Every time Braden Bouwman takes the field, things get a little easier.
Reads are more obvious.
Blitzes are easier to pick up.
Overall confidence grows for Issaquah’s senior quarterback — a player once resigned to the role of backup.
“Wow, I mean what can you say,” said Issaquah head coach Chris Bennett. “He gives us everything. We don’t dial it back. He comes out and he plays with a lot of confidence, he trusts the guys around him and every week he’s getting better.”
It wasn’t any more apparent than Saturday night — Bouwman’s fourth career varsity start— as he led Issaquah to a 49-13 romp of Marysville-Pilchuck in the opening round of the 4A state playoffs.
“It all starts with the team, I couldn’t do it without them,” said Bouwman, who was named a starter three weeks ago after Ethan Kalin suffered a season-ending elbow injury. “They’re the people that are helping me come through as a backup. They’re the guys that really take me on their backs and get me through.”
Bouwman completed 10 of 14 passes for 218 yards and three touchdowns Saturday, sparking an explosive Issaquah start.
The Eagles marched 78 yards on the game’s opening drive, capped off by a 24-yard pass from Bouwman to junior wide receiver Jake Bakamus. Bouwman, who completed his first six passes, gave a pump-fake and floated a perfect ball over the Tomahawk defender for the easy score.
Fullback Nik Landdeck added a 15-yard rumble for a touchdown and Taylor Wyman added a 3-yard score, helping Issaquah to a 21-0 lead at the end of the first quarter.
The Tomahawks, who run a tricky Wing-T offense, appeared to find a rhythm in the second quarter when quarterback Tylor Kelp broke loose for a 10-yard TD via a fake handoff.
Issaquah countered with just over a minute left in the second quarter when Bouwman found Evan Peterson on a seam route down the left sideline for a 14-yard TD and a 28-7 halftime lead.
The Eagles padded their advantage in the second half, forcing the Tomahawks to punt on their first possession, before responding with a 1-yard run from Wyman.
“They were big and physical but we came out and our line really dominated their line and that kind of opened the running game and opened the passing game,” said Wyman, who carried the ball 21 times for 115 yards and two TDs.
Issaquah, which out-gained Marysville 416 -197 in total offense, tacked on a 59-yard TD pass from Bouwman to Peterson and a 70-yard fumble recovery for a touchdown from Peterson.
The Eagles improved to 9-2 on the season, advancing to a state-quarterfinal matchup with rival Skyline (10-1) Friday, Nov. 19. The Spartans handed the Eagles a 35-6 loss in week four.
“They’ve gotten us lately,” Bennett said. “The best thing is we’re both even right now. We just need to come, play our best game of the year and come out like we did the last few weeks, and let the chips fall where they may.”
Bouwman, who incidentally made his first appearance of the season against Skyline after Kalin suffered a first-half concussion, knows full well the threat the Spartans present.
“The thing about Skyline is we just need to go in and do our thing,” he said. “There’s nothing else to it. We play our game, and if we play the way we did tonight, we can definitely overcome. We’re all about overcoming adversity and we’ll definitely bring our best.”
Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. at Gary Moore Stadium.
