The battle of ‘The Beast’: Coug wins first ‘Top Notch Cup’

Sweat forming on his upper lip, Cedric Cook dug his fork back into the heaping plate of meat on his way to a win in an epic eat-off of “The Beast,” the new monster burger cooked by Top Notch owner Pete Koerner.

Cook stood in the Washington State University corner of the “Battle of the Beast” staged Saturday afternoon.

In the University of Washington corner was Andrew Poleon.

As happened in the previous day’s Apple Cup, the Coug entry came out on top.

“Just keep winning,” said Cook, an overstuffed burp escaping his lips.

Koerner had set up two contestants for a competitive eating match. The Beast burger featured two one-pound hamburger patties topped with a half-pound of ham, a half-pound of cheese and eight slices of bacon on a monstrous bun.

The original contestants bailed out.

When Cook and Poleon, both living in Seattle, sat down and ordered Top Notch burgers, Koerner offered them the chance to tackle the Beast.

The winner earned a $100 prize, a t-shirt and his school’s pennant posted on the Top Notch wall. Loser earned a loser t-shirt and a place on the new “Wall of Shame.”

Both Cook, a WSU grad, and Poleon, a UW alum, dove into “The Beast” from across a round table next to the Top Notch entryway.

After 15 minutes, Poleon had thrown in the towel, leaving more than a pound of beef and the bun in a mangled mess on his plate.

Cook, the Coug, though, continued to attack the carnivorous creation. But try as he might, even after more than 24 minutes, Cook could not pound down the beast.

Afterward, Koerner said he may have to cut in half the ham portion. Poleon said it was too salty.

Husky Poleon took his t-shirt and posed for the “loser” photograph.

“He’s not a nice man,” Poleon said of Koerner.

Cook made a quick retreat to the restroom before coming to claim his prizes and bragging rights for all of eastern Washington.

They then got in their car and headed west for home on Highway 26.