Bellevue players bounce back after crash

Bellevue players bounce back after crash

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Story Published: Dec 1, 2008 at 11:58 PM PDT

Story Updated: Dec 2, 2008 at 8:51 AM PDT

By Denise Whitaker

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LAKEWOOD, Wash. -- They've proven themselves on the football field over and over again this season. And on Monday, the Bellevue Wolverines had to prove they could come back from a bus accident in time for a very important game.

The Wolverines faced off against the Capital Cougars in Lakewood in a rescheduled state semi-final game that was initially scheduled to take place on Friday.

And as kickoff time neared, anticipation was skyrocketing. The Wolverines, whose bus had rolled on its way to the game on Friday, were running late.

"We came like ten minutes before kickoff, so they gave us ten extra minutes," said running back Jamal Atofau.

When the Wolverines finally arrived, they rushed to warm up and get on the field. The players, many of whom reported having aches and pains following Friday's crash, didn't have ample time to stretch. But no matter, when the game began, their spirit won over.

Touchdown after touchdown, the Wolverines kept adding points to the scoreboard. And fans could tell they had been ready since Friday when their bus driver, in an attempt to avoid a ladder in the road, swerved off of Interstate 5 and rolled the bus.

"It was pretty panicky for a short while. But then he (my son) said everybody had a lot of camaraderie," said Rob Abramson, a Bellevue parent.

Many Bellevue players saw playing time as the coach continued to rotate players to give injured players a break.

The Capital Cougars hit the scoreboard in the fourth quarter, but the Wolverines could not be beaten. Bellevue won, 28 to 6.

"It was really something. And the way they're playing tonight, you wouldn't even think that they were involved in a wreck or something," said Paul Parong, a Bellevue fan.

"The coach, Butch Goncharoff, mentioned that he thought the team had kind of been drifting apart a little bit, and it took something like that to really bring them together," said Abramson.

"I think we've come together a lot more now, yeah. Especially after Saturday morning when we all met and had practice, it's definitely a lot better," said lineman Jake Hiller.

The Wolverines are now headed to the state championship.

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