First came the “scoop and score” for a touchdown off of a blocked field-goal attempt.
Then came the 88-yard kickoff return for a touchdown.
Behind big play after big play Friday night at French Field in Kent, No. 5 Bothell throttled fourth-ranked Kentwood 49-14 in a Class 4A state tournament opener.
In a game that was expected to go down to the wire, the Cougars deflated the Conquerors’ hopes on a pair of plays – a 60-yard blocked field goal returned for a touchdown by Danny Wilson Jr. to end the first half, and an 88-yard kickoff return for a score by star Luke Proulx to begin the third quarter.
“Instead of going into halftime up 14-10, it’s 21-7,” Bothell coach Tom Bainter said of Wilson’s return. “Then we get the kickoff return (to start) the second half, and I think that took a lot of wind out of their sails. That hurt them a lot.”
With the win, Bothell (9-2) advances to play Bellarmine Prep (a 38-19 winner over Arlington) in the second round of the state playoffs at 1 p.m. Saturday at Mount Tahoma High, 4634 S. 74th St., Tacoma.
Tacoma. The loss was the only blemish on an otherwise perfect season for Kentwood (10-1).