Prep Football Notebook | Bothell defense preparing for Skyline QB Jake Heaps

Most high-school quarterbacks throw the ball about 40 yards. When Bothell coach Tom Bainter prepares his defensive backs for most teams, that's a pretty good baseline.

But Skyline's Jake Heaps doesn't fall into the category of most quarterbacks.

"You can't give up on plays; that's what we're trying to preach," Bainter said. "Just because he's out of 40-yard range, that doesn't mean he's not coming to my guy."

The second-ranked Cougars (8-0) know the top-ranked Spartans (7-1) will move the football in today's 7 p.m. KingCo 4A championship game at Pop Keeney Stadium in Bothell. Bainter won't mind if Skyline puts together a few long scoring drives. But, "limiting their big plays is going to be a key," Bainter said.

While these teams have talked about taking each game one at a time all season, this is a matchup both clubs have looked forward to all year, and both coaches expect small details to determine the outcome.

"It's going to be a fantastic environment, and our kids are excited," Skyline coach Mat Taylor said. "Bothell is very, very good. They're very fast. They're very efficient on offense. It's going to take a complete game to be able to win KingCo."

Last season, the Spartans rallied late to edge the Cougars, 16-12. This year, with both teams loaded with experience and talent, the contest is expected to, once again, remain close throughout.

"This game is more important than any game that we've played in," Heaps said. "The Oaks Christian game, there was a lot of hype, a lot of national attention brought to us, but in the state of Washington, as far as we're concerned, this is the biggest game we've played in so far this season."

Tough schedule pays dividends for Mount Si

Mount Si's first four opponents were ranked in one state poll or another this season. It's no surprise the Wildcats, who were replacing 19 of 22 starters, started 1-3.

But after winning four in a row — including a 42-6 victory last week over Juanita, which has also been ranked this year — Mount Si is heading back to the playoffs after one last regular-season game against Liberty Friday night.

"We're used to playing good teams," Mount Si coach Charlie Kinnune said. "We don't get too many patsies on our schedule, hardly ever. Our kids are used to it. We don't get intimidated by anybody. We're going to come out and hit you."

Terrace coach gives old mentor new look

Early in Jackson's 27-17 win over Mountlake Terrace last Friday, Terrace coach Tony Umayam taught his teacher a lesson.

"I've been known in the past to kind of unveil something new offensively every game, so it was kind of like he played an old trick on the old boss," said Jackson coach Joel Vincent, under whom Umayam once coached. "He came out in something that I totally did not expect, or that we'd seen before. They went to this unbalanced look, and it gave us some problems."

The ball-control Hawks used nearly seven minutes to go 80 yards in 15 plays to take a 7-0 lead over the fourth-ranked Timberwolves (8-0). By halftime, Terrace had run 14 more plays than Jackson, despite trailing 17-10.

"We were asking kids to do things that we really haven't asked them to do all year — based on the way they were lining up and forcing us to do stuff," Vincent said about Jackson's halftime adjustments.

The Timberwolves' changes led to a stalemate in the number of second-half plays, and Jackson went on to clinch the WesCo South title with the victory.

Hale gaining steam for Metro title game against O'Dea

Nathan Hale was floundering with a 1-3 record at the end of September after a 40-7 loss to Metro Sound rival West Seattle.

What a difference a month makes.

The Raiders (5-3) are 4-0 in October and won a three-team tiebreaker playoff for the division's spot in the Metro championship game Friday night against No. 5 O'Dea.

"We usually do start slow," Hale coach Hoover Hopkins said. "But each week we focus on getting a little better. We talk about this constantly. We want to peak in October and November, and that's what has happened this year."

Friday night's game will be Hale's third in nine days, but the team is "100-percent healthy," according to Hopkins. The Raiders, who lost to O'Dea 45-14 in the 2007 Metro championship, last won a league title in 1980.

O'Dea (7-1) is seeking its fourth Metro championship in five years. Coach Monte Kohler says the Irish have responded well to misfortune this season, which includes a rash of injuries and an unexpected bye-week after Lakeside forfeited last Thursday.

"They've faced a good amount of adversity this season," he said.

The Irish are likely to be without senior fullback/linebacker Zach Fogerson, who suffered knee and leg injuries against Bainbridge three weeks ago. Another O'Dea linebacker, Marcus Griffin, is out for the year after having knee surgery.

