In the history of Kingco football, most coaches can count on the fingers of one hand how many times a regular-season football game has been nationally televised.

But last Thursday’s league crossover matchup featuring the seemingly unstoppable Skyline High Spartans (9-0), ranked as high as No. 7 in the nation, and the reigning state runner-up Bothell High Cougars (6-3) was not an ordinary game.

Not only did it decide the league championship between the two unbeaten teams in 4A Kingco, but it also featured Skyline quarterback Jake Heaps, who has gotten national attention for his laser-guided throwing arm and play-calling ability, as well as 21 NCAA Division-I offers — as a junior.

In the end, Skyline notched a 16-12 victory.

After the Cougars went three-and-out to start the game, Skyline capped an 11-play drive from its own 27 with kicker Brian Schwartz booting a 28-yard field goal to put the Spartans on the board.

On Skyline’s next possession, Heaps, who had only been intercepted once all season (Sept. 19 against Lake Washington), was picked off by Cougar wide receiver Perry Conricode. Minutes later, Bothell was faced with a decision at fourth-and-goal from the 5, and elected to take a field goal to tie the score at 3-3 early in the second quarter.

Nick Kaylor’s field goal, with 9:23 left in the second quarter, was the first score given up by Skyline’s first-string defense all season.

On the highlight reel for the Cougars was senior running back Patrick Ottorbech weaving through the Spartan defense for a 25-yard score to put Skyline in a completely unfamiliar situation, trailing in a football game, 9-3.

“Keep the ball away from them in first half, that was the game plan,” said Bothell head coach Tom Bainter. “We dropped a couple of passes early … then we got our running game going a little bit. And it was what we needed to do, keep the ball out of (Heaps’) hand, but our punter (Kaylor) punted well.”

After a tense halftime meeting in the home locker room where Skyline coach Mat Taylor told his players “We need to learn to grow up,” Heaps and Spartan receiver Kasen Williams connected for a 33-yard touchdown on the opening drive of the second half.

Midway through the third quarter, Kaylor booted a clutch 39-yard field goal to give the Cougars a 12-9 lead, but in the end the Heaps-Williams duo proved too much for Bothell to handle. After converting a do-or-die fourth-and-1 from Bothell’s 32, Heaps went to Williams twice more, including the game-winning 16-yard touchdown pass that Williams caught falling down in the end zone.

“We had kept running short hitches, and designed (plays) to set him up for that and just get it in the end zone as quick as he can,” said Williams, who finished with nine receptions for 182 yards. “It was a good throw. Jake obviously is a good quarterback, he read the corner well, it was a good pitch-and-catch.

“My dad just taught me to keep pushing, keep moving my feet, that’s what I did.”

Bothell starting quarterback Mitchell Muller went 11-for-17 with 97 yards passing, but the real story was how the Spartans were able to stop Bothell’s running game in the second half, limiting the Cougars to minus-4 rushing yards and just 31 yards total in the final 24 minutes of play.

“There were things we executed well,” said Bainter. “But there were times we had breakdowns, and when you break down against this team, Heaps will find it and make you pay.”

Under the bright ESPN lights and under pressure from Bothell’s defensive line, however, Heaps looked more uncomfortable than he had been all season. Although he passed for 261 yards in an 18-for-33 evening, he was intercepted twice, sacked three times and often had trouble locating his receivers, who were being covered by Bothell defenders like sleeping bags.

“We tried to drop eight at times, bring five and four, we tried to mix it up and keep them guessing,” said Bainter on his team’s strategy for covering Heaps. “He’s such a great quarterback, he’s going to see all that, and he’s got four unbelievably talented weapons there.”

Even with Heaps’ solid night, it was Williams’ performance that Bainter admired the most.

“That kid, I don’t know if we can match him with that talent,” Bainter marveled. “Williams is a special kid.”

After giving Skyline by far its best game of the year, Bainter and company are poised to take on another deep playoff run, which starts this Friday at home against Bethel High from the 4A South Puget Sound League.

“I’m pleased with our effort, and absolutely pleased with our team, just disappointed in the outcome of the game,” Bainter said. “Right now, the second season starts, and we just have to continue to get better, and we’ll keep doing that.”