Arrow-right Camera
The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Shadle Park Gets Elusive First Win

GSL football

Shadle Park was tired of losing.

Ferris deserved a break.

Both struggling Greater Spokane League football teams couldn’t have it their way at Albi Stadium Thursday night and it was the Highlanders who held on for a 27-25 win.

“The whole thing is we’re sick of losing,” Shadle standout Tim Snell said. “These four games taught us a lesson about football. We finally played with heart.”

It’s not that Shadle Park, a playoff team a year ago, didn’t deserve a win after an 0-4 start but Ferris was nearing disaster. After a 1-3 start, quarterback Andre Atkins and wide receiver Tommy Servine turned in their equipment Monday.

“They said that these kids (the rest of the Saxons) didn’t have the will to win, didn’t have heart,” Saxons coach Clarence Hough said. “I don’t buy that. Those two kids didn’t spend 1 second with our program this summer.”

Sophomore Brian Lee stepped in at quarterback and though he made some key mistakes, he made some plays that kept the game in doubt until the final seconds.

In the first game of the doubleheader, which drew 2,455 fans, Post Falls rallied to beat Mt. Spokane 27-16.

Shadle 27, Ferris 25

The Highlanders (1-4), dodged an early bullet when the Saxons (1-4) returned a punt to their 10, but Lee’s first varsity pass was picked off in the end zone.

Shadle then put together an 80-yard drive, followed by a 35-yarder for a 14-0 lead.

Ferris got into the game with a big punt return and Nick Bozo’s 23-yard scoring run on the next play got the Saxons on the board. However, the Highlanders blocked the conversion kick, ultimately the difference at the end.

It was 14-6 at the half and in a wild second half the teams traded touchdowns.

It was 21-19 midway through the fourth quarter when Snell stepped in front of a Lee pass and raced 25 yards for a touchdown that made it 27-19.

“I heard them checking for it a couple times and finally caught on,” Snell said. “The coaches told me it was coming. They deserve credit.”

Ferris got a 70-yard punt return by K.C. McVey called back by a clipping penalty, but Lee erased that with a 61-yard scoring pass to Jonathan Parker with 3:40 to play, cutting the gap to 27-25. Lee was sacked on a two-point conversion attempt.

An onside kick didn’t work and Shadle forced the Saxons to burn their time-outs. When Ferris got the ball back, Lee fumbled after a sack in the final minute as Shadle took the win.

“We’ve really been struggling, it’s nice to move the ball with more consistency,” Shadle Park coach Mark Hester said. “We showed a little more poise tonight.”

Ferris 0 6 6 13 -25

Shadle Park 7 7 7 6 -27

S-Peters 8 run (Reich kick) S-Snell 1 run (Reich kick) F-Bozo 23 run (kick failed) F-Parker 7 pass from Lee (pass failed) S-Bruck 15 pass from Ryan (Reich kick) F-Bozo 2 run (Slack kick) S-Snell 25 Interception return (kick failed) F-Parker 61 pass from Lee (run failed) F S First downs 19 12 Rushes-yards 37-173 46-160 Passing yards 226 36 Return yards 104 85 Passes 16-30-4 3-10-1 Punts-avg. 2-40 5-34.3 Fumbles-lost 3-1 1-0 Penalties-yards 11-85 2-20

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

RUSHING - Ferris: Bozo 24-171, Sedler 9-28, Parker 1—4, Lee 6—22, Shadle Park: Snell 24-99, Peters 9-43, Livingstone 9-33, Ryan 4—10, PASSING - Ferris: Lee 16-30-4-226, Shadle Park: Ryan 3-10-1-36, RECEIVING - Ferris: Parker 7-1-124, White 5-1-48, Mayes 2-1-23, Hamilton 1-1-8, Sedler 1-1-3, Shadle Park: Bruck 2-1-26, Johnson 1-1-10, Attendance: 2,455

PF 27, Mt. Spokane 16

The Trojans (2-3-1) scored twice in the final 5 minutes to rally past the Wildcats (0-5).

Adam Fehling, the quarterback-turned-running back because of injuries, rushed for 201 yards on 30 carries, including a 28-yard score when he broke two tackles. He also caught two passes for 24 yards and completed 2 for 27, including a 19-yarder to Cameron Christiansen for the touchdown to ice the game with 2:26 to play.

Mt. Spokane led 16-14 in the third quarter and had Post Falls pinned down on the 13 with a third-and-20 situation, but gave up a 69-yard pass play from Ben Sharon to Christiansen. Two plays later, Sharon hit Chad Quesnell from 16 yards out for the go-ahead touchdown.

“Third-and-20 from the 13 and we let someone get behind us,” Mt. Spokane coach Mike McLaughlin lamented. “Those are growing pains.”

Post Falls 0 7 7 13 -27

Mt. Spokane 7 3 6 0 -16

M - Wilson 91 run (Snyder kick) M - Snyder 49 field goal P - Christiansen 19 pass from Sharon (Leary kick) P - Fehling 28 run (Leary kick) M - Wilson 58 fumble return (kick failed) P - Quesnell 16 pass from Sharon (kick failed) P - Christiansen 19 pass from Fehling (Leary kick)

, DataTimes