Issaquah upsets Bothell in 4A debut
Issaquah 24 Bothell 13
By DARREN FESSENDEN
SPECIAL TO THE P-I
BOTHELL -- Grant Gellatly had three touchdowns as Issaquah stunned Bothell 24-13 in the KingCo 4A opener Thursday at packed Pop Keeney Stadium.
The Eagles (1-0) have moved up to 4A and are playing in the KingCo Crest Division. They were expected to vie with Eastlake for second place in the division behind defending Class 3A state champion Skyline.
Now, they've got to be thinking even bigger.
The Cougars (0-1), the 4A state runner-up the past two years, are in the Crown Division and entered the season with state championship aspirations. But Issaquah's enormous size advantage dominated.
Gellatly, a junior, rushed for 130 yards on 25 carries. Counterpart Patrick Ottorbech was held to 1 yard on six second-half carries. Bothell's senior running back, who finished with 86 yards on 19 carries and Bothell's only two scores, knelt down at midfield all by himself after his first home loss of his career.
Bothell senior quarterback James Korn was 17-for-26 for 153 yards and two interceptions in his starting debut for the departed Johnny Hekker.
Issaquah senior signal-caller Joey Bradley struggled early but bounced back after halftime. He finished 10-for-20 for 120 yards and a touchdown.
Bothell held a 13-10 lead at intermission on the strength of two short touchdown runs by Ottorbech. The Cougars looked brilliant on their two scoring drives and woeful on the other two, going three-and-out on both occasions.
After a quiet first quarter offensively, Issaquah scored on two straight possessions in the second quarter by capitalizing on excellent field position.
Bothell shanked a punt deep in their own territory, giving the Eagles the ball at the 20-yard line. Gellatly scampered in from four yards out three plays later to tie it at 7-7 early in the second.
Ottorbech's 34-yard run set up a first-and-goal at the 1, where he took it in for the 13-7 lead. Issaquah cut the deficit in half with a 32-yard field goal from Gavin Schumaker.
Gellatly added scores in the third and fourth quarters as the Eagles clamped down defensively and completely stifled Bothell's offense.
Issaquah senior co-captain and starting running back Dustin Talley was on crutches after suffering a right leg injury earlier this week. Bothell center Jackson Pierce left the game midway through the third with what appeared to be cramps.
The path doesn't get any easier for Bothell, which plays at 3A power Bellevue in a highly anticipated match-up Friday.