Cougars cruise into state semis
by By CHRISTOPHER A. SMITH
No. 1 Bothell beats Oak Harbor, 42-14
It would have been difficult for the most optimistic of Cougar fans to anticipate the type of performance Bothell High showed against Oak Harbor High last Friday night at Pop Keeney Field.
A performance that had Bothell outgain Oak Harbor 303-109 in yards in the first half, including running back Patrick Otterbech by himself.
A performance that knocked off the defending state champions, 42-14, winning the much-anticipated rematch of last year’s title game.
And a performance that now has Bothell one game away from going back to the state championship game at the Tacoma Dome.
“It’s not about revenge,” said Bothell senior defensive lineman Theo Hunt, who had a key sack to help the Cougars gain momentum in the third quarter. “It’s about just playing another game, but it feels good to get the win, and we have another week of football. That’s really the best thing.”
Bothell (12-0) will travel to Ferris (12-0) of Spokane for this weekend’s matchup.
The win made believers out of many around the state, but none more important than the one person who has had reservations about the team’s attitude all year: head coach Tom Bainter.
“I’m starting to learn this team a little bit,” Bainter said. “They just have this attitude about them that, ‘Coach, settle down.’ And I don’t know if I like that, but I’m starting to like that a little more.”
At one practice early in the year, Bainter scolded the team for not having the right mentality. He said the team didn’t practice as hard as last year’s team that reached the state championship game, and that may ultimately be what keeps the team from reaching its potential.
To date, the undefeated Cougars have reached whatever expectations Bainter or Cougar fans could have put on them.
“I thought all year we were overconfident, and their attitude is, ‘Coach, don’t worry, we’re fine,’” Bainter said. “And I didn’t see that. But I’m starting to learn about the chemistry and the character of this team, and they really mean it.”
The team certainly didn’t show that their confidence was a hindrance against Oak Harbor. The Cougars were able to run the ball at will, led in the first half by Otterbech’s 137 yards and three touchdowns on 12 carries.
“Most of the kids in my school didn’t think I could run against them,” Otterbech said. “I just wanted to prove them wrong.”
Senior Jon Kirchner added 104 yards on 14 carries, many in the second half. When Otterbech and Kirchner weren’t pounding the ball, Bothell quarterback Johnny Hekker was near flawless through the air. He completed his first six passes, including a 48-yard touchdown bomb to Perry Conricode. Hekker ended 10-for-12 for 159 yards, two touchdowns and one interception.
“It wasn’t what we expected,” Hekker said of the blowout win. “I expected it to be a fight. But they (Oak Harbor) came out and they fought hard. They are without a doubt one of the best coached teams in the state, if not the best team. And they came out with a good game plan, and we just came out with a better one.”
Hekker and Bothell essentially put the game out of reach late in the third quarter when Hekker hooked up with Conricode, who caught five passes for 116 yards, on a tip-toe touchdown on the sidelines. That came one play after Geoff Watson recovered an Oak Harbor fumble.
“We’ve been staying after practices,” Conricode said of his repertoire with Hekker. “Just working on routes. He is a great quarterback. Throwing every ball great.”
Now Bothell travels to Spokane ranked No. 1 in the state by the Associated Press and faces No. 2 Ferris in the state semifinals.
But despite all the hype and everything being on the line, don’t be surprised if the players’ attitude is “everything is fine.”
“It looks like that from afar that they don’t work hard and that they are taking this the wrong way,” Bainter said. “But I’m finding out these last four weeks that they are really not, and it’s me who’s understanding our team a little bit more.”