Finally tested, No. 1 Graham-Kapowsin sticks with its gut-busting run game to turn away Bothell: 4 observations

SPANAWAY - Eric Kurle doesn't care much for the quarterfinal round of the WIAA football playoffs.

For his Graham-Kapowsin Eagles, advancing past that juncture has been like running nowhere in mud.

"I've gotten stuck there a lot of times in my career," Kurle said.

Well, it was fitting that the Eagles were facing not only the last team to defeat them in the Class 4A quarterfinals (2019) - Bothell - the Cougars were also the last team to hand Graham-Kapowsin a loss overall.

It was a different outcome Friday night. The top-seeded Eagles rolled up 486 yards of offense, and survived to advance to the state semifinals for the first time since 2014 with a 41-25 victory over No. 9 seed Bothell at Art Crate Field.

Joshua Wood passed for 144 yards and three touchdowns, but it was Graham-Kapowsin's rushing attack that did the most damage - 342 yards, paced by Zackary Lee's game-high 164 yards.

Logan Lacio completed 17 of 28 passes for a game-high 247 yards and three touchdowns in a losing effort for the Cougars.

Here are four observations from the Graham-Kapowsin-Bothell game:

ZACKARY LEE IS A BOSS

The Eagles' power run game features a three-headed rotation at running back, plus Wood sprinkled in.

But the leader late in the year is Lee, who isn't the biggest guy (5-foot-8, 175 pounds), but runs with a dangerous combination of quickness and power anyway.

He broke loose for gains of 23 and 24 yards on the Eagles' second drive, which ended with Jalen Davenport's 2-yard touchdown run to give the 4A SPSL champions a 14-7 lead.

Lee added a 14-yard run on the team's final first-half march, which ended in another touchdown. And his biggest gainer - 48 yards - set up Khalil Yarbo's 4-yard scoring scamper at the 3:06 mark of the third quarter, extending the Eagles' lead to 27-10.

"He is dynamite," Kurle said.

Kurle compares him a lot to the running back that put the Eagles out of the postseason in 2019 - Bothell's Christian Galvan. And now that Lee is 20 pounds heavier as a senior, he can not only take the pounding on inside runs, he can break tackles.

"Oh, I'd like to think I'm pretty valuable," Lee said. "But I stay pretty humble. We've all got our part."

PLAY OF GAME WAS A JOSHUA WOOD SPECIAL

Wood looks forward to his route-adjustment discussions with his receiving crew - in the car after school, on the field before the game or even in the huddle for the final play of a half.

Fortunately, Wood gave Stephen Mars a heads-up in the final 2.5 seconds of the first half.

Up 14-10, the Eagles were at the Bothell 22-yard line for one play before halftime. And the design was to get tight end Andrew Savaiinaea on a fade route to the end zone.

But not only did the Bothell safeties do a good job in their coverage, the Cougars' pressure forced Wood to roll out to his right.

That is when Mars flashed in the vicinity

"We talked about ... if the linebacker comes up, go to the middle," Wood said.

Mars finished his out-route, made a fantastic grab on a pass that was behind him - and took one giant leap to the goal-line, which he crossed for a 22-yard touchdown connection to end the half.

"I was in there, for sure," Mars said.

The Eagles led, 21-10.

"It was a big play in the football game right there," Bothell coach Tom Bainter said.

AT TIMES, BOTHELL GAVE THE EAGLES FITS

For a team facing what many felt was the complete opponent in the state, the Cougars carried a quiet confidence into the matchup Friday.

And they had reason to - Graham-Kapowsin's pass rush did little to bother Lacio. And on defense, Sammy Stewart (who later left the game with a serious leg injury) picked off Wood in the first half to set up the Cougars' first touchdown.

"We didn't feel they got off the ball well - and we were surely going to," Bainter said. "Hey, we did not want to be afraid of anybody. We weren't going to abandon what we do."

The Cougars cut it to 27-17 on Lacio's 52-yard touchdown pass to Kyree Percival with 54.3 seconds remaining in the third quarter - the closest any Graham-Kapowsin opponent has been in the second half.

But the difference in the game was the Eagles' big chunks of rushing yards.

"Bothell is well-coached, and has tough kids," Kurle said. "They don't give up."

IS PASS DEFENSE GRAHAM-KAPOWSIN'S BIGGEST WEAKNESS?

Even without Stewart, its top pass catcher, Bothell might have exposed a kink in the Eagles' armor moving forward by easily moving the football through the air.

Lacio completed 13 of 22 passes for 188 yards in the second half against Graham-Kapowsin's zone coverage. Not only did he find Percival on a big scoring pass, the Cougars' first touchdown was on a 24-yard pass to Stewart.

"We saw some stuff we have to work on - (coverage) drops and stuff," Kurle said. "We might have a good passing team coming in next week."

To make matters worse, nickel back Vinicio Hansen - the team's best cover man - injured his shoulder in the first half and did not return.

(Featured file photo by Vince Miller)