4A Prep Football | Bothell outlasts Pasco — in 9 OTs

BOTHELL — At times unbelievable, at times controversial, at times simply absurd, a high-school football playoff game of historic proportions finally ended in nine overtimes with Bothell fullback Luke Jones scoring on a 10-yard run to spark a wild celebration at Pop Keeney Stadium.

The nine overtimes tie a national record set in 1977. The previous Washington record was seven, done twice.

Bothell's 43-40 win Saturday over Pasco, in the quarterfinals of the Class 4A state playoffs, puts the Cougars (11-1) in the semifinals at the Tacoma Dome next week against either Edmonds-Woodway or Woodinville, who played in the late game at Pop Keeney.

"I'm 41 years old and I've played football since I was 8, and I've never seen a game like this," said Bothell coach Tom Bainter, clutching his chest and wiping away tears. "I feel heartbroken for [Pasco] and so excited for our kids."

The emotion teetered back and forth on a combination of inspired defensive stands, great offensive plays, two late fumbles in overtime, a missed field goal and plenty of dropped passes — at least 12 for Pasco.

The crowd's roars and gasps grew in magnitude as the day got colder and the game settled into its third hour, then fourth.

The conservatively played game was tied at 14 at the end of regulation. There were 17 punts, and both teams had one big offensive highlight in the second quarter.

For Pasco: a 35-yard touchdown pass from Shayne Kelly to Justin Perez, in which Perez, while running down the right sideline, adjusted at the last possible moment and caught the ball over his right shoulder while tiptoeing to stay in bounds.

For Bothell: an innocent-looking draw on third-and-17 that ended up becoming a 57-yard lightning-strike by running back Jon Kirchner.

High-school overtime rules call for the teams to exchange possessions starting at the opponents' 25-yard line. Starting in the third OT, each team gets the ball at the 10.

In the first OT, both teams kicked field goals. In the second, Bothell went four-and-out, but Pasco fumbled. In the third, Bothell's defense stuffed Pasco twice from inside the 2. On its turn, Bothell fumbled.

In the fourth and fifth, more field goals. In the sixth, after Bothell failed to score, Pasco's kicker, Kelly, missed a chip-shot field goal.

In the seventh, Kelly hit Perez for a 10-yard TD. On Bothell's turn, third-string running back Robert Schaefer scored from the 2 on fourth-and-goal. In the eighth, Bothell quarterback Cody Atkinson scrambled in from 10 yards. Kelly hit Seth Halliday to tie.

And in the ninth, after Kelly kicked another field goal to put his team up 40-37, Bothell got the ball, took a deep breath and called a fullback dive to the left side.

"It came down to who wanted it more, and I wasn't going to give up, not an ounce of my body," Jones said. "I just kept my feet pumping, and I was going to end up in the end zone or I was going to die trying."

Kelly hit three field goals and two extra-points in overtime. Bothell's Connor Risden, also the Cougars' starting center, matched him kick for kick.

Bothell's Kirchner finished with 132 yards on 21 carries before leaving with leg injuries. Jones had 42 yards rushing and two scores.

For Pasco (10-2), which has lost in the postseason three straight years to a KingCo 4A team, Kelly completed 14 of 44 passes for 140 yards and three scores. Lucas Urlacher, cousin of the NFL Bears' linebacker Brian Urlacher, ran 30 times for 84 yards.

Bothell next plays on Saturday at 7 p.m. in a semifinal against Edmonds-Woodway, a 13-3 winner over Woodinville, at the Tacoma Dome.