Friday Night (High)Lights: League races start to show haves and have-nots in Greater Spokane League
Week 5 is in the books, and the two Greater Spokane League divisions have pretty much split into the haves and the have-nots for this season. And since we now know (at least unofficially) how many teams will qualify for postseason, head-to-head matchups between the contenders down the stretch will be critical for seeding the Week 10 Round-of-32.
The total berths haven’t been officially announced, but it’s likely that three teams in 4A, three from 3A and four from 2A will qualify for the postseason. The No. 3 team from 4A may have to participate in a Tuesday play-in game Week 10, but that’s the best information we have at this time.
In 4A, Gonzaga Prep and Mead are locks, and Lewis and Clark is all but assured as Ferris remains winless five weeks in. In 3A, Mt. Spokane and Cheney have a two-game lead over the field, with Ridgeline and University tied for the third spot – and a showdown on Oct. 17.
As for the 2As, West Valley’s win over Rogers in Week 5 gives them a leg up on a league title, while the Pirates will now have to fend off Deer Park and East Valley – all three have one league loss with four to play.
Let’s take a closer look at what happened around the Greater Spokane League in Week 5.
Rolling on
Gonzaga Prep actually allowed the first score against Lewis and Clark – the first time the Bullpups starting defense has allowed a touchdown in the first three quarters of games this season – then responded with 47 unanswered points to move to 5-0.
Backup quarterback Andrew Yarno handled the spot start quite well, with 75 rushing yards and two TDs, and another one through the air. G-Prep faces Central Valley and Shadle Park, with two wins between them, the next two weeks before its showdown against Mead.
Bell hangover
Mt. Spokane coach Terry Cloer said it best Friday night. “We’ve been doing this long enough that after the Battle of the Bell, it’s always tough to find the emotion to play well the week after.”
Both Cloer and Mead coach Kyle Snell talked about maintaining focus after both teams ground out wins in Week 5, the Panthers on Thursday against winless Ferris and the Wildcats on Friday over a feisty University squad. Neither win was pretty, but they kept both teams at one loss.
Hawks hunting
The third one-loss team, Cheney, had little trouble staying there with a 61-0 win over Shadle Park. The Blackhawks limited Shadle to 68 total yards, while piling up 201 yards on the ground.
Cheney still has meetings with Mead and Mt. Spokane upcoming, but the Blackhawks have positioned themselves well for their first postseason appearance since moving up to 3A a few years ago.
Bragging rights
West Valley took an uncharacteristic loss to a smaller school earlier this season but has rebounded with a vengeance. The latest win – a convincing 24-7 victory over contender Rogers at ONE Spokane Stadium.
The Eagles have given up just 10 points in two league games and don’t face another team with an overall winning record the rest of the way.