Sometimes, the mind takes control over everything. Especially during football season.
Frank Naish was preparing his Inglemoor High team for last week’s game against Roosevelt High, but he couldn’t stop jumping his thoughts ahead to Oct. 16.
To say that it’s a huge game is an understatement. It’s Bothell High, the longtime Northshore rivalry dubbed the Spaghetti Bowl — it’s go time. Kick off is at 7 p.m. at Pop Keeney Stadium.
“There’s a different level of intensity … it’s hard to explain. I think the same thing can be said about Washington and Washington State,” said coach Naish, noting that the Viking and Cougar players have competed against each other in high school all the way back to Northshore Youth Basketball Association contests. “I think the atmosphere around a game like this … you can take the Kingco out of it and it’s a Northshore game.”
Speaking of Northshore matchups, both Bothell (6-0) and Inglemoor (4-2) recently dispatched of Woodinville, 53-3 and 27-26, respectively, and are ready for each other.
BIG BLUE
Bothell coach Tom Bainter, whose Blue Train is ranked No. 2 in the state, smiled and seemed to long for his football-playing days when he discussed his reason for anticipating the Spaghetti Bowl.
“One thing that we enjoy is that we (as coaches) can compete still. You love to compete against your neighbor. You love to compete in a big game,” Bainter said. “Each year, it doesn’t matter if there are playoff implications or not.
“The crowd is electric and there’s a little bit more buzz in the air.”
Bothell senior quarterback Mitchell Muller — who has thrown 16 touchdown passes this season to Michael Hartvigson, Gene Watson and a host of others — nodded at his coach’s remarks last week and perhaps already mentally placed himself in the QB pocket for this Friday’s game.
Muller has helped lead the Cougars to six dominant victories by a total score of 270-24, but he foresees a nerve-racking experience against his Inglemoor buddies.
“The intensity of the game picks up, a lot of people are gonna be there. It will be loud and there will be a lot of spirit,” Muller said. “I get excited, but I get a little nervous, too. There’s some butterflies there — that’s the way it should be.”
The Blue Train is rolling along just as smooth as ever this season, Bainter said.
“I feel balanced. We’re able to run the ball, we’re able to throw the ball,” said Bainter, whose running back Luke Proulx leads the squad with 12 TDs. “And we can defend the run well and defend the throw well.
“We’ve got size, we’re physical, but we’re still an athletic team as our speed is good.”
Bainter said his two tight ends, Hartvigson and Evan Hudson (both in the 6-foot-6, 240-pound range), have enabled the Cougars to utilize different sets and rack up yardage and points.
Muller likes what he sees from his QB spot.
“I’m always confident that we’re gonna execute the play,” he said, noting that the Cougs can catch teams off guard with their variety of plays and unpredictability.
VIKING QUEST
After starting off 1-2, Inglemoor has won three straight games against Ballard (35-0), Roosevelt (35-7) and the overtime thriller against Woodinville.
The Woodinville triumph put coach Naish and the Viks on a high heading into the rest of the season.
“There were two things against Woodinville: It’s a game you won, and how we won. We didn’t play a perfect game, but it’s the way we did it,” said Naish, noting that his guys are competing together every step of the way, playing solid defense and running the option well. “We’re getting better each week. Early in the season, we had 65 individual players, but we’ve taken care of that — the kids did.”
Senior quarterback Derek Wagner’s 13-yard TD run in overtime was the game-winner against Woodinville.
“It was the most exciting game we’ve ever been a part of,” said Wagner, who had three TD runs and six passing TDs heading into the Roosevelt game. “We all knew we had a chance. It was a big win and it kind of gave us the little step (to success). It made us want to keep working hard and getting better. It set us up for the next few weeks and gave us momentum.”
Joining Wagner in the scoring column are running backs Marc Dickerson, Tanner Sellman and Jerry Molina and wide receivers Peter Meiusi and Craig Jacobson.
Speaking of Molina, he and Mitchell Gonzalez began the season sharing QB duties with Wagner, but now they’ve branched out into other important spots in the lineup.
“We all want to win, even if we were sharing snaps,” Wagner said. “But they’ve stepped up in other positions. Even though they’re not playing quarterback, they’re still making plays.”
There should be plenty of stellar plays on tap during the Spaghetti Bowl. But, like Bainter said, the coaches are just as hungry for a win as the players are. Naish noted that Bothell’s Bainter and Paul Moody used to coach for Inglemoor, and Naish has known Bothell coach Rod Schaaf for some 30 years. Each year, it’s the ultimate showdown of friends and foes alike.
“There’s a lot of mutual respect for each other,” Naish said. “But it’s more our kids against their kids, not our staff against their staff.”
