The Skyline student section went quiet.

They’d just seen something that they hadn’t witnessed all year. Across the field, Eastlake students contently jeered “Overrated.” Not only had Eastlake just completed an impressive nine play drive down the field, but shortly after punting, they stopped Skyline on their opening drive! Competition is not something the Skyline football team is used to; shoot, the starting team hadn’t given a point up all season.

Several plays later, Eastlake quarterback Drake Furcini scrambled out of the pocket under pressure and attempted to get off a pass. Junior linebacker Cooper Pelluer got a hand on the ball, tipping it to senior Jordan Weil who promptly raced to the end zone for a touchdown. A few minutes later, Skyline was up by three touchdowns and the Eastlake fan section was quiet once and for all.

All year, Skyline has steamrolled the competition, outscoring their opponents by a total of 258-8, but this Friday, the starters might actually be playing come the fourth quarter. The number one football team in the state goes on the road and down the plateau to play cross-town rival Issaquah in what is expected to be the regular season game of the year.

Issaquah, like Skyline, has been unstoppable all year long. They opened the season by beating last year’s state runner-up Bothell 24-13 and haven’t looked back. They’ve climbed the polls to the number three spot in the state, and have their eyes on a KingCo championship. Issaquah is led by senior quarterback Joey Bradley, who despite occasional inconsistencies, is putting together a rather impressive season.

But the heart of the Issaquah offense resides in running back Grant Gellatly. Gellatly, coming off a near 300-yard performance against Redmond, runs behind one of the most effective offensive lines in the state, headed by seniors Dillon Reagan and Christian Rennie.

On the defensive side of the ball, Issaquah has been equally impressive. Senior defensive end Sean Stuby has proven to be one of the best defensive ends in the state, and he leads one of the more dominant defensive lines of 2008. They have a strong line backing corps, and an equally robust secondary. Grant Gellatly is one of the best defensive players in KingCo and is complemented by cornerback Ryan Tiernan who has been effective all year long himself.

However, both teams have their share of injuries. Skyline’s Jayce Butrorac, one of the best offensive linemen in the state, is out for the game and will be replaced by Cameron Butler. Normally this would be a non-issue, but Skyline is going against one of the best defensive lines in the state and will need to find ways to contain Sean Stuby off the edge.

Injuries for Issaquah have been slightly more problematic. Running back Grant Gellatly has been playing with a broken wrist and defensive end James Bowsher is finally making his way back onto the field. Running back Dustin Talley is coming off of a broken leg and is currently being reincorporated into the offense.

Yet, the biggest void comes at the receiver position. Senior Ross Zuhl, one of the better wide-outs in KingCo, is out for the game with a broken collarbone and fellow senior Brennan Miller, will be playing with an ankle sprain if he plays at all.

Despite all the talk of a dominant Issaquah line “manhandling” the inferior Skyline players, there shouldn’t be much concern on the Skyline side, as a big line is nothing new to them. Earlier this year, against Sheldon of Oregon, Skyline went up against three 300 plus pound lineman and were more than effective. Last year’s team played great lines in Issaquah, Bellevue, Lakes, Franklin Pierce, and O’Dea, and played great against all of those teams. With Skyline’s track record taken into consideration, Issaquah’s line should be no surprise.

I see the match up between the lines as fairly even and would actually give a slight edge to Skyline, which has far better speed and explosiveness. Grant Gellatly will need to set the tone for the game in order to net Issaquah a win. Skyline seems up to the challenge, as they have given up an average of only 71 rushing yards per game, but if there is any back in KingCo who can step up against them, it is Gellatly.

Last year the Skyline offense had a field day through the air against an Issaquah secondary that consists of mostly the same players. In the most recent matchup, Gino Simone was the difference maker, overcoming double teams in order to dominate Issaquah’s secondary. This year should yield a similar result, as Skyline is far more balanced in an air assault boasting multiple viable options including seniors Jake Knecht and William Chandler, as well as sophomore phenom Kasen Williams. With so many threats, Issaquah won’t be able to lock in on Simone without enlisting the entirety of their student section. Even then, I’d still give the edge to Gino and the rest of the Spartan Air Force.

I believe the key to this game is Joey Bradley. He has had a great season so far and leads KingCo in passing. He is somewhat mobile and potentially capable of escaping the Skyline pass rush when necessary. Joey’s problem however, is accuracy. When under pressure, he forces throws, much like Calvin Schmidtke of last year,s Lakes team, which will often translate into turnovers. If Bradley can stay focused and consistently march the Issaquah offense down the field, then Issaquah will have a legitimate shot at an upset.

Skyline won’t be able to stack the box against the Issy run game, allowing more room for creativity in terms of play calling. The Skyline secondary however, symbolic of the entire defense, has been impregnable all year, conceding only 90 passing yards a game, and forcing countless turnovers.

I envision a Skyline victory, clipping the Eagles 35-10, through an efficient offense and dominating defense. Issaquah never really gets going, as Joey Bradley tries to force things, causing turnovers and giving Skyline the early advantage.

Regardless, the analysis and match-ups only detract from the fact of the game. Skyline plays against the strongest team they have all year and might just finally find some competition. The fan sections will be the loudest we’ve seen yet, and should provide for even more entertainment. Either way the game goes, look for one of the most entertaining high school football games of the year.