KingCo 4A king of the weekend

Posted by Tom Wyrwich at 08:18 AM

Its top team, Bothell, steamrolled Gig Harbor, a team that three weeks ago was sixth in the state.

Its second-place team, Eastlake, went up big on Bethel and then survived the Braves' startling comeback.

Its third-place team, Woodinville, went on the road to Vancouver and ran all over Heritage, the second-place team in the Greater St. Helens league.

Its fourth-place team, Inglemoor, went to Rogers -- the SPSL 4A South champion -- and won 7-3.

And even its fifth-place team, Ballard, gave third-ranked Edmonds-Woodway a game.

If postseason performance is the true measure of a conference's strength, KingCo 4A flexed the biggest muscles in the playoffs' first weekend.

I should point out that the WesCo North -- where Oak Harbor, Snohomish, and Cascade all won -- also got off to a strong start. But I'm still sticking with the conference that's had three of the last four teams to play in the state championship game.

And in KingCo 4A, I have to start at the top, where Bothell couldn't have impressed more Saturday night.

I'll admit it, I thought this matchup had some serious upset potential. I was blinded by the size of Gig Harbor, and thought the Cougars wouldn't be able to get a push on either line.

I was wrong.

Bothell won 35-0, but if it's possible, the game was even more lopsided that that. The yardage: Bothell 426, Gig Harbor 59. That's domination, and frankly, we hadn't seen that from the Cougs this season against a playoff opponent. Against Woodinville, the game was tight until the fourth quarter. Then Bothell beat Eastlake and Inglemoor by a combined nine points.

After the playoffs' first weekend, though, perhaps Bothell's KingCo 4A opponents were just that tough.

What impressed you most this weekend?

Morning stars

1. Ryan Prentice, Mount Rainier, cross-country. Won the Class 3A race with a time of 16:01. Also, congrats to Olivia Thomas of King's, who won the girls' Class 1A race.

2. Lorne Bridgford, Cascade, football. Senior ran for 244 yards and two touchdowns, including the winner as time expired, in Cascade's 27-21 victory against Federal Way.

3. Jordan Keddie, Redmond, girls soccer. Keddie, a backup, was sick all week, to the point that the Mustangs were looking at which positition players would work best in goal. But she played Saturday night and shut out Skyview of Vancouver to send Redmond to the state tournament.

Comments: KingCo 4A king of the weekend

Here's a morning star from the West Sound: Caleb Brown, Central Kitsap tight end. He caught four passes for 168 yards and two touchdowns, and ran a punt back 60 yards for another TD in CK's 31-16 win over Puyallup.
What can Brown do for you? Better still, what can Brown do for U...Dub?

Posted by good ol' george at 09:56 AM, Nov 04, 2007

Well this should come as no surprise. Kingco 4a is the best league in the state. Even Ballard gave EW a hard time. And Bothell, wow. I guess speed really does kill. Bothell has to be considered the favorite to win the 4a title this year, especially after killing a fairly good Gig Harbor team.

Posted by Joel at 03:50 PM, Nov 04, 2007

I have seen every game Bothell has played the last two years except one, and this was the best performance of them all. I was in awe. I have never seen a high school defense play better against a quality opponent. Honestly, it looked like they had 15 players on the field. And the first-string offense made one bad play all night when the quarterback threw a poor interception under pressure. Other than that, wow.
Two cautions to Bothell fans:
1. The injury to Trey Burwick. If that's serious, it is a major blow. He starts at fullback and inside linebacker and is an unsung hero on both sides of the ball. If he is gone, things are likely to look a little different.
2. The obvious disclaimer in high school sports: Can teenagers play at that level several weeks in a row? If they can, watch out. But that's a lot to ask.

Posted by Prepfan at 05:35 PM, Nov 04, 2007