Prep Football Notebook | Prime time at Skyline

Two semi trucks have already arrived at Skyline High School. With them came 40 members of ESPNU's broadcast team, seven cameras, and enough equipment to transform Skyline Stadium into a 100-yard stage.

The KingCo 4A football championship game is coming to prime time today, when the Crest Division champion Spartans host Crown champ Bothell. The 5 p.m. game will be broadcast on ESPNU, a national cable channel.

And though the majority of Seattle area residents won't be able to watch it in their homes — mega-cable carrier Comcast doesn't offer ESPNU on any package — the largest crowd in Skyline's 11-year history will. At least 5,000 fans are expected.

"It's going to be real loud, and it's going to be a lot of fun," Skyline receiver Gino Simone.

Both coaches have spent hours briefing commentators Dan McLaughlin and Gus Ornstein on their teams. But otherwise, the preproduction has not taken the teams far out of their normal schedules.

"No makeup rooms or anything like that," Skyline coach Mat Taylor said.

Both teams played on television last year, when Skyline beat O'Dea in the Class 3A state championship game and Bothell lost to Spokane's Lewis and Clark in the 4A final.

After a move up to 4A this season, Skyline has won its first eight games convincingly and climbed to seventh in the USA Today Super 25. While averaging 42 points on offense, the Spartans' starting defense has yet to allow a point.

Bothell coach Tom Bainter is impressed.

"In my 20 years of coaching, I can't remember a team I've seen that is as good as Skyline is," he said.

Bothell swept through the Crown Division with five straight wins. The Cougars are 6-0 since opening the season with losses to Issaquah, now ranked seventh in 4A, and Bellevue, the top-ranked 3A team.

"You can tell that they're back, and full speed ahead for that Blue Train," Taylor said of Bothell.

West Seattle, E. Catholic seek end to title droughts

West Seattle's last Metro League football title was in 1961. Eastside Catholic, which opened in 1980, won its only Metro football crown in 1993.

One will go home with the league trophy Friday night at Memorial Stadium.

At 7:30 p.m., fifth-ranked West Seattle (8-0) faces the seventh-ranked Crusaders (7-1).

In the third-place game at 5 o'clock, O'Dea (6-2) faces Rainier Beach (4-4). The Irish have won six Metro titles this decade and the Vikings two.

"This is a huge opportunity for us to showcase our skills," said West Seattle senior quarterback Aleks Sils.

Coach Davis Lura has moved West Seattle into the title game in only his second year. One of team's best weapons is UW recruit Aaron Grymes, who plays multiple positions and is back on the field after missing time with a knee injury.

"Speed, speed, speed — we need to contain it," said EC Coach Bill Marsh. "Our offense has to stay on the field to keep it away from [T.J.] Lee and Grymes."

Lee has run for 11 touchdowns and is averaging 124.3 yards rushing.

EC has its own featured back in Mike Bush (99.5 yards per game) and has the league's most dangerous return man in Marion Bactol, who has returned three punts and two kickoffs for touchdowns.

EC will be without standout linebacker Nick Tengtio, out for the rest of the season with a knee injury.

Standout Kennedy player might be finished

Bob Bourgette was full of quips and quotes Wednesday morning after hearing Nolan Washington's knee injury did not appear serious.

But the Kennedy coach quickly changed his tune Wednesday afternoon when the prognosis changed and he learned his star player could be out for the season.

"I'm in shock," he said. "Just this morning, everything seemed fine."

Bourgette originally was told the injury looked like "a bad, bad, bad contusion."

Washington, an explosive all-purpose player, figured he would sit out today's game against Mount Rainier, but return in time to help the sixth-ranked Lancers (7-1, 7-0) make a run deep into the 3A state playoffs.

An MRI showed apparent ligament damage. Bourgette said Washington would be out four to six weeks, "essentially the season."

Washington planned to see another specialist Wednesday afternoon or today, Bourgette said.

Federal Way LB Pulu's season probably over

Federal Way's Andru Pulu, a preseason all-state linebacker who has committed to Washington, likely will miss the rest of the season with a knee injury. Coach John Meagher said the injury was diagnosed as an MCL tear. Pulu is scheduled to meet with a surgeon today.

Federal Way, already assured a playoff berth, will have quarterback/defensive back Nick Tanielu back for Friday's game against Jefferson. Tanielu missed last week's game after suffering a concussion.

Academic casualties cloud Lake Stevens outlook

Lake Stevens will be without four starters, called "academic casualties" by coach Tom Tri, for Friday's WesCo North season finale at Snohomish.

Tri clarified that the players were eligible according to state rules, but not by the tougher district standards.

"This is about the worst timing you could have with this," Tri said. "There's a lot riding on this game."

Lake Stevens must win to lock up the No. 2 spot in the division and host a game in the preliminary state playoff round. A loss to Snohomish, which is playing for its playoff life, would give the Vikings the North's No. 3 seed and force them to travel next week.

The Vikings already expected to be without two-way starters Bo Dickinson and Duke Dolphins, who have ankle injuries.

Notes

• Eight of 15 Renton players suspended for their roles in a fight during a game against Tyee on Oct. 17 are eligible to return Friday against Highline. Six others must sit out one more game and one has been suspended for the season.

• Win or lose tonight against Rogers, Puyallup will fail to make the playoffs for the first time in Tom Ingles' five years as head coach. Puyallup last missed qualifying in 2003, under Jeff Gardner, now head coach at Bonney Lake.

• Roosevelt plays at Eastlake and Inglemoor is at Newport in winner-to-state, loser-out KingCo 4A games Friday.

• Four teams share the WesCo 3A lead at 2-1. The winners of Friday's Everett-Meadowdale and Shorecrest-Glacier Peak games will claim the league's only guaranteed playoff berths. One of the losing teams — decided by a head-to-head season tiebreaker — will advance to a loser-out playoff game against a team from the Northwest Conference.

• Marysville-Pilchuck has clinched at least a share of the WesCo North title for the first time since 1975. The fifth-ranked Tomahawks (8-0, 5-0) can win it outright Friday at Oak Harbor.

• Everett's Jake Frauenholtz was named state player of the week by the U.S. Army and the Seahawks for his four-touchdown, two-interception performance in 40-13 win over Shorecrest last week.

Staff reporters Craig Smith and Sandy Ringer, and freelancer Joshua Mayers contributed to this report.