Bothell tops Inglemoor in Spaghetti Bowl...

Pop Keeney Stadium, September 30th, 2011.

After starting the season 1-2, the "Blue Train" that is Bothell Cougars football appears to be back on track following a 32-30 win over the Inglemoor Vikings on Friday night. The Cougars improved to 3-2 on the season and 2-0 in Conference play while the Vikings fell to 3-2 and 1-1 in KingCo play. The win for Bothell was the 10th in a row against Inglemoor in the annual Spaghetti Bowl.

The Cougars got the ball to start the game and promptly went 78 yards on 10 plays for the score and a 7-0 lead. On the drive Kizhan Proctor would carry 7 times for 56 yards, but it was Danny Wilson who would get in the endzone on a pitch from one yard out.

The Vikings would get the ball and quickly go three and out and were forced to punt, but the Cougars were caught with 12 men on the field, giving the ball back to Inglemoor at mid-field. Eight plays later Hans Fortune would find Dillon Gongliewski in the corner of the endone for the touchdown to tie the game.

Working with a short field after returning the kickoff to the Viking 41, the Cougars would get inside the red zone before the drive would stall and Bothell would be forced to settle for a 30 yard Field Goal to retake the lead 10-7.

Inglemoor would get the ball back, but would only manage three yard before having to punt. Before the Vikings go a chance to punt, the first period would come to an end.

Getting the ball after the punt to begin the second period, the Cougars would again go on a quick march. On 3rd and 17 from their own 47, Danny Wilson would take the handoff on a draw and out run the Viking defense on his way to the endzone for the second time on night. The Cougars would miss the PAT but still had a 16-7 lead just barely into the second quarter.

Following the kickoff the Vikings would start at their own 36. Hans Fortune would throw 4 times, completing three. Jake Jones would carry 4 times for 31 yards, but it wasn't enough and the Vikings would settle for a 34 yard Field Goal from Willie Augustavo to cut the Bothell lead to 16-10.

The Cougars would get the ball on their own 45 following the kickoff and begin moving the ball again. This time though the Vikings defense would step up and make a play. Viking DB, Dillon Gongliewski would go up and take away a pass intended for Trent Sewell giving Inglemoor the ball on their own 6.

Inglemoor would begin to move the ball, but with 42.2 seconds left in the first half would make one of his few mistakes when he fumbled the ball and Bothell recovered at mid-field.

Using great clock management, the Cougars would move the ball down to the Viking 20 yard line where Alec Yarno would send through a 37 yard Field Goal extend the lead and end the half with a 19-10 lead.

With the ball and a short field, the Vikings would only need 7 plays to go 48 yards, capped off by a one yard touchdown run by Jake Jones.

The two teams would exchange punts before Bothell would take the lead for good. On first and ten from his own 46, Bothell's Kizhan Proctor would dash through the Inglemoor defense for 54 yards and the touchdown.

Inglemoor again be forced to punt and again Bothell would march right down the field and into the endzone. This time it was Quarterback Austen Dahl keeping it and going in untouched from six yards away.

From that point on the game would really change. The Vikings went on an 11 play 63 yard touchdown drive finishing when Jake Jones got in from 4 out, but after the failed conversion the Cougar lead was 9 at 32-23.

Bothell would get the ball back and quickly go three and out. The Vikings would rush the punt and block it before recovering the ball at mid-field.

Down by 9 with 2:54 left on the clock the Vikings would begin to go exclusively through the air. They would drive 50 yards in 10 plays for the score. On the drive Hans Fortune was 7 of 10 including the touchdown pass from 6 yards out to Danny Larson.

That is as close as Inglemoor would get though as the ensuing onside kick would be recovered by Bothell and they would set up in the voctory formation.

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Up Next:

Bothell is home next Friday to face the undefeated Woodinville Falcons. This game may be the one that decides who wins the crown division.

Inglemoor will be back at Pop Keeney again next Thursday when they face the Roosevelt Roughriders. The following week they will play Woodinville.

On tap for this week, Sept. 27th, 2011...

I am glad to get back to High School Football. Last week was a rough one for me and my group of friends, but we will survive. I ended up attending a high school game (Bothell @ Roosevelt), a college game (Cal @ UW) and a pro game (Arizona @ Seattle) all in one weekend. It was a lot of fun! If you have never taken a boat to a Husky game, you are missing out. It is really an experience like no other.

I have decided to stay close to home this Thursday and attend the Ballard @ Woodinville. The Falcons are really playing good football and I feel like I need to see them play. The game is at Pop Keeney which is also one of my favorite places to watch a game. It is really a no brainer.

