Archbishop Murphy football shuts down Lynden in return
Published 11:17 pm Thursday, October 29, 2026
EVERETT — This was not any other game.
When Archbishop Murphy football took the field against Lynden at Terry Ennis Stadium on Thursday, it was the first time the Wildcats played in three weeks. Between investigations by the Wesco Conference and the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association (WIAA) after allegations surrounding player eligibility surfaced at a meeting among Wesco Athletic Directors earlier this fall, as well as two Northwest Conference 2A opponents opting out of facing Archbishop Murphy in consecutive weeks, the 2026 campaign has been anything but normal for the defending Class 2A State Champions.
The Wildcats denied any wrongdoing, and their appeal reached the WIAA Executive Board on Thursday. The WIAA did not have an update on where the matter stands as of Thursday afternoon, stating: “We don’t anticipate having an update to share from our office today and we’ll evaluate getting information available tomorrow (Friday).”
Despite the uncertainty surrounding Archbishop Murphy’s season, there was no doubt about which side showed up stronger on Thursday.
After forcing a three-and-out on defense and driving 85 yards for a touchdown to open the game, the Wildcats cruised to a 35-14 win against the Lions.
Archbishop Murphy coach Joe Cronin declined to speak to The Herald after the game, and athletic director Jeff Latta declined on behalf of the team.
The investigation surrounds the eligibility of a prominent transfer Archbishop Murphy added over the offseason. The concerns alleged members of the Archbishop Murphy football coaching staff encouraged players to enroll at the school to join the football program while coaching for the “Wipe Me Down Boyz” 7-on-7 football program. The 7-on-7 version of football is a non-contact, passing-focused offseason game popular among youth and high school players. The Wildcats denied the allegation that any member of their staff coached for the 7-on-7 team, and the program asserts it went about the transfer process fully complying with WIAA rules.
“Archbishop Murphy High School remains committed to protecting the rights and eligibility of its student athletes while maintaining full compliance with Washington Interscholastic Activities Association (WIAA) rules,” the school said in a statement sent to The Herald last week. “The school continues to challenge an eligibility determination that it believes is not supported by the evidence and remains committed to a fair and transparent review process.”
Officials from the Northwest Conference and Wesco declined to speak on the matter during the active investigation. If determined to have fielded an ineligible player, Archbishop Murphy could forfeit games the player appeared in, which were the first four of the season. The Wildcats went 3-1 in that span.
Games against Sultan and Lakewood on Oct. 16 and 23, respectively, were each taken off the schedule after each team opted out of playing against Archbishop Murphy. As such, the Wildcats have not played since Oct. 8, when they defeated Lynden Christian 24-17 in a non-league matchup.
Yet when Thursday rolled around, Archbishop Murphy did not miss a beat.
The defense allowed just two yards on Lynden’s opening drive, forcing a punt that went back to the Wildcats’ own 15. The offense proceeded to execute a 14-play, 85-yard touchdown drive that included massive third-down pickups from freshman Charlie Tevaga and junior Cole Sievers before senior Andrew Lucas rolled around the right side for a 19-yard touchdown with 2:47 left in the first quarter.
Archbishop Murphy’s defense did not budge on the Lions’ second possession, and senior William Wilson delivered a tackle-for-loss on third down to force another punt. Relying on their ground game and a revolving stable of running backs, the Wildcats marched down the field yet again — this time from their own 19 — to go up 14-0 with 8:52 left in the first half. Sievers took the ball on a sweep to the right and handed it to junior Ben Eagle on a reverse to the left for a 15-yard score.
A fourth-down stop from senior Gus Morrow caused a Lynden turnover on downs near midfield on the next drive, and while the offense could not capitalize with more points that time, the defense stepped up again as senior Javen Latta extended the lead to 21-0 with a 36-yard interception return for a touchdown. The Lions entered the red zone for the first time with a 48-yard pass to senior Samm Puello Arango down the right sideline late in the second quarter, but Archbishop Murphy forced incompletions from the 12 on third- and fourth-down to carry the shutout into halftime.
Tevaga pushed it to 28-0 with a one-yard touchdown at 4:41 in the third quarter, and the long layoff suddenly started to creep up on a handful of Wildcats players in the form of muscle cramps. The Lions capitalized when senior Dawson VanDalen broke free for a 62-yard rushing touchdown to cut it to 28-7 with 3:49 remaining in the third.
Archbishop Murphy took another drive inside the five early in the fourth, but ultimately settled for a short field goal attempt, which went wide. Back-to-back stops from Wilson forced another turnover on downs, and Sievers iced the game with a six-yard rushing touchdown with 1:57 left. Lynden tacked on another big-play touchdown when junior Lawsen DeBoer broke open over the middle and ran for a 65-yard catch-and-run touchdown with 1:43 to go to make it a 35-14 final.
With their season shaken up, the Wildcats answered the question ‘What now?’ All that’s left to answer, from the WIAA or otherwise, is ‘What’s next?’
