Cougs notch Spaghetti Bowl victory, 19-0

At the 2008 edition of the annual Spaghetti Bowl matchup between cross-town rivals Bothell High and Inglemoor High, it was the dynamic duo of Cougar starting quarterback Mitchell Muller and wide receiver Perry Conricode that came back for seconds. And thirds.

The pair connected for all three Cougar scores in their 19-0 shutout of the Vikings last Friday night at a sold-out Pop Keeney Field in Bothell.

After the Vikings (4-3, 2-2) turned the ball over on downs to start the game, the Cougars began a methodical drive from their own 29 that ended with Muller connecting with Conricode in the corner of the end zone for a 16-yard touchdown pass.

The Cougars mixed up their running and passing game beautifully, led by running back Patrick Ottorbech who ran for 87 of the Cougar’s 122 rushing yards.

After taking a 13-0 lead into halftime, the third quarter began frustratingly for the Cougars as not once, but twice, Muller nailed a receiver downfield for a touchdown that got called back on a penalty. The second call-back, an offensive holding call on a 20-yard touchdown pass to Michael Hartvigson, was the most devastating, as the tide turned from the Cougars having a 19-0 lead to a first-and-25 situation.

As it turned out, the third time was the charm for the embattled Muller, who found a wide-open Conricode for a 26-yard score on a dire fourth-and-16 play.

“He’s my receiver,” said Muller of Conricode, who finished with six receptions for 86 yards. “You know, ‘Throw it up and go get it.’ We do that all the time.”

While many teams would have folded after having two scores negated and racking up 40 yards in penalties, Bothell head coach Tom Bainter was proud of his team for never giving up on that crucial drive.

“That was the epitome of what the entire game was about,” said Bainter. “We moved the ball, shot ourselves in the foot, scored a couple touchdowns and had them called back, and yet we still persevered through all that and still scored that drive.

“That’s kind of how we played the game tonight — there were mistakes on both sides of the ball, but we just kept playing hard and that’s all you can ask.”

Muller, who took over the starting quarterback duties in week three of the season, finished 13-for-18 with 155 yards.

“He’s really cool in the pocket, cool under pressure, he’s accurate in throwing the ball and has been a great leader,” Bainter said. “He’s done a great job, we’re real proud of him.”

Viking counterpart Todd Campbell had a tough night, going 5-for-15 with 24 yards passing. The Bothell defensive line limited Inglemoor’s offense to just 136 total yards for the game, and the Vikings were never able to get inside the Bothell 20-yard line.

“We didn’t expect to pass that much, but our offensive line did great,” said Muller, a 6-foot, 163-pound junior. “Our line is structured around confidence, we had a good week in practice and came out ready to play.”

With the win, Bothell has clinched at least a share of the 4A Kingco Crown division title after its 0-2 start. The Cougars have only allowed two touchdowns during their current five-game winning streak, outscoring their opponents 195-14.

The Blue Train and coach Bainter are now eagerly awaiting their matchup against No.1-ranked Skyline Oct. 30. Many scouts say Skyline is unbeatable.

“Who else would you want to play? You want to be in that spot to play for the No. 2 seed in the opening game of the playoffs,” said Bainter about his team’s much-anticipated game against the Eagles. “You set goals and try to go forward, but we’re where we want to be and I like the way our team’s playing.”