Friday night will most likely see me head right back to Pop Keeney when the Bothell Cougars and Inglemoor Vikings clash in the annual "Spaghetti Bowl". Both teams got wins in Memorial Stadium last friday night, Bothell over Roosevelt 24-0 and Inglemoor over Ballard 35-14. Last season's game was a 27-3 win for the Cougars, who haven't lost to the Vikings since 2000.

As for Saturday, right now I have no plans to attend a game. I may end up going to Portland to see the Thunderbirds play the Winterhawks, hockey for those wondering. I may end up going to see Orcas Island vs Bellevue Christian @ Lake Washington High School in a non-league 2B game. I might even just go find some junior football to watch most of the day.

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Doug Pacey of the Tacoma News Tribuns has his state football rankings for the week, find them right here.

Mason Kelley of the Seattle Times has his own rankings, they can be found right here.

The Bellevue Wolverines continue to climb in the national rankings. Mason Kelley took the time to pull all of them together and a you can read about that right here.

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I hope to be able to get the "This week" stuff done tomorrow for SPSL 4A and 3A. If I have time I will do KingCo 3A and 4A as well. The Wesco appears to have some very good teams, I would like to get a look at what they have to offer, I hope to be able to do that before the game Thursday night.

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Either this week or next I will be sending a few emails to the east side of the state to talk to coaches from the best teams on the other side of the state. I would like to put something together with Chiawana, Kamiakin, Kennewick, West Valley of Spokane, Prosser, Cashmere, Colfax and Almira/Coulee-Hartline. If I can get three of those schools to respond I will put a piece together.

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HIGH SCHOOL STADIUM PIC OF THE WEEK:

This is a look at the home stadium for the W.F. West Bearcats. They have no seating on the other side of the field, so this is what you get. Behind the stadium is a beautiful baseball stadium. To see more pictues of this stadium and pictures of many other stadiums I have visited visit Washington State High School Football Stadiums.

If you looks closely at the pic you will notice a group of red seats. These seats are for what I guess you would call "Season Ticket Holders". The seats have the name of the owner on them. I have attached a picture below with a closer look at the seats... Do they look familiar to anyone? This isn't the first stadium they have been in.

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I have recieved a few emails with support and encouragement during a tough moment in my life. I would like to thank all of those who read and commented to me about my piece. It really means a lot.

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I can be found on twitter by following @HSFootballWA.

This week in the KingCo 4A Crown, Sept. 20th, 2011...

Three weeks into the season and the Crown Division is tough to figure out. The Woodinville Falcons are the only undefeated team at 3-0. Three teams, the Ballard Beavers, Inglemoor Vikings and Roosevelt RoughRiders check in at 2-1. At the bottom of the standings are the Garfield Bulldogs and surprising Bothell Cougars at 1-2.

So far the Woodinville Falcons have outscored their opponents 121-17. They have wins over Mount Si, Monroe and Redmond. The Falcons will play in two stadiums the rest of the regular as they will play their next four games at Pop Kenney Stadium, the third game being a "road" game at Bothell. They finish the regular season at Memorial Stadium in Seattle against Roosevelt. Eighth year Head Coach, Wayne Maxwell might have his best team yet, expect the Falcons to make a good run in the playoffs.

After starting the season with two shutouts, the Inglemoor Vikings were torched last week for 45 points in a loss to the Lake Stevens Vikings of the Wesco Conference. This week the black and gold travel to the 2-1 Ballard Beavers, who are also coming off their first loss of the season. The Beavers beat Sammamish 34-27 and Franklin 50-20 before being dismantled by the Issaquah Eagles 55-15. The next two weeks are big for Ballard, after hosting the Vikings they will travel to Pop Kenney to take on the division leading Woodinville Falcons.

The Roosevelt RoughRiders are in interesting team. They got wins over Franklin 39-15 and Interlake 21-7 before losing last week to one of the top teams in the state, the Eastlake Wolves 41-20. I think the RoughRiders might be the best of the three Seattle schools in KingCo. This week they are home vs the Bothell Cougars. If they want to make a run at the playoffs a win this week against, a struggling Bothell squad, would go a long way.

A 1-2 start is not the way the Bothell Cougars wanted to start the season. After winning a big game over the Union Titans (Vancouver,WA) in week one, they lost a heartbreaker to the Mount Si Wildcats before heading down I-5 and losing to the Newport Knights. The Cougars now begin league play by traveling to Roosevelt before coming back to Pop Keeney for games against Northshore Rivals, Inglemoor and Woodinville. If the Cougars are going to finish in the top spot, the next three weeks are as big as they get.

