GSL football: Tanner Cummings scores two fourth-quarter TDs as Lakeside upsets West Valley

Crown the Lakeside football team the unofficial 2A Greater Spokane League champions.

The 1A Eagles of Nine Mile pulled away from 2A West Valley 28-13 Friday in Millwood.

Lakeside opened the season last week pasting Pullman 37-0.

It’s evident that the 2A GSL is down this season, but that takes nothing away from what Lakeside did Friday.

Lakeside’s defense was stout when it needed to be and opportunistic on offense.

A 1-yard sneak by quarterback Tanner Cummings extended Lakeside’s lead to 21-7 with 2:44 remaining.

West Valley rescinded, scoring in six plays when quarterback Nathan Zettle found Elijah Newman, who broke three tackles on a great individual effort to get into the end zone 27 yards out. WV missed the extra point, pulling within 21-13 with 1:39 left.

Needing a stop on defense, West Valley came up short. Lakeside increased its lead to the final margin when Cummings dashed 36 yards up the gut with 42 seconds to go.

In this standoff between Eagles, the Lakeside variety soared. It was redemption after West Valley handled Lakeside 38-7 last year.

Lakeside rode the shoulders of Cummings, who completed 13 of 18 passes for 180 yards and two touchdowns. He added 100 rushing including two touchdowns.

Receiver Jett Winger had five receptions for 110 yards and a touchdown for Lakeside.

West Valley moved the ball at times, but had difficulty converting. Zettel completed 16 of 26 for 207 yards.

It was a defensive tug of war in the first half.

The teams played to a scoreless first quarter. On the first possession of the second, though, Lakeside scored the game’s first touchdown, marching 69 yards on 11 plays. Cummings found Winger wide open down the middle of the field on a 25-yard touchdown pass, putting Lakeside ahead 7-0 with 7:30 to go before halftime.

West Valley got as deep as Lakeside’s 1-yard line in the first quarter. But four straight runs from the 5 were stuffed by Lakeside.

On the last possession of the first half, West Valley used a 19-yard pass from Zettle to Nathan Jeffries to get to the Lakeside 9. On the next play, Zettle’s pass went out of the end zone.

West Valley elected to attempt a 26-yard field goal, but Jeffries’ kick squirted off to the right.

Lakeside had 75 yards total offense in the first half to WV’s 152.

West Valley (1-1) travels to Riverside and Lakeside (2-0) goes to Bonners Ferry next Friday.