Tigers take thriller

A gutsy fourth-down call in the waning seconds of another stirring edition of Lewis and Clark-Central Valley football led to a Tigers score with just 5 seconds remaining and 27-21 victory that provided 3,560 Greater Spokane League fans with a rousing start to the 2007 season.

LC quarterback Taylor Eglet faced fourth-and-one at the Bears’ 45-yard line. Everyone packed in tight in anticipation of an Alex Shaw blast. Eglet sold the fake, rolled out and found wide-open tight end Culley Grow, who rumbled 44 yards.

Then it was Shaw, who bulled for the final yard and a harrowing victory in the GSL season opener.

“There are a lot of Tiger-Bear humdingers,” said LC coach Tom Yearout. “They always seem to go down to the last push.”

The Bears had overcome a 13-0 deficit with two scores 19 seconds apart late in the first half. LC regained a 21-14 lead with 5:09 remaining in the game, only to have CV cover 71 yards for the tie with only 2:08 remaining.

The Tigers caught a break when the following kickoff went out of bounds, giving them enough field position and time to rally for victory.

An 11-yard tackle-shredding run by Shaw and, following a sack, two Eglet completions to favorite target Vaughn Kapiko, put Tigers coaches in decision-making mode.

“I had to beg for that,” said Eglet of the bootleg play. “It was for Shaw, but I said, ‘Coach, let me go bootleg one time.’ “

It was a play LC called earlier, but Eglet fumbled the ball.

This time Grow moved in behind the guard and tackle, feigning block, slipped out and behind CV’s defense while Eglet faked dive and rolled to his right.

The wide-open Grow gathered in the ball and, aided by a crushing block from Eglet’s senior brother, Charlie, a first-year player, nearly went the distance.

“It was Culley’s first career catch, I think,” said Yearout.

All that was left was for Shaw to finish it.

“For a team that let a two-touchdown lead disappear, I’m awfully proud of way they played in second half and found some energy,” said Yearout. “A lot of that had to do with (No.) 28 (Shaw).”

Shaw rushed for 102 yards and was a rock on defense. He gained 39, including one run of 18, as the Tigers scored first. Following an interception, LC struck again, on a 45-yard Eglet pass to DeAngelo Tauala, to make it 13-0 with 2:29 still to play in the first quarter.

But CV put together a long drive in the final 4 minutes of the half on the passing of junior Blake Bledsoe. He hit J.C. Agen from 11 yards for a score with 1:19 remaining. The Bears recovered a fumbled kickoff and Bledsoe hit Patrick Mealey from 20 yards right afterward for a 14-13 lead at intermission.

LC took the lead back 21-14 after Eglet hit Kapiko from 30 yards away on a play similar to the one to Tauala, and again for the two-point conversion.

“They bit a little bit on the inside route and we got the outside route,” said Yearout. “We turned (No.) 13 (Eglet) loose a bit and put a lot more in Taylor’s hands. He made 10 or 12 checks. He didn’t react to blitzes as well as he could have, but he made some pretty special plays.”

Bledsoe completed four more passes in bringing CV back to tie, a prelude to the thrilling climax. He was 16 for 26 for 205 yards, and tight end Mealey caught 7 of those for 99. Mealey was also a load on defense, including three sacks of Eglet.

Eglet completed 18 of 32 passes for 252 yards and Kapiko had eight catches for 91.

Gonzaga Prep 35, Mt. Spokane 19: The Wildcats stung the Bullpups with an early big play and went on to take the early lead, before surrendering four straight touchdowns in the season-opening game for both.

Junior quarterback Connor Haley found sophomore receiver Colton Williams for a 32-yard reception and seven plays later Mt. Spokane was ahead 7-0.

But a low punt snap set the Bullpups up at Mt. Spokane’s 4-yard-line and Jeremy Condon scored on the first carry late in the opening quarter. In the second period a seven-play drive culminated in Bryan Karwacki’s touchdown pass to Travis Long, the first of three 13-yard scores by Gonzaga.

Following Aaron Page’s interception, Karwacki hit Conor Payton for one midway through the period and Prep upped the lead on the first series of the third-period as Karwacki ran in from 13 yards.

Mt. Spokane’s second big play, a 68-yard dash by Brandon Jared cut into the lead, but another interception led to Gonzaga’s final score, also by Condon. Haley got the final Wildcats touchdown late in the game following a fumble.

In typical Bullpup-style they ran for 294 yards, averaging better than 7 yards per carry. Three different players topped 70 each, led by Condon’s 87. Jared finished with 107 yards on 11 attempts for Mt. Spokane.