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

Bullpups earn playoff berth


Gonzaga Prep quarterback Billy Karwacki tries to break a tackle in the Bullpups' 17-14 win over Kennewick at Albi Stadium on Tuesday night during a play-in game for the state football playoffs. 
 (Jed Conklin / The Spokesman-Review)

Sometimes momentum has to be ripped away, other times grabbed at the top of a jump.

Occasionally it has to be earned by an all-out dive or obtained by getting to the right spot.

In Gonzaga Prep’s case Tuesday night, it was all those things.

Thanks to big momentum-stealing plays – and some old-fashioned smash-mouth football – the Bullpups topped visiting Kennewick 17-14 and earned their way into the State 4A playoffs with the play-in game win before 1,910 at Albi Stadium.

The Pups (10-1) will play the Big Nine Conference’s No. 2 team, Southridge, a 23-20 winner over Shadle Park, at 1 p.m. Saturday at Albi.

But whether the Greater Spokane League regular-season champions were going to be playing again Saturday was up in the air, literally, with 5 minutes, 39 seconds left in the third quarter.

That’s when Brandon Kennedy, Prep’s big-play receiver, planted himself at Kennewick’s 11-yard line, jumped as high as he could and grabbed an arcing, long pass high above the Lions’ 5-foot-6 freshman defensive back Robbie Mitchell. Gathering himself before he fell, Kennedy turned and trotted into the end zone.

“All week at practice I kept telling (quarterback) Billy (Karwacki) that, if I’m not open, to just put it up and I would go get it,” the senior said. “We had some chances earlier for a big one, but Billy air-mailed them a little. He put some air under this one.”

The 44-yard touchdown, made possible by Kennedy’s leap and Karwacki’s throw, gave the Pups a 17-14 lead. But it didn’t finish the heroics. Or the momentum swings.

The last of each came with 31 seconds left. The Lions (7-4) were moving down the field behind the throwing of senior quarterback Mark Mace, who finished the night 14 of 29 for 172 yards.

A pass interference call on a third-and-12 deep in Kennewick territory gave the Lions life, but the blitzing G-Prep defense made it tough on Mace. Still, he had moved the Lions from their 4 to the Gonzaga 35 in the final 4:35. Facing a second-and-13, running back Terrance Jackson, the Big Nine’s second-leading rusher who was pounded all night by the Prep defense and finished with 87 yards on 25 carries, went in motion and became a receiver.

Safety Brandon Schmidt was watching.

“We had been showing blitz the entire drive and then going after (Mace),” Schmidt said. “This time we showed blitz and pulled back, going to cover two. (Mace) thought we were coming so he just through it to a spot. I saw the back running the wheel route, so I just dropped where (Mace) wanted to throw it.”

Schmidt’s interception sealed the victory, and made up for a mistake earlier this season. It was the senior who muffed a Lewis and Clark punt late in the regular season, helping the Tigers hand Prep its only defeat.

“I was hard on myself,” he said. “My teammates were cool and the coaches just told me not to worry, there was a lot of football left. I think I heard from every relative, too. I’m glad I got a pick in this one, though. I feel like its redemption.”

He may not have been the chance if not for two other earlier big plays.

The first was turned in by defensive end Mike Ogrin, and came against Jackson, a 6-foot, 180-pound back who looks larger.

With Prep trailing 7-0 following a 91-yard, 13-play, six-minute, first-quarter drive that led to Jackson’s 3-yard scoring run, the Lions had the ball and the momentum back two minutes later. Jackson got the call off right tackle, but Ogrin met him and ripped the ball out as they were going down, giving Prep possession at the Lion 36.

It took one play to get even, a 36-yard toss from Karwacki to Brad Parker, who broke free behind the Kennewick secondary. Karwacki finished 9 of 18 for 161 yards and a first-quarter interception.

Michael Stockton’s 21-yard field goal on the next Prep possession was trumped by a 9-yard scoring pass from Mace to Kyle Brock just before halftime.

The Lions threatened to add to the momentum and the 14-10 lead with a 35-yard field goal at the end of their first second-half possession, but Connor Hare and John Tschirgi both laid out and blocked the attempt.

G-Prep had momentum back. And the win when the ensuing possession was culminated by Kennedy’s leaping catch.

Southridge 23, Shadle Park 20

Sophomore quarterback Jason Munns teamed with junior Shawn O’Malley for two touchdown passes in the final seven minutes and another junior, Jordan Reeder, kicked the go-ahead 24-yard field goal as the Suns triumphed at Kennewick’s Lampson Stadium.

“We had them on the run,” Highlanders coach Mark Hester told the Tri-City Herald. “This is just a little disappointing.”

Shadle, which finishes the year 6-4, lost to Southridge in the play-in round last year as well. This time Shadle led 13-7 in the third quarter, on a 16-yard second-quarter scoring strike from senior Josh Powell to Andy Largent and a 7-yard, third-quarter touchdown run by Ryne Kiter.

After Southridge (9-2) put up 16 consecutive points, Powell teamed with Kody Anderson on 14-yard scoring pass, but the Suns were able to cover the onside kick to seal the win.

For the third year in a row the Big Nine won three of the four play-in games.