The Garfield Bulldogs got everyones attention in the opening weekend for reasons they would rather forget. Since then they have beaten Sammamish 27-22 and lost to Seattle Prep 42-7. They begin league play this week against the division leading Woodinville Falcons before playing Seattle Rivals Roosevelt and Ballard.

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Standings:

Team-Overall-League
Woodinville Falcons, 3-0, 0-0
Ballard Beavers, 2-1, 0-0
Inglemoor Vikings, 2-1, 0-0
Roosevelt RoughRiders, 2-1, 0-0
Bothell Cougars, 1-2, 0-0
Garfield Bulldogs, 1-2, 0-0

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Last Week:

Ballard lost vs Issaquah, 55-17.
Bothell lost at Newport, 28-24.
Garfield lost at Seattle Prep, 42-7.
Inglemoor lost vs Lake Stevens, 45-25.
Roosevelt lost at Eastlake, 41-20.
Woodinville won vs Redmond, 55-7.

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This Week:

Bothell @ Roosevelt, Memorial Stadium, 8pm Friday.
Garfield @ Woodinville, Pop Keeney Stadium, 7pm Friday.
Inglemoor @ Garfield, Memorial Stadium, 5pm Friday.

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For updates on the KingCo Conference and high school football in the state of Washington, follow me on Twitter @HSFootballWA.

To this point, KingCo 4A, Week 2...

Crest Division

Once again the Crest Division of KingCo 4A appears to be the better of the two divisions. Eastlake and Skyline, seperated by just over a mile, are even closer in the polls. I have seen a poll with Skyline on top of Eastlake, some polls have it the other way around. All I know is the October 21'st game between the two schools is likely to determine who finishes first.

I have left the Issaquah Eagles out of the top paragraph and it might be a bad move. The Eagles are 2-0 with wins of 48-0 over Heritage(Vancouver,WA) and 42-7 over Liberty. This week they travel to Memorial Stadium in Seattle to take on the 2-0 Ballard Beavers. A week later they will host the Skyline Spartans before finishing up non-league play at home vs the Kamiak Knights. The Eagles are a tough team, but personally I see them coming in just behind the top two schools.

The Eastlake Wolves have started the season by beating Central Kitsap 35-14 and Snohomish 42-14. Expect those types of scores for a few more weeks as the Wolves host Roosevelt before traveling to Redmond in games they should win by atleast double digits. The toughest part of their schedule comes at the end of the season when they host Issaqauh and Skyline in back to back weeks to end the season.

The Skyline Spartans are in Oregon this week to take on the Lake Oswego Lakers(2-0). The Spartans started the season with a big win, 62-27 over Liberty before losing to the Bellevue Wolverines in week two 31-17. When they return home from Oregon they will go right into league play at Issaqauh before coming home to play Redmond. Should the Spartans get through Issaquah expect them to coast to into Eastlake ready to play for first place.

Last season the Newport Knights got wins at the right time to get into the playoffs before running into the Chiawana Riverhawks. This year they started the season with a 43-34 win at Interlake before returning home and losing to Mercer Island 36-21. The schedule is not easy for the Knights as they are home vs Bothell this week before traveling to Everett Memorial Stadium to face the Cascade Bruins. Following that they get Eastlake and Skyline in back to back weeks at home. They finish the season at Issaquah in a game that will most likely have seeding implications.

The Redmond Mustangs appear to be in for a rough season. They started the season with losses to Juanita 48-16 and Lake Washington 39-17. They are just beginning the tough part of their schedule as they travel to Woodinville(2-0) next week before hosting Eastlake(2-0). Following that they again hit the road this time to Skyline(1-1) before playing host to Issaquah(2-0). They finish the season vs Newport(1-1) and then go to Edmonds-Woodway(1-1). So from here out the Mustangs face teams with a combined record of 8-2.

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Crown Division

In the Crown Division we have a four way tie at the top and none of them are Bothell. The Ballard Beavers, Inglemoor Vikings, Roosevelt Roughriders and Woodinville Falcons are all 2-0 with one game before heading into league play. The Bothell Cougars and Garfield Bulldogs are both 1-1.

