Friday Night (High)lights: Gonzaga Prep continues to steamroll Greater Spokane League 4A/3A; Rogers rebounds for milestone league win
After one-third of the season, the league races are starting to shape up – even while a third of the teams in the league are still looking for their first wins.
Usually in this space I try to say something pithy or insightful. That’s why they pay me the big bucks!
But sometimes brevity is the soul of wit.
With that, let’s take a closer look at what happened around the Greater Spokane League in Week 3.
Top dogs
Mt. Spokane may be one of the top 3A teams in the GSL, and very likely a playoff team. But Gonzaga Prep is making a claim to be one of the best teams in the entire state.
The Bullpups (3-0) completely dominated the first three quarters, building a 48-0 lead, en route to a 48-20 win over the Wildcats (2-1). It should be noted that Mt. Spokane entered play outscoring its opponents 83-0 in the first two games.
G-Prep needed just 13 offensive plays to run up a 28-0 lead early in the second quarter. That was due to a combination of a relentless defensive effort and an impressive return game, featuring senior defensive back and punt returner Jack Pierce, who took back four punts for a whopping 127 yards.
“The last couple years we’ve put a lot of effort into special teams,” G-Prep coach Nate Graham said. “We put our kids out there, and we expect to dominate that phase.”
A lot of fuss is made about the G-Prep multiple option offense, and rightfully so. It gives teams fits – especially teams that don’t want to play physical football. But Prep’s defense and special teams are just as good, making the Bullpups as complete a team as any in the state.
G-Prep returned most of a team that was knocked out in a state semifinal last year, and they are steamrolling their GSL opponents thus far. They were voted No. 2 in 4A in the state media poll last week, one of three teams to receive first-place votes – along with Lake Stevens and Graham-Kapowsin.
Each win from here on out brings them closer to a showdown against Mead on Oct. 24 which will likely determine the league’s top 4A seed to state.
Blackhawks soar
Cheney used a punishing ground game and efficient passing to move to 3-0 with a 48-14 win over Ferris. Christopher Wilson rushed for 186 yards and four touchdowns on 10 carries while Connor Collins went 11 of 16 for 150 yards with three touchdown passes. It’s a simple but effective recipe they’ve used in all three wins, especially considering the record of their three opponents is a combined 1-8.
The Blackhawks have positioned themselves at the top of the GSL 3A ranks with an eventual date against Mt. Spokane in the last regular season game on Oct. 30. But first, resurgent Cheney gets its first real test next week when they host Gonzaga Prep.
Panther power
Mead is averaging nearly 44 points per game, but it was the defense that impressed in its 47-0 home win over Central Valley as the Panthers held the Bears to 66 total yards and just three first downs for the game. Meanwhile on offense, Landon Thomas is a true dual-threat quarterback, rushing for 99 yards and going 6 of 9 for 95 yards and four TDs, two to Lee Colomb.
Next week’s Battle for the Bell should be as feisty as ever as Mead tries to stay undefeated and Mt. Spokane tries to bounce back.
Rogers rebounds
Rogers set up its early nonleague slate with some testers, taking on 4A A.C. Davis and 2B state semifinalist Freeman in the first two weeks. Those early challenges may pay dividends in league play, as the Pirates had little trouble dispatching Clarkston 46-0 in the early game at ONE Spokane Stadium.
It’s the first time in six years the Pirates (2-1, 1-0) have beaten the Bantams (0-3, 0-1). What was a modest 14-0 lead at the half turned into a blowout as Jerry Allen had a 58-yard TD run and returned a punt 70 yards for a score in the second half.
Late results
Due to late starts and technical difficulties, a few results Friday night didn’t make the roundup in Saturday’s e-edition.
Lewis and Clark (1-2) beat Ridgeline (0-3) on the road 31-10 in a 4A/3A clash as quarterback David Conklin passed for one touchdown and ran for another.
In 2A, Deer Park (1-2, 1-0) outlasted visiting Pullman (0-3, 0-1) 20-14 in overtime. Ian Olietti scored the game-winning TD on an 11-yard run for the Stags.
East Valley (1-2, 1-0) downed North Central (1-2, 0-1) 31-3 at ONE Spokane Stadium as Casey Stephens scored on a pair of short touchdown runs and Conner Nicholson returned a kickoff 84 yards for a touchdown.