TACOMA — The disappointment was etched on their faces.
It was evident in the heartfelt hugs between players as they tried to console each other.
Edmonds-Woodway’s season was over.
But nothing could diminish the pride the Warriors felt even following a 28-14 loss to Bothell in a Class 4A state semifinal football game Nov. 25 at the Tacoma Dome.
All the players had to do was recall what they accomplished this year.
An undefeated regular season.
A third straight Western Conference South Division championship.
And most notably, the first two state playoff victories in school history.
These achievements helped ease the pain of Edmonds-Woodway’s first and only loss of the year.
“It’s the most successful season we’ve ever had as a school,” junior quarterback/defensive back Kyle McCartney said. “We have to be disappointed because the season didn’t end how we think it should have. But we had some great accomplishments.”
The on-the-field successes were numerous, but head coach John Gradwohl has fond memories of what the Warriors did off the field as well.
The loss in the state semifinals in no way diminished a year Gradwohl and his players will cherish for a long, long time.
“I don’t believe you have to win the state championship to have a successful season,” Gradwohl said. “We had a lot of successes in a lot of different ways. A lot of them were on the football field, but we had successes off the football field — kids getting better grades, etc.
“Sure, winning is better than losing, but I’m going to remember the kids and their commitment and the fun we had together.”
No Edmonds-Woodway, Edmonds or Woodway high school football team advanced as far as the Warriors did in the postseason this year. Edmonds-Woodway was coming off back-to-back losses in the first round of the state playoffs in 2004 and 2005.
Gradwohl told his players they have set a new standard for future teams to aspire towards.
“Every team that comes through Edmonds-Woodway is going to look to us because we set the bar,” senior tight end/defensive lineman Casey Hamlett said. “It’s the farthest any team from Edmonds or Woodway or Edmonds-Woodway has ever got. That’s something to be proud of. I wish we would have won but still how far we got, it’s a lot to be proud of.
“I’m upset right now, but when I look back on it, I’ll realize that we accomplished a big thing for our school.”
The backbone of the team was a talented senior class that was a great role model for their teammates, Gradwohl said.
“They meant everything,” McCartney added. “They were the heart of this team. They kept everyone going.”
The friendships forged among his teammates is what Hamlett took away from his football career at Edmonds-Woodway.
The players didn’t just spend Friday nights together. The rest of the week was filled with practices, team dinners and just hanging out. The players also spent considerable time conditioning together during the offseason.
“You’re with these guys five or six days a week,” Hamlett said. “I’ll just remember the most being with these guys that I love and just having the time of my life because this has been the greatest experience of my life.”
Senior wide receiver Eric Greenwood shares his teammate’s sentiments.
“It’s amazing,” he said. “I’ll remember this forever. The friends I’ve made. The relationships with coaches. Just everything. … It was an amazing ride. We loved every minute of it.”
Edmonds-Woodway (12-1), the No. 1 ranked team in the Associated Press poll and No. 2 team in the Washingtonpreps.com poll coming into the semifinals, might have extended its postseason run by a week were it not for some first-half struggles against a Bothell team that was coming off a national-record-tying nine- overtime victory over Pasco in the quarterfinals.
The Cougars jumped on the Warriors early, scoring on their first two offensive possessions to take a 14-0 lead into the second quarter.
After Edmonds-Woodway’s opening kickoff sailed into the end zone, Bothell mounted 13-play, 80-yard scoring drive. Quarterback Cody Atkinson threw a 7-yard touchdown pass to running back Luke Jones at the 6:11 mark of the first quarter. Luck seemed to be on the Cougars’ side as an Atkinson pass was tipped by a Warrior defender but still ended up being caught by wide receiver Marc Mulholland.
The Warriors started their first drive from their own 33 and advanced the ball to the 44, but a holding penalty moved the ball back to the 31. A false start infraction later pushed Edmonds-Woodway back five more yards and eventually the Warriors had to punt.
Bothell quickly capitalized as five plays later Jones scored on 4-yard touchdown run with 36 seconds remaining in the first quarter. The bounces again went the Cougars’ way during the drive when wide receiver Scott Peterson fumbled a ball that went out of bounds and Bothell retained possession.
“I don’t think we came out playing with confidence,” McCartney said. “That first drive on us, I think we got a little down on ourselves and we had to dig out of a hole. We’ve done it before. We just couldn’t overcome the obstacles tonight.”
