh; Friday, Sept. 5; 8 p.m. at Edmonds Stadium
Key players: sophomore quarterback George Gizzi, senior lineman Alex White, senior lineman Edson Belizaire, senior defensive back Adrew Bau, senior wide receiver Cruz Escandon
Coach’s comment: “I’m telling you, we’ve got a football team. Nobody’s going to pick us; nobody’s know who I am … (but) it’s a terrific group. We have a football team.”
Lynnwood Royals
One might think that after two consecutive 0-10 seasons, a football program may be in shambles with attitudes down in the dumps. But at Lynnwood, that doesn’t seem to be the case as enthusiasm for the 2025 season seems to be on the rise.
“The guys are excited; there’s a new-found energy,” said Royals’ Coach David Harris. “And especially with the way things have been going, one of the hardest things is to keep guys wanting to come out. So the fact that there is even more energy, even though there hasn’t been that much success on the field … you can’t help but feel good about what’s coming up. We’re excited about what’s coming.”
The Royals are returning a number of key starters this year, including senior quarterback Kevin Sandhu, who has seen playing time every season since his freshman year at Lynnwood.
“We are bringing back a whole lot of guys that got to play last season, so that’s a huge advantage for us as well,” Harris said. “And we’re looking forward to seeing those guys; they’ve been working hard all off-season.”
Coach: David Harris (3rd season)
2024 record: 0-10 overall (played a “non-conference” schedule that included five Wesco League South Conference teams)
2025 season opener: versus Bellingham; Friday, Sept. 5; 5 p.m. at Edmonds Stadium
Key players: senior quarterback Kevin Sandhu, senior wide receiver/defensive back Jaceer Brooks, senior running back/wide receiver/defensive back Sam Jack, senior wide receiver/defensive back Malachi Dillon, senior lineman Donovan Golston, senior lineman Noah Peterson, senior punter Victor Alvarez
Coach’s comment: “It’s going to be a fun season; I can guarantee you that. It’s going to be a competitive, fun season. These kids are rejuvenated and excited to show what they’ve been working on.”
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