CV Moves Toward Gsl Title Bears Beat G-Prep, But Lose Giampietri To Injury
There were so many reasons for the coach to be happy, but he kept looking at his son and it was hard to tell which one was closer to tears.
Sixth-ranked Central Valley took a giant step toward its first outright Greater Spokane League football championship with a 31-20 victory over Gonzaga Prep, but the Bears paid a price. Senior Ricky Giampietri, a versatile offensive weapon, key defensive back and standout return man, turned his left ankle on the ninth play of the game and coaches fear it could be much more than a sprain.
“It’s been a killer year for him,” said his father and coach Rick Giampietri as Ricky limped after his mother, headed for X-rays. “But for our other kids, they came through. We were flying by the seat of our pants on defense.”
It was a Valley sweep at Albi Stadium for the second straight Thursday night as University stopped North Central 30-0. The doubleheader drew 4,039.
Tonight’s Albi games are Shadle Park (1-3, 1-4) against Rogers (0-5) at 5:30 and Ferris (2-2, 2-3) against Mead (4-1) at 8:45.
CV, with a touchdown and field goal on its first two possessions, seemed well on its way to a big win before fumbling on its 28 on the first play of the third possession. Prep scored quickly, with Joe Ascolese bursting up the middle on a 16-yard scoring run.
Ascolese then had a 23-yard punt return, setting Prep up on its 44, and sophomore quarterback Kevin O’Connell took advantage. Running the option to his right, he was hit behind the line, squirmed free and cut back to his left for a 17-yard scoring run. That gave Prep a 14-10 lead 5:11 before the half.
However, the Bears responded with an 11-play, 74-yard drive, capped by quarterback R.J. DelMese’s 3-yard dive into the end zone. That produced a 17-14 lead 47 seconds before halftime, and the Bears never trailed thereafter.
“That was really big the way we were fumbling around on defense,” coach Giampietri said. “Then we came out with that great drive to start the second half and fumbled the ball away. The defense came through with two stops.”
CV running back Giorgio Usai, who got the starting job when Ricky Giampietri was injured in preseason drills, rushed for 241 yards and two touchdowns. He now has 1,130 yards and 17 TDs, putting him just 24 points from matching the league scoring record of 128 points.
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