On its next offensive possession, Edmonds-Woodway moved the ball from its own 38 to the Bothell 16 but on fourth-and-10 McCartney was sacked and the Warriors turned the ball over on downs.
“It’s tough to have your ‘A’ game every week,” Gradwohl said. “That’s what it takes to win. I give a lot of credit to Bothell. I thought they executed and played at a high level tonight and when they needed to make plays, they made them. … I thought we were a little off, especially the first half. The cogs weren’t lining up for us. I give credit to Bothell for putting pressure on us. It’s not just us. They contributed to that frustration.”
Edmonds-Woodway then fumbled away the ball at the Bothell 26 late in the second quarter. The turnover led to Bothell’s third touchdown — a 2-yard touchdown pass from Atkinson to wide receiver Derek Stottlemyer — with 13 seconds left in the first half.
Both Gradwohl and Bothell coach Tom Bainter agreed that the Cougars’ third touchdown was a turning point in the game.
It’s quite different to go in trailing 14-0 at halftime knowing that you will get the ball to start the second half as opposed to being down 21-0, Gradwohl said.
“It puts a lot of pressure on your offense,” he added. “You’re not just looking for first downs all the time. You’re trying to get a couple of scores. That was huge for them to get it (third touchdown) and for us it was huge not to stop them. Even a field goal would have been a victory for us at that point. We didn’t get it.”
The fumble shifted the momentum back to Bothell, Bainter said.
“Right before the half was huge,” he said. “They make a long pass play. The kid makes a great catch and the ball comes loose. We get it. We’re able to move down the field and score. And that’s probably the biggest series of events in the game right there, going up 21-0 vs. maybe 14-7 or 14-3.”
Edmonds-Woodway didn’t apply enough pressure on Atkinson and that enabled the Bothell senior quarterback the time to survey the field and find his receivers, Gradwohl said.
Atkinson completed 14 of 20 passes for 202 yards and two touchdowns. His favorite target was Mulholland, who had eight receptions for 124 yards.
“Their quarterback threw some great balls,” Gradwohl added. “I think the key to that was he was able to get back and set his feet and we didn’t get the pressure I had hoped we would.”
The Bothell defense kept Edmonds-Woodway’s offense in check for much of the first half.
“They swarm to the ball real good,” Josh Heard said. “They have real good team defense.”
The Warriors amassed 274 total yards on offense (120 rushing and 154 passing). Josh Heard finished with 102 yards on 15 carries.
The Edmonds-Woodway offense, however, finally clicked at the start of the third quarter.
The Warriors took the ball from their own 33 and marched down the field. On the 10th play of the drive Tony Heard scored on a 9-yard run to cut the deficit to 21-7 with 7:54 left in the third quarter.
Bothell responded with a drive of its own, moving the ball from its own 30 to the Edmonds-Woodway 26. But on fourth-and-one, the Warriors stuffed running back Jon Kirchner and Edmonds-Woodway took over on downs.
The Warriors advanced the ball to the Cougar 32 but then were unable to convert on fourth-and-one and the ball went back to Bothell.
The first of two Edmonds-Woodway interceptions then led to the Cougars’ final touchdown — a 5-yard run by Kirchner —- and a 28—7 lead at the 8:17 mark of the fourth quarter.
Edmonds-Woodway chipped away at the Bothell lead, cutting it to 28-14 on a spectacular pass play. Faced with fourth-and-15, McCartney lofted a perfect 71-yard scoring strike to Greenwood with 5:29 remaining in the game.
The Warriors then attempted an onside kick, but the ball was recovered by the Cougars, who subsequently ran out the clock.
Addressing his players following the loss, Gradwohl said this season is an experience they will never forget and that 30 years from now they will look back fondly on the time spent with their teammates.
“It just means so much,” Hamlett said. “It’s been such a wild ride. … we played great this year. We have nothing to be ashamed of. We left it all out on the field.”
This year’s senior class went undefeated as freshmen and sophomores and were major contributors to last year’s playoff team.
Hamlett was glad to have wrapped up his career in the state semifinals.
“It’s been a great run,” he said. “It just says a lot about the character of the guys, that we’re a group of winners and we work hard and we dedicate ourselves to getting the job done. I couldn’t say enough great things about my classmates and the guys on the team.”
Enterprise writer Tony Dondero contributed to this story.
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