By all accounts, this was supposed to be the game Interlake announced its official arrival back into the competitive ranks of the KingCo 3A Conference.

Instead, Juanita ran all over the field and left Interlake Stadium with a 31-point win and a showdown with Bellevue after soundly defeating the Saints 49-18.

I figured the Saints offense, which had been rolling and averaging nearly 33 points per game, to have a harder time with Juanita’s defense. But I didn’t expect them to have the troubles that they did.

One of the most glaring stats? The rushing totals. Juanita held junior Brett Kirschner to only eight yards on six carries; quarterback Matt Malos, a talented runner, could only gain eight yards as well on 10 carries. Late in the fourth quarter, Interlake sent in subs on offense and freshman Jacob Marks rushed for two yards on one carry.

Interlake’s total yards on the ground? 18. Juanita’s? 373. You can’t win any games with those types of numbers.

Now the Saints head to Liberty to take on the Patriots, who blew out Hazen High School of the Seamount League 65-0 Friday night.

Liberty’s offense looks an awful lot like Juanita’s: a powerful running game that looks to wear opponents down.

Interlake coach Sheldon Cross said after the Juanita game that he hoped it’d be a wake-up call to his team. If the Saints hope to make the 2A playoffs, they need to keep winning games. They’ll need to find a way to stop the run if they hope to have a shot against the Patriots this Friday.

Meanwhile, Bellevue rolled on to 6-0 with a 35-0 win over Sammamish. The Wolverines look good, and if they can stay healthy, don’t count them out for a return to the Tacoma Dome.

Over in the 4A ranks, Newport got a big home win against Garfield, torching the Bulldogs for 42 points. If Newport can find a way to pull out two-straight wins against Eastlake and Issaquah, the Knights will find themselves at 4-1 in conference play and have a great shot at a second-straight post-season appearance.

KingCo 3A Power Rankings

1. Bellevue Wolverines (6-0, 3-0 KingCo 3A)

Bellevue rolls over Sammamish 35-0 to remain undefeated. Should have its toughest test since Mount Si two weeks ago when Wolverines travel to Juanita this week.

Last week’s rank: 1

Next up: at Juanita

2. Liberty Patriots (5-1, 3-0)

Liberty absolutely pummeled Hazen of the Seamount League 65-0. Patriots best not look past Interlake to big game against Bellevue on Oct. 24, or the Saints could mount a big upset.

Last week’s rank: 2

Next up: vs. Interlake

3. Juanita Rebels (4-2, 2-1)

Rebels leapfrog Mount Si after piling up 373 yards on the ground in rout of Interlake. But can they do it against a tough Bellevue defense this week?

Last week’s rank: 5

Next up: at Bellevue

4. Mount Si Wildcats (3-3, 2-1)

Wildcats haven’t been challenged in two weeks and hope to avoid a huge upset when they travel to Bellevue to take on Sammamish Friday.

Last week’s rank: 3

Next up: at Sammamish

5. Interlake Saints (4-2, 2-2)

Saints must win the battles up front to slow down Patriots running game this Friday if they hope to upset Liberty.

Last week’s rank: 4

Next up: at Liberty

6. Mercer Island Islanders (1-5, 0-4)

Islanders get manhandled by Mount Si, but have a shot against to get another win against a struggling team in Ingraham, 1-5 overall.

Last week’s rank: 6

Next up: vs. Ingraham

7. Sammamish Totems (0-6, 0-4)

Totems host Mount Si before taking on Mercer Island in what will be most likely be a very competitive game.

Last week’s rank: 7

Next up: vs. Mount Si

KingCo 4A Power Rankings

1. Skyline Spartans (6-0, 3-0 KingCo 3A)

The stage is set for huge battle this Friday between undefeated teams: Skyline, nationally ranked and the No.1 4A team takes on Issaquah on the road.

Last week’s rank: 1

Next up: at Issaquah

2. Issaquah Eagles (6-0, 3-0)

Eagles don’t look past Redmond and took care of business on Friday. Might we have a new No.1 next week?

Last week’s rank: 2

Next up: vs. Skyline

3. Bothell Cougars (4-2, 3-0)

Bothell storms back into the top 3 with a huge 29-7 win over previously unbeaten Woodinville.

Last week’s rank: 5

Next up: vs. Inglemoor

4. Woodinville Falcons (5-1, 2-1)

Falcons allowed Bothell running back Patrick Otterbech to run wild (192 yards) in loss that could decide division.

Last week’s rank: 3

Next up: at Lake Washington

5. Newport Knights (4-2, 2-1)

Knights have quietly put themselves into position for another playoff appearance. A 2-0 finish could go a long way towards making that happen.

Last week’s rank: 7

Next up: at Eastlake

6. Eastlake Wolves (3-3, 1-2)

Wolves couldn’t keep pace with Skyline, but to keep playoff hopes alive, they must knock off Newport.

Last week’s rank: 4

Next up: vs. Newport

7. Inglemoor Vikings (4-2, 2-1)

Big game with Bothell could decide conference championship.

Last week’s rank: 6

Next up: at Bothell

8. Roosevelt Roughriders (4-2, 1-2)

After 37-20 loss to Inglemoor last week, Roosevelt looks to a big battle with Ballard this week. Roughriders play its next two games at home.

Last week’s rank: 8

Next up: vs. Ballard

9. Lake Washington Kangaroos (1-5, 1-2)

Kangs get nod over the rest of the teams by virtue of having a win on the season, its 23-6 win over Ballard last week.

Last week’s rank: 12

10. Garfield Bulldogs (0-6, 0-3)

Last week’s rank: 9

11. Redmond Mustangs (0-6, 0-3)

Last week’s rank: 10

12. Ballard Beavers (0-6, 0-3)

Last week’s rank: 11