GSL football: Andrew Thomas catches touchdown, gathers late pick; Mt. Spokane ekes out 21-18 win over Lewis and Clark

Friday’s matchup at ONE Spokane Stadium could have been a “show me” game for Mt. Spokane. The Wildcats entered play 4-1 with a close win over Mead as their only signature win thus far. Their host, Lewis and Clark, came in with two wins and a reputation for playing hard – no matter the score.

It was more of the same, on both sides.

Mt. Spokane left feeling like it is still trying to find its identity; LC had to find solace in a close, hard-fought loss.

Andrew Thomas hauled in a fourth-quarter touchdown pass – then sealed the win with a late interception – and the Wildcats escaped with a 21-18 win over the Tigers.

Mt. Spokane junior quarterback Cade Strocsher had an up-and-down game, going 11 of 22 for 140 yards, but went 4 of 5 on the drive that culminated with Thomas’ TD catch.

“We haven’t played our best game yet,” Mt. Spokane coach Terry Cloer said. “We’re still searching for it, and we’re still trying to find some things offensively that we can do consistently. We’ve got three more weeks here to figure it out before we get into the playoffs.”

“We’re a family, but we’re still learning to get along, because we haven’t played our best together yet,” Thomas said. “But once we bond, we’re gonna be unbeatable.”

Mt. Spokane took possession up 14-11 late in the third and put together its best drive of the game. Strocsher hit Rock Franklin for 16 and 12 yards, then found Thomas for 15 to the LC 30. On fourth-and-4, Strocsher hit Thomas in stride down the sideline and Mt. Spokane went up 21-11 with 10:26 left in the game.

“Cade threw a perfect ball and I just went up and made the catch,” Thomas said. “Simple as that.”

“We made a couple of huge plays in the end,” Cloer said. “(Strocsher) put the ball in spots down the stretch where we needed to score a couple touchdowns in second half.”

The teams traded punts, and LC got the ball back at its 32 with 4:13 left. A pass interference penalty moved the ball into Mt. Spokane territory, then sophomore Sully Sandusky connected with Calvin Killian on a 29-yard pass to the Mt. Spo 11. A bad snap pushed it back to the 25, but Killian hauled in a corner route for third-and-2 at the 3.

Sandusky rolled out to the left, made a defender commit, and lobbed it to Elijah Nelson for a touchdown. The Tigers trailed 21-18 with 2:14 left.

The Tigers attempted an onside kick, but a procedure penalty moved them back 5 yards. Undaunted, they recovered the second attempt at the LC 47.

On fourth-and-15 at its 42, Sandusky tried to find Killian in the middle of the field but Thomas stepped in front of the receiver and hauled it in to clinch it.

“The interception wasn’t really me,” Thomas said. “It was my team forcing the ball to a specific spot and I just happened to be the one there.”

“I’ve coached him since he was in seventh grade,” Cloer said of Thomas. “It’s been fun watching him mature and grow up and become the football player that he is and make plays on both sides of the football for us tonight.”

The first break of the game went to LC. On Mt. Spokane’s second possession, Strocsher dropped to pass looking for Ethan Williams in the slot. But defensive back Nelson read the play, stepped in front of the receiver and picked it off. His return set up the Tigers at the Mt. Spo 26.

But three plays later, Jax Kelly intercepted LC’s Ben Conklin in the end zone to take the ball right back.

Mt. Spokane was forced to punt and LC got it back at its 30. The Tigers moved into Wildcats territory, but the drive stalled at the 32, where junior kicker Jackson Spitz drilled a 49-yard field goal for a 3-0 lead.

On its next possession, Spitz attempted a 54-yard field goal, but a mishandled snap led to a block, which was recovered by Mt. Spokane at the LC 38.

Strocsher hit Rock Franklin on a fly to the 3, then Rashad Franklin carried it in from there and Mt. Spokane led 7-3 with 3:42 left in the half.

Mt. Spokane went three-and-out on its first possession of the second half, but Kyle Rayment’s punt hemmed LC in at its 5-yard line. On second-and-10, Rock Franklin stepped in front of a slant at the 7 and waltzed into the end zone to put the Wildcats up 14-3.

LC forced a Mt. Spokane punt near midfield, but a bad snap put Rayment into scramble mode. He lost 5 yards, and the Tigers took over at the Wildcats 49. On the next play, Sandusky hit Calvin Killian on a sideline route, and he went the distance.

Sandusky found Nelson on a crossing route for the 2-point conversion, and LC drew within 14-11.

Sandusky, who did not start, finished 18 of 40 for 257 yards with three TDs. Killian made 10 catches for 197 yards.

“You know, we would get a little 10-point lead, and then they battled back and made some plays,” Cloer said. “Their quarterback was stepping up and finding receivers consistently.”