Week 9 prep football preview: Playoff spots, seeding, league titles on the line in regular season finales

The last games of the high school football regular season is upon us. Some teams will move on to the state playoffs, some will get one last nonleague game to head into the offseason on a good note, and some will face a dreaded tiebreaker or play-in game at the beginning of next week.

Games are split between Thursday and Friday, so consult the capsule for day/time.

Let’s go around the league and take a closer look at the matchups for Week 9.

Game of the week

Cheney (7-1) at Mt. Spokane (7-1): Thursday, 6 p.m. The breakthrough Blackhawks against the perennial powerhouse Wildcats for the top GSL 3A berth to state. The winner most likely receives a home game, while the loser will most likely have to travel to who-knows-where for its Round of 32 game. Last year, the GSL second seed (Mt. Spokane) had to play Mount Tahoma in Tacoma in a Week 10 game.

Cheney has only gotten better as the season has progressed, evidenced by its 41-0 win over U-Hi last week in which Connor Collins threw five touchdown passes. Collins has three dangerous receivers in Mason Stinson, Ashton Huse and Tank Best, and the defense has allowed more than two TDs just once this season.

Mt. Spokane has been held to fewer than three touchdowns just once – in its Battle of the Bell win against Mead. The Wildcats have been searching for their identity all season though, and this will be the test to see if they have found it.

GSL 4A/3A

Gonzaga Prep (8-0) at University (4-4): Thursday 6 p.m. Both teams are locked into their postseason spots. The Bullpups, ranked No. 3 by the state media and coaches association, are the GSL 4A top seed and as one of the top teams in the state will host a game in Week 10. U-Hi, which will finish in third place among the GSL 3A teams, will have to face the Mid-Columbia Conference third 3A team for a spot in the Round of 32.

GSL champion G-Prep got its first challenge of the season last week against Mead before holding on for a 31-23 win. The Titans, who were coming off back-to-back wins, had a clunker against Cheney.

Lewis and Clark (4-4) at Central Valley (2-6): Thursday 7 p.m. The Tigers will finish third out of the GSL 4A teams and are scheduled for a play-in game against the MCC third-place team for a berth to the Round of 32. CV looks to keep rolling after trouncing Shadle Park last week.

Shadle Park (1-7) at Mead (5-3): Friday, 7 p.m. The Panthers are locked into the GSL 4A second playoff spot and get a chance to gain some momentum going into what will surely be a tough road game in Week 10.

Ferris (0-8) at Ridgeline (2-6): Thursday 7 p.m. Two teams with no postseason aspirations this season.

GSL 2A

West Valley (7-1, 5-0) at East Valley (5-3, 4-1): Thursday 7 p.m. If the Eagles win, they will be 2A league champions outright. If the resurgent Knights win, the teams will be co-champs. Either way, both are locked in for a Week 10 playoff spot.

West Valley has not gotten any love from statewide voters in the polls, but other than a Week 2 stumble against 1A Lakeside they just keep winning impressively. The defense has kept opponents to under 10 points five times and has only allowed two or more TDs three times.

The Knights got off to an 0-2 start this season but have only lost once since. They have put up 21 or more points in all but two games.

Clarkston (0-8, 0-5) at North Central (4-4, 2-3): Friday 5 p.m. at ONE Spokane Stadium. If NC wins, it will force a three-way tiebreaker with Pullman and the Deer Park-Rogers winner on Monday at ONE.

Deer Park (3-5, 2-3) at Rogers (4-4, 2-3): Friday 8 p.m. at ONE. The stakes in this one are clear – the winner will play again and the loser is out.

Nonleague

Riverside (2-6) at Pullman (3-5): Friday 7 p.m. The Greyhounds are assured of at least participating in the tiebreaker, if not qualifying for the Round of 32 outright. Riverside is playing its fifth game against GSL 2A opponents.

NEA

Colville (6-2, 2-0) at Lakeside (4-3, 2-0): Thursday 7 p.m. Both teams have qualified for the Round of 24 in 1A, but the winner gets the privilege of calling themselves league champions.