Bothell falls one play shy

BOTHELL – What they wouldn’t give for one more second.

Time ran out on the Blue Train Friday night, as the Olympia football team knocked off Bothell 20-13 in a Class 4A state quarterfinal playoff game at Pop Keeney Stadium.

Bothell threatened late, but time ran out before the Cougars could get off one last play 14 yards away keeping hope alive.

“Not my life, but I’d give up anything else (for one more play),” said Bothell wide receiver Travis McKee. “We played a great season. Everyone on this team played their hearts out. We just came up a little short at the end.”

The Cougars were just happy to be in the postseason last year, when they won the first state playoff game in school history. Losing their first game of the season after 11 straight victories was tougher to take than the 2002 quarterfinal defeat by Capital.

“It’s a lot harder,” said McKee, who caught seven passes for 59 yards. “We expected a little more this year, I think.”

The Cougars, almost jovial after the Capital game last season, were visibly shaken on the cold night in a stadium that could not have possibly held one more person in a crowd that likely approached the 8,000 mark.

“These seniors are great football players, but they are even better kids,” said Bothell coach Tom Bainter, whose team finished 11-1. “That’s what I’ll miss most about them. They came to get better every day.”

Olympia (12-0) will play Ballard in a state semifinal next weekend.

Already leading 14-7, Olympia seemed to put the game away when Luke Kravitz stumbled into the end zone with 6:58 remaining. The ball, however, was knocked loose just before he crossed the goal line and recovered by the Cougars.

Bothell fullback Nick Jones, who rushed for a team-high 75 yards on 14 carries, started a 99-yard TD drive with a 19-yard rumble. He finished the drive with a 4-yard TD plunge to cut the score to 14-13 with 1:41 remaining. Olympia blocked the extra point attempt, which was hindered by a high snap.

Kravitz, who gained 173 yards on 33 rushes, atoned for his fumble. After Michael Lohnes recovered Bothell’s onside kick attempt, Kravitz carried the ball three times for 50 yards, including a 5-yard TD run with 1:07 remaining. Bothell’s Stephan Clark blocked Olympia’s extra point attempt to keep the Cougars within 7 points.

Cougars’ quarterback Tony Gardiner led Bothell’s last gasp, completing five of six passes for 46 yards. Time expired just before the Cougars could utilize one more play.

“My heart bleeds for them,” said Bainter, tears welling up in his eyes. “They didn’t want it to end like this. Everyone is going to remember (the end), but we played a pretty bad first half of football.”

Olympia’s first drive covered 65 yards on 14 plays for a 7-0 lead. The Bears converted two fourth downs during the drive, which spanned seven minutes, 40 seconds.

Kravitz drove a Bothell defender into the end zone on his way to a 5-yard TD run.

Bothell didn’t pick up a first down until 3:53 remained in the second half. The first positive of the game was marred by a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty at the end of the play. The Cougars drove to the Olympia 17, but Kravitz intercepted a Bothell pass in the end zone to preserve the Bears’ 7-0 halftime lead.

Flag-throwing was a popular activity in the first half. Olympia committed six penalties for 50 yards, while the Cougars chipped in for 40 yards on four penalties.

Bothell ran only 16 plays in the half for a total of 77 yards. The Bears countered with 35 plays, including 29 rushes for 108. Kravitz finished the half with 80 yards.

Bothell’s Brett Wilcox returned the second-half kickoff 41 yards to the Olympia 46, and the Cougars took an extra 15 yards on an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty.

Bothell drove 39 yards, capped by Jones’ 14-yard bull rush into the end zone for a 7-7 tie 2:08 into the third quarter.

Desmond Davis returned the ensuing kickoff 84 yards for a TD.

Gardiner finished the game 16 of 24 for 168 yards.

At Pop Keeney Stadium, Bothell