Although they had two tough opponents, it was hard for anyone in the Bothell High community to fathom the Cougars’ 0-2 start to the 2008 season.
But for one night on the grandest of football stages, Qwest Field, Bothell proved in a big way that it has what it takes to be a dominant force in 4A Kingco football.
The Cougars pounded league rival Redmond, 42-0, in last Saturday’s matchup that featured two teams hungry for their first win.
Bothell got another outstanding performance from star running back Patrick Ottorbech, who put his incredible speed on display during the game’s first play, returning the opening kickoff nearly the entire length of the field for a touchdown. Though it was called back on a penalty, in the first half alone the 5-foot-7 senior ran for 179 yards on 11 carries — not including a 39-yard touchdown reception — statistics that many would be happy with for an entire game.
Midway through the first quarter, it started to pour down rain, creating a difficult, “slip-and-slide” playing condition. Bothell quarterback James Korn had a rough night, making only two completions in the first half. As it turned out, he didn’t need to pass the ball much — the Cougars relied on their running game to build an insurmountable 35-0 lead at halftime.
By the time the Cougars brought in their second and third-stringers in for some valuable playing time, the game was already far out of reach.
The Mustangs struggled offensively, unable to convert nearly all of their crucial third-down opportunities.
“We got overmatched by a very good opponent,” said Mustang head coach Mike Pluschke. “We just didn’t play the type of game that we thought we would play. We were a little off, out of sync … things that would go well, we would follow up with a poor play.”
Pluschke also commended Bothell for blocking their plays well and setting up Ottorbech to do what he does best, carry the ball and weave through defenders — which was on full display on the Cougars’ first drive of the second quarter, when No. 6 broke through three tackles during a 27-yard touchdown run that put Bothell on top 20-0.
“I was working hard on my ‘two speeds’ so I can get guys off balance,” Ottorbech said. “We brought it this week in practice, that’s what happened. We needed this (win) really badly … Winning at Qwest Field, it’s a really good feeling.”
Like his teammates, Ottorbech savored the moment of earning a victory on the field he one day hopes to step onto as a professional athlete.
“It’s amazing here, I love this field,” he said. “The environment just gets everyone on and ready to play.”
Bothell coach Tom Bainter marveled at his team’s ability to change up its offensive strategies, keeping Redmond guessing and, in turn, creating more Bothell first downs.
“Offensively, we were able to throw the ball, run the ball, we were able to mix it up and keep them off balance a little bit,” Bainter said.
The eighth-year Bothell coach was also proud that his kids are learning that the effort put forth during team practices is directly proportional to their success on the field.
“We didn’t practice well at all before the Issaquah game. We had two good practices last week, and all five this week were good,” Bainter said. “We played a good half last week, we played a whole game this week — you play like you practice. The kids are finally believing us (the coaches) a little bit.”
Now that 4A Kingco play is starting up next week, the importance of winning has increased tenfold, and Bainter’s team will be assured of entering next week’s matchup against Lake Washington with a boost of confidence.
“We’ve got a long way to go, we’ve got some wasted time to make up,” admitted Bainter. “We’re getting there, and that’s the good news. It’s the right time to start progressing. We did that last week, so two weeks in a row where we’ve seen progress, and that’s positive.”