The Inglemoor Vikings were picked by the coaches to finish 3rd in the division behind Bothell and Woodinvill, and they still might, but after two weeks of play they have the two most impressive victories. In week one they shutout Snohomish 10-0 before coming home and defeating 3A rival Juanita 19-0 last friday. They have a punishing defense that did not allow a first down to Juanita until 1:11 was left in the third quarter. The offense is an interesting one, they run a pistol offense and alternate quarterbacks. They have underrated runningbacks in Junior Vi and Jake Jones and any team that is coached by Frank Naish has to be considered a threat. The Vikings only leave Pop Keeney Stadium twice the rest of the season, both times going to Memorial Stadium.

The Woodinville Falcons have two big wins to start their season over Mount Si 31-10 and Monroe 35-0. The Falcons play will actually not have to play away from Pop Keeney again untilo week 8 at Roosevelt. They will be home for three straight against Redmond, Garfield and Ballard. After that they will be the visitor at Pop Keeney when they "travel" to play Bothell and Inglemoor. I would expect the Falcons to be 5-0 when they meet up with Bothell on October 7th. Should they get by the Cougars, the following week against the Inglemoor Vikings should be for first place.

The next three weeks for the Ballard Beavers will either make or break their season. They will host Issaquah and Inglemoor before heading to Pop Keeney to play Woodinville. If they can somehow upset the Vikings or Falcons they could really be in position for a good run. The Beavers got wins over Sammamish 34-27 and Franklin 50-20 in the first two weeks of the season under first year head coach Joey Thomas. Putting up 87 points in two games is always impressive and if they can do that again in the next three weeks, they will be contenders.

If the Roosevelt RoughRiders are gonna make a run at the playoffs, they wont have to go very far to do it. Four of their five League games are at Memorial Stadium in Seattle. The RoughRiders are 2-0 after beating Franklin 39-15 and Interlake 21-7. Roosevelt is another team with a first year head coach in Matt Nelsen. He is gonna need his players to play tough defense as they are not a team that is likely to score a lot of points.

The Bothell Cougars were picked by the coaches to finish first in the divisions and are still probably the favorites. They beat the Union Titans(Vancouver,WA) 27-10 in week one before losing to the Mount Si Wildcats the following week 26-14. The Cougars go on the road for the next three weeks, even though the third game is at Pop Keeney, when they play Newport, Roosevelt and Inglemoor. I expect the "Blue Train" to get back on the tracks the next few weeks and make a fun at another Crown Divison Championship.

To say the Garfield Bulldogs have had an eventful first two week might be an understatement. In the opening game of the season at Lake Washington, first year Bulldog Head Coach Kevin Goliday would pull his team from the field after he felt his players safety was in danger. Here is a link to some info Garfield Bulldogs Link. They would forfeit the finish of that game but win the following week 27-22 over the Sammamish Totems. The Bulldogs are another team that doesn't have to travel much as they will play four games at Memorial Stadium.

Mount Si @ Bothell preview, Sept. 9th 2011...

It will be Saturday Night Lights this week at Pop Keenedy Stadium as the Mount Si Wildcats will roll into Bothell to take on the hometown Cougars. The Wildcats come into the game with a record of 0-1 after losing to the Woodinville Falcons 31-10 on home turf. The Cougars on the other hand beat the Union Titans(Vancouver,WA) 27-10 at home, in a game featuring two top 10 teams. The Cougars come in ranked 9th in 4A, while the Wildcats are an Honorable Mention in 3A. Both teams were playoff teams last season and could very well end up in there again this year. Trent Sewell, Bothell's Senior Wide Receiver is a D-1 talent and has been linked to almost every Pac-12 school, Mount Si also has D-1 talent in Senior Lineman, Josh Mitchell who has already committed to Oregon State. I sent and received emails from both coaches.

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Mount Si Wildcats

Last season the Mount Si Wildcats returned to the playoffs but ran into the buzz saw that is the Bellevue Wolverines. This didn't start the way they would've liked in losing a home game in week one. The Wildcats only return two offensive and three defensive starters but are not young nor inexperienced. They do actually return four offensive lineman with playing experience. Coach Charlie Kinnune, who is in his 20th season at Mount Si was nice enough to return my email. This is what he had to say...

WHSF: If a Bothell fan were reading this blog, who are three players they would want to keep and eye on and what can you tell me about those players?

CK: Josh Mitchell- signed with Oregon State OT/DT, Connor Deutsch RB/CB(2yr. starter) Kolton Auxier OG/DE(2yr. starter)

WHSF: What would your three keys to get a win on saturday?

