Prep pounds way past LC
If there is a sound that should be associated with this year’s Gonzaga Prep football team, it is a heartbeat, the kind you get when you’ve exerted yourself to your limit.
The pound, pound, pound that rings in your ears.
It’s exactly what the Bullpups do, as they exhibited again Friday night before 2,180 at a wet Albi Stadium.
They pounded the Lewis and Clark Tigers into submission, 20-7 and in the process clinched a spot in the 4A postseason.
In the Albi opener, Ferris’ Caleb Rath moved into second on the GSL’s all-time career total offense list, joining Mike Pfeifer as the only players to have more than 5,000 in his GSL career as the Saxons (7-2, 6-2) rolled past West Valley 42-14. Outside of Albi, Mead stayed perfect, with an anything-but-perfect 6-0 win over host Clarkson; Central Valley took a giant step toward the 4A postseason with a 37-6 win at Cheney; and host University topped North Central, 42-20.
The Tigers came in with a six-game winning streak over the state’s eighth-ranked Pups, dating back to 1998. After Ethen Robinson broke free for a 42-yard scoring run 2 minutes into the game, it looked like the LC jinx might still be in force.
But not with this G-Prep offensive line.
“We just try to wear them down, that’s exactly what talk about before every game and what we try to do,” junior center Derek Page said. “We try to work our technique, keep our pads low and just pound them.
“As the game wears on, you can feel it as they tire out. You can even hear them breathing hard. It’s hard to stay fresh when you’re getting pounded on for 48 minutes.”
The pounding began on the second G-Prep drive, which covered 57 yards in a little less than 4 minutes. Quarterback Max Manix, who endured some savage hits from the Tigers defense, tied it with a 12-yard keeper off left tackle.
But that drive was only a taste of what was to come.
While the G-Prep defense was stiffening – it allowed 160 yards on 21 carries to Robinson, but only 21 other Tigers yards – the offense came out of the locker room with a purpose.
“We talked about ball possession,” G-Prep coach Dave Carson said. “We wanted to keep them off the field as much as possible.”
The Bullpups (8-1 overall, 7-1 in the Greater Spokane League) opened the second half with a 6-minute drive, covering 61 yards and taking 13 plays. Conner Hare, who finished with 191 yards on 28 carries, covered the last 7 yards for a 14-7 lead.
But still there was a better drive to come.
When Ben Seebeck pinned the Bullpups at their 2-yard line on the first play of the fourth quarter, it looked like the Tigers (5-3, 5-3 and out of the postseason picture) might be able to play a game of field possession and earn a tying score.
But 17 plays and 9:21 later, Hare went in from the 2 to make it 20-7 and the streak was over.
“That was huge, unbelievably huge,” Carson said of the drive, before talking about the player who powered it. “Conner Hare was just so mentally tough tonight, especially on that drive. He’s not pretty, he’s not fancy, he’s just tough.”
Ferris 42, West Valley 14
Rath finished with 205 yards of total offense (123 passing on 9 of 17 attempts and 82 running on 17 carries) in three quarters to raise his career total to 5,021. He trails Ferris’ quarterback from 1985 to 1987, Mike Pfeifer, by 156 yards. It the longest-standing GSL career record not held by Shadle Park’s Mark Rypien.
His total was helped by the largesse of the Eagles offense, which turned over the ball six times (not including a blocked punt), including four in the first half that led to 21 points.
The Saxons, who built an insurmountable 35-0 halftime lead, opened the second half by recovering a pooched kickoff. They scored on Rath’s fourth-down scramble (sprung by Ryan Murphy’s crushing block near the goal line), his third score of the night.
Murphy had one score – a 12-yard sprint around left end – and Anthony Zachery added two more – a game-opening 14-yard run and a 9-yard pass reception from Rath – before halftime.
The Eagles (2-7, 2-6) scored twice late, both coming on Bryan Peterson tosses.
Central Valley 37, Cheney 6
Tyler Demars ran for three TDs and Zach Evans added a fourth as the Bears (7-2, 6-2) kept their postseason hopes alive by pounding the Blackhawks (4-5, 3-5).
Demars rushed for 118 yards and Evans 113 as the Bears rolled up 319 yards on the ground.
If CV beats Rogers (0-9, 0-8) on Thursday, it will earn a postseason berth. Cheney can win a 3A berth with a home victory over Clarkston the same night.
Mead 6, Clarkston 0
Chris Jones’ 7-yard third-quarter scoring run was all the fourth-ranked Panthers (9-0, 8-0) could muster, and it was all they needed. The Mead defense limited Clarkston (2-7, 2-6) to 182 yards in total offense.
Andrew DeFelice passed for 158 yards for Mead on 12 of 19 attempts, but the Panthers lost two fumbles that killed drives.
University 42, North Central 20
Tyler Carlson, seeing his most extended action of the season, rushed 26 times for 116 yards and three touchdowns to lead the host Titans (4-5, 4-4). The sophomore running back had 192 yards on 43 carries coming into the game. Another U-Hi sophomore, quarterback Danny Jordan, added two touchdown passes, hitting 15 of 24 passes for 235 yards.
North Central (1-8, 1-7) senior Shane Thomas rushed for 196 yards on 33 carries, running for two touchdowns and passing for another.