Senior Everett Ratliff (left) and junior Alex Torgenson (right) posing for a picture – photo by Hunter Darnall
Dan Baerwald
BOTHELL, WA – On a rainy Friday night at Pop Keeney, the Woodinville Falcons handed the Bothell Cougars their first loss in this year’s KingCo play, to the tune of 38-20.
Just after a Woodinville football flag was seen flying over the Hollywood District in Woodinville, the Falcons (5-2, 2-2 KingCo) turned in a complete performance, forcing three turnovers on defense and leading after every quarter against Bothell, (5-2, 3-1 KingCo) a team regarded as one of the top teams in the state.
The Woodinville offense was on fire, controlling the line of scrimmage the whole game through the offensive line’s efforts, which gave Levi Grothen time to throw and Chase Rudin holes to run through. Grothen finished the day 17 of 27 for 222 yards and three touchdowns passing, and Rudin added 152 yards and a rushing touchdown on the ground. Grothen threw touchdowns to Everett Ratliff, Casey Larson, and Ryan Bowles, each arriving in crucial moments in the game. Ratliff finished with 39 receiving yards, Larson led the team with 84 receiving yards, Bowles had 62 receiving yards, and Dylan Jewell and Rayan Salameh also contributed to the offensive effort.
Woodinville was out for blood on defense, with a flurry of big hits and strong tackles across the defense. Cooper Angellar had a breakout game, turning in a team-leading 8.5 tackles and a second-quarter interception. Ryan Bowles also had several key plays for the defense, forcing, recovering, and returning a fumble 34 yards for a touchdown in the second quarter and later intercepting a pass. Makoa Peneku and Max Flack combined for a sack. Each had multi-tackle games alongside Bowles, Jewell, Ratliff, Trevor and Casey Larson, Jon Pacak, Alex Torgenson, Gabe Porter, and Aiden Erickson. In addition, Adrian Torres and Adrian Calozza assisted in the tackling effort.
Woodinville’s specialists Finley Bragg, Cadan Van de Wege, and Levi Grothen kept a dangerous Bothell return game in check with kicks and punts that sailed out of reach for Bothell. Bragg made five extra points and a 25-yard field goal for Woodinville, also returning one kick, assisted by Casey Larson in the return game.
Woodinville will look to keep their winning momentum rolling into their next game, a 7 o’clock Friday night showdown against rival North Creek (3-3, 1-3 KingCo) at Pop Keeney.