CK: Run the football effectively, stop the run, positive turnover ratio

WHSF: What would you consider to be your offensive strengths?

CK: Offensive Line

WHSF: What would you consider to be your defensive strengths?

CK: Defensive Line

WHSF: What do you think you have to do to stop a player like Trent Sewell?

CK: Pass Rush and not getting beat deep.

WHSF: What things do you need to do better after last weeks loss?

CK: Play better run defense and protect our QB.

WHSF: What is it going to take to get the Wildcats to the Tacoma Dome this season?

CK: We need to stay healthy, which we are not right now. We need to be able to be competitive in our league. If we compete in our league and finish in the top 3 we will be competitive at the state level.

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Bothell Cougars

I wont deny it, the Bothell Cougars are a team that has been growing on me over the past ten years. Although no team will ever get more room in my heart than the Juanita Rebels, I seem to hop on the "Blue Train" every season. This years is no different as Head Coach Tom Bainter has his Cougars in a great position to be playing for a KingCo Championship at the end of the regular season. They are big, athletic and have as much speed as anyone. The Cougars come in ranked 9th in the state by the Seattle Times. Coach Bainter was kind enough to return my email with all questions answered...

WHSF: If a Mount Si fan were reading this blog, who are three players they would want to keep and eye on and what can you tell me about those players?

TB: Trent Sewell - Talented, speedy, athletic receiver with great hands. Austen Dahl - First year starter at QB who will get nothing but better as the season progresses. Seymour Ottorbech - Two way starter at RB and OLB with great speed and tenacity.

WHSF: What would your three keys to get a win on Saturday?

TB: Three keys to victory are protecting the football, stopping the Mt. Si run game, and executing our assignments.

WHSF: What would you consider to be your offensive strengths?

TB: Our strengths offensively are skill position talent and a good sized offensive line. What we lack in experience, we gain in enthusiasm.

WHSF: What would you consider to be your defensive strengths?

TB: Defensively our strengths are speed and aggressiveness. We like to attack from all areas.

WHSF: What, if anything, from your week one victory do you feel you need to do better this week to beat Mount Si?

TB: We had 4 turnovers week one and we definitely need to improve in that area. We were also poor in the 'Red' zone last week and hope to improve there as well.

WHSF: What is it going to take to get Bothell to the Tacoma Dome this season?

TB: We will have to improve on a daily basis, stay very healthy, and have tons of LUCK!

WHSF: You have had a ton of success at Bothell, what do you attribute that too?

TB: Great kids who love the game and work very hard at it!

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Outlook:

I have a hard time seeing the Wildcats winning this one. Bothell could be the best team in KingCo 4A. Cougars win easily 37-10.

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Other Notes & Links:

- The Bothell Cougars have one of the best websites around, view it Right Here.

- Pop Kenney Stadium is easily my favorite stadium to watch a game in the state. That same site has a great little story on it, read it Here.

- Mount Si is home to one of the more scenic stadiums in the state. I was lucky enough to visit Mount Si last season when my Rebels were playing the Wildcats. I took a few pictures that can be viewed Here.

- I also have pictures from Pop Kenney, view them Here.

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I will be tweeting live from the game, you can follow me @HSFootballWA.

On tap for this week...

The big game of the week will feature the Bellevue Wolverines traveling to take on the Skyline Spartans. I will not be in attendance. The rest of the local media will be all over this game and it just doesn't make sense for me to do so as well.

Thursday night I plan on heading to Highline High School in Burien to see the Archbishop Murphy Wildcats visit the Kennedy Catholic Lancers. Both teams are 1-0 on the season following big first week wins.

Friday night, while everyone else is at Skyline, I plan on heading to Pop Keeney Stadium to see the Juanita Rebels take on the Inglemoor Vikings. Both teams are 1-0 after first week, non-league victories.

Saturday night I hope to be back at Pop Keeney to see the hometown Bothell Cougars battle the Mount Si Wildcats. The Cougars are 1-0 after beating Union(Vancouver,WA) while the Wildcats dropped to 0-1 after losing to Woodinville.

I will be sending out emails shortly with hopes of previewing all three games before I go see them.

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The top ranked 2B team in the state, the Adna Pirates opened with a convincing 34-19 victory over Wahkiakum. The video below is from King5 News showing how Adna worked to build a new stadium for a team that very much deserved it.



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In looking at the stats for this blog, I noticed I have a new reader. This week I added a reader from Indonesia. Canada again contiued to pull strong numbers behind the United States.

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I can be followed on twitter @HSFootballWA