Taking on top-ranked 4A squad Bothell Friday night, Mercer Island had the rare opportunity of taking on the top teams in both 3A and 4A classes this season. While the Islanders fared slightly better than Skyline did against Bothell the week before, the Cougars still performed like a team from a different class.

Getting four touchdowns from running back Sam McPherson, the Cougars ran wild against the Islanders, cruising to a 57-7 win Friday at Islander Stadium. Bothell improved to 8-0 on the season, while Mercer Island dropped to 3-5.

“They’re a good team,” Mercer Island coach Brett Ogata said after the game. “They’re well-coached, their kids are ready to play. KingCo 4A football is really good up there, all those teams are good. Hopefully, we can take this as a learning experience for us and realize where we need to go as a program in terms of level of play, but heck, they’re a great team.”

The Cougars lit up the Islanders for 29 first-quarter points, getting two rushing touchdowns from McPherson and picking off the Islanders three times, including a 40-yard pick-six by Dayzell Wilson on Mercer Island’s second drive of the game. A 23-yard roll out pass from quarterback Ross Bowers to fullback Shawn Munro gave the Cougars a commanding 36-0 advantage with 10:18 left in the first half.

Mercer Island got on the board in the second quarter after Jack Counihan picked off a deflected Bowers pass in Bothell territory, returning it to the 18-yard line. Two plays later, Alfonso Gonzalez found Jordano Mark with a 15-yard touchdown pass. The Islanders forced the Cougars to punt on Bothell’s next drive, but an interception by Caleb Meyer ended Mercer Island’s ensuing possession. On the game’s next play, McPherson burned the Islanders for a 51-yard touchdown run to put the Cougars ahead 43-7 at the half. Throughout Friday’s contest, Bothell left little room for error on both sides of the ball, with the Cougars scoring touchdowns after each of their four first-half takeaways.

When asked if Bothell was the best team Mercer Island faced this season, Ogata stopped just short of putting the 4A Cougars ahead of 3A’s top team, Bellevue.

“They played like it,” he said. “The thing is, we played differently against Bellevue, and Bellevue is a heck of a team, too. It’d be a great game to see those two teams play against each other.”

Mercer Island will wrap its season against Sammamish at 7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 31 at Islander Stadium.