You can’t stop the Blue Train

It isn’t just the athletes. It isn’t just the multiple formations. It isn’t just the pace they play at.

It’s a little bit of everything that makes the Bothell High School football team’s offense so difficult to defend.

Oak Harbor gets the final shot at slowing down what the Bothell faithful call the “Blue Train” when the teams meet for the Class 4A state championship at 7:30 p.m. Saturday in the Tacoma Dome.

What stands out about Bothell’s offense is the its balance, say opposing coaches who have gone against the Cougars.

Bothell has a solid quarterback with two tall, fast receivers and a standout tight end. The Cougars also feature two tough running backs who run behind a strong offensive line. Put it together, and it’s tough to handle.

“They have a lot of formations so they keep you off balance,” said Edmonds-Woodway coach John Gradwohl, whose team lost to Bothell 28-14 in the state semifinals last week.

“Their offensive line did a really good job getting off the line. And the backs run hard. The routes they run are good routes and they are high-percentage routes.”

Lake Stevens coach Tom Tri echoed similar sentiments. His Vikings were run over by the “Blue Train,” falling 33-0 to Bothell in the playoffs’ first round.

“They use a lot of different formations and spread you out,” Tri said. “The bottom line is they have a really good offensive line. It’s dominant.

He also praised the skills of Bothell’s quarterback, running backs, all-Kingco tight end and “two 6-foot-4 receivers who are very good.”

“They’re difficult to defend because they spread you out and can run with either the fullback or halfback and run play-action very well to big, tall, athletic receivers,” Tri said.

Bothell’s balance was evident when the all-Kingco team was named. Two players – senior guard Trevor Hawes and senior tight end Taylor Hudson – were first-team selections on offense. Three others were second team choices and several made the honorable mention. It isn’t necessarily the individual talent, but the way they are used, according to Tri.

“We run some similar stuff,” Tri said. “They’re basically a Pro-I team, but run a lot of one-back with two or three receivers to one side. They spread you out. We’ve seen that from other teams. Watching them on film, we knew they were a good football team.

“No one stands out as being very great. They all just make plays.”

Bothell averages 31.5 points a game and has scored at least 28 in its past six games. The Cougars tend to put the game away early, outscoring opponents 106-10 in the first quarter and 217-47 in the first half. They average 152 yards on the ground and 132 yards in the air.

“They don’t have to do a lot of gambling because they do a good job of driving the ball,” Gradwohl said. “They find a way to get the yards they need. They’re very well balanced and they execute at a high level.”

When Bothell does run it, it used 195-pound junior Jon Kirchner and 215-pound senior Luke Jones. Kirchner has 985 yards and 17 touchdowns, averaging 6.3 yards a carry. Jones has 403 yards and eight touchdowns, averaging 5.7 yards a carry, and also has 15 catches for 209 yards and three touchdowns.

The quarterback is 6-foot senior Cody Atkinson, who completes 58 percent of his 166 passes for 1,405 yards, 11 touchdowns and eight interceptions. He has a pair of 6-4 senior receivers in Blake Ward (23 catches, 439 yards, 19.1 average, five TDs) and Marc Mulholland (25 catches, 401 yards, 16.0 average, two TDs) as well as the 223-pound Hudson (seven catches, 173 yards, two touchdowns) as his top receivers.

All of those potential play-makers mean that Oak Harbor is going to have to make sure it accounts for everyone and plays a disciplined defensive game while tackling well.

“They spread things out,” Tri said. “If you put eight in the box, they’ll throw the ball to those big receivers. If you put seven in the box, they’ll run behind that line. They do a good job mixing it up and you just have to be prepared to defend everything on every play.”