Friday, September 5, 2008 - Page updated at 12:00 AM
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KEN LAMBERT / THE SEATTLE TIMES
Issaquah's Grant Gellatly (5) runs past Bothell's Jackson Pierce (53) for a touchdown in the second half.
KingCo 4A | Eagles upset No. 2 Bothell
By Tom Wyrwich
Seattle Times staff reporter
BOTHELL — It took one half to get used to this stadium, to adjust to so many fans making so much noise.
It took one half to get up to speed, to see how quickly the guys on the other side moved and how sharply they played.
For Issaquah, it took one half to get used to Bothell at Pop Keeney Stadium, where so many have never caught up. But once the Eagles did, they went on to do what no one had done since 2005: beat Bothell in Bothell. The Eagles shut out the Cougars in the second half of a 24-13 victory, one that showed Issaquah's ready to contend after moving up to Class 4A. And they won without starting linebacker and running back Dustin Talley, who broke his ankle in Wednesday's practice.
"I know a lot of people might not have expected us to win this game, but we did," Issaquah coach Chris Bennett said.
The Eagles won up front, frustrating Bothell's offensive line, shaking up runs in the backfield and never allowing James Korn, the Cougars' senior quarterback, to get comfortable. Issaquah held Bothell to only 45 second-half yards, most of which Bothell racked up in the final 20 throwaway seconds.
Trailing 13-10, the Eagles had a touchdown called back on a penalty in the final 20 seconds of the first half, and then another penalty pushed them out of field-goal range. But as they met at halftime, the Eagles were more confident than steamed. They realized they were right there with the Cougars, the KingCo 4A champions and Class 4A runners-up the past two seasons.
"I was more upset than the kids," Bennett said. "Our kids were jacked at halftime."
But to win, the Eagles had to tackle better in the second half, and right out of halftime, they began breaking up Bothell's plays before they could get started. After forcing a three-and-out, Issaquah drove 51 yards in four plays, finished off by junior Grant Gellatly's 13-yard touchdown scamper on a screen pass from senior quarterback Joey Bradley. He had to dive and stretch the ball across the goal line, but when he did, Issaquah had its first lead.
After that, Issaquah intercepted Korn twice in Issaquah territory and sacked him four times.
The Eagles held Bothell running back Patrick Ottorbech — who ran for 84 yards in the first half — to only two yards on seven carries in the second.
Gellatly, who ran for 125 yards and two touchdowns, made it 24-13 early in the fourth on a 7-yard run following a Cougar fumble.
"We knew we had a shot, but it feels so much better right now," Gellatly said.
Tom Wyrwich: 206-515-5653 or twyrwich@seattletimes.com
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