One bright spot has been Keenan Forch, who is among the state leaders in average yards per carry (10.6). In his last two games, against Bainbridge and Eastside Catholic, the 5-foot-9, 200-pound junior has 477 yards and four touchdowns on only 32 carries.

"He's done a nice job and he's had some nice things being done in front of him [the Irish offensive line]," Kohler said. "He played a lot last year and we expected him to play well this season."

Kennedy regroups after injuries, illnesses

Bob Bourgette can hardly believe it.

Not so much that his Kennedy Catholic team has lost back-to-back Seamount League games to Lindbergh and Hazen, but the series of illnesses and injuries the Lancers have endured.

"Everything that could have happened has happened," the Lancers coach said. "It's freaky, freaky stuff. But that's no excuse. It's part of football. ... Hazen and Lindbergh have done a wonderful job and I don't want to take anything away from them."

It hasn't helped that Kennedy's numbers are down this season, leaving Bourgette with only 24 players at practice on occasion.

The Lancers (5-3, 5-2) have lost two Seamount games for the first time since 1991. Hazen (6-2, 6-1) had not beaten Kennedy since 1993, when the Highlanders went 9-0 and won their last league title. Lindbergh (7-1, 7-0) ended a drought stretching back to 1986.

Bourgette expects some players to return for Thursday's game against Mount Rainier, and the Lancers are still in good position for a playoff berth. A win puts them in and they have to lose by 14 or more to fall into a mini-tiebreaker with Mount Rainier and Renton.

White River, Enumclaw ready for Battle of the Bridge

Enumclaw and White River of Buckley have a long-standing rivalry dating back to the days when the two communities shared a single school.

Neither would give up their mascot (Hornets) or colors (maroon and gold) and their games became known as Battle of the Bridge (they are separated by a bridge spanning the White River).

The football rivalry was renewed when Enumclaw dropped to Class 3A in 2006 and both schools became part of the new SPSL 3A league. Enumclaw has won two of the three meetings, losing in 2007.

Both schools have been selling Battle of the Bridge T-shirts, and Friday's winner likely gets a berth into the district playoffs while the loser stays home. Enumclaw (6-2, 5-2) gets the No. 3 seed with a victory, but loses out on a tiebreaker system if White River (4-4, 4-3) wins — unless Bonney Lake (5-3, 4-3) loses Friday to Sumner (2-6, 2-5), which is coming off back-to-back wins.

Notes

• Shey Patton needs eight yards Friday against Bethel to break Spanaway Lake's season rushing record. He has 1,196 despite sitting out one game with an injury. Martese Henderson ran for 1,203 in 1999.

• After missing the first six games with a broken right ankle, Interlake senior Dylan Amell has 11 catches for 160 yards and two touchdowns in the Saints' last two contests.

• After a 27-21 win over Liberty last Friday, Bellevue coach Butch Goncharoff thought receiver/DB Brayden Van Ackeren suffered a blow to the kidneys in the first half. It turned out to be a pulled muscle in his back. The senior's status for Friday's game against Interlake is uncertain.

• Bellevue RB David Nguyen is about two weeks from returning from a foot fracture, which should help the Wolverines' running game in the playoffs.

• It's always an adventure when Arlington (4-4, 3-2) and Stanwood (3-5, 3-2) meet, but Friday's 38th annual Stilly Cup at Larson Stadium in Arlington has added meaning with a WesCo North playoff berth on the line. Both teams enter with three consecutive league wins over the same opponents (Monroe, Oak Harbor and Snohomish) and have scored at least 34 points in those games.

• Cascade's top two rushers were in the Mukilteo School District last year. Aaron Miller (621 yards, five touchdowns) played for Kamiak and Dominique Moore (539 yards, six TDs) was at Mariner.

• In last week's win over Mountlake Terrace, Jackson kicker Daniel Sullivan made field goals of 35 and 46 yards and was perfect on three extra-point kicks, and his six kickoffs produced four touchbacks.

• Jackson had not allowed a third-quarter point all season until a Mountlake Terrace touchdown on a fourth-and-2 play last week.

Times staff reporter Sandy Ringer and freelancers Joshua Mayers and Darren Fessenden contributed to this report.