Ferris thwarts Mead
There was a 3-minute period Friday night that the Mead Panthers could have done without.
Other than that, the Panthers played the undefeated Ferris Saxons better than any team this season.
In the 3 minutes spanning the end of the third quarter and start of the fourth, the Saxons scored two touchdowns – one on a blocked punt – to spoil Mead’s upset bid and win 28-17 in Greater Spokane League action at Joe Albi Stadium.
“I figured they’d play us real tough – it’s tough playing emotional games week after week – the Gonzaga Prep game (last week) and coming back with this,” Ferris coach Jim Sharkey said. “They are a good football team.”
After a scoreless first quarter, the Saxons (6-0, 5-0) struck first on a six-yard run from senior McKenzie Murphy, who finished with 109 rushing yards on eight carries.
The Panthers closed the gap a little when Chase Collings waxed a 43-yard field goal with 7 seconds left to cut the Saxons’ lead to 7-3 at halftime.
Mead came out firing on all cylinders in the second half – burning eight minutes off the clock and using a 15-play scoring drive to take a 10-7 lead.
That’s when things went downhill for Mead (4-2, 3-2).
Ferris quarterback Jeff Minnerly – the league’s top passer – led the Saxons down the field and found Jared Karstetter at the right corner for a 21-yard TD pass and 14-10 lead heading into the fourth quarter.
Mead had trouble getting its offense going on the first drive of the final quarter, and on fourth-and-13 from the Panthers’ 20-yard line, Adrian Milsap blocked a punt and recovered the ball in the end zone – all but sealing the victory for the Saxons.
“Obviously, you can’t make mistakes against a team like that,” Mead coach Sean Carty acknowledged. “I’ve watched (Ferris) all year and they don’t have a problem with adversity. They are a very good team, so I credit Ferris – their coaching staff and their kids – they did everything right.”
Murphy added an insurance TD for Ferris on a 51-yard run.
Minnerly completed 14 of 15 passes for 173 yards and rushed for 28 yards on 15 carries.
“We played well,” Sharkey said. “We’re an experienced team and they showed that tonight. I was really impressed – our kids didn’t panic. We were trailing in the third quarter for the first time and we calmed down. The offensive line played better than they have in a long time.
“Of course you get the two-score lead it takes a little pressure off, but they kept playing us hard until the end, and a lot of teams haven’t done that.”
Too little, too late was Matt Lynch’s 10-yard touchdown reception for the Panthers.
“This was a game where we couldn’t afford to make any slight mistake,” Carty said. “We didn’t make many, but they capitalized on every one. I’m proud of our kids. I’m hurting, they’re hurting – we wanted to get in a battle with LC and Ferris for the championship, and that’s not going to be in the cards.”
Mead’s Glen Reser completed 22 of 32 passes for 183 yards with one interception. Receiver Ryan LaForte caught 11 passes for 100 yards.
Gonzaga Prep 28, Shadle Park 14: With a 7-7 tie at halftime, the Bullpups used a 14-point third quarter to put the game away and defeat the Highlanders (1-5, 1-4) at Albi Stadium.
Brian Lee caught a 61-yard pass from Bryan Karwacki, Joel Curry ran in a 66-yard TD and Jeremy Condon added a 1-yard TD run during a 7-minute, 41-second span for the Bullpups (4-2, 3-2).
East Valley 39, Mt. Spokane 28: The host Knights did quick damage, scoring 19 points in the first quarter and building a 32-14 lead at the half to defeat the Wildcats (1-5).
EV’s Case Parker rushed for 150 yards on 20 carries and found the end zone twice for the Knights (3-3), and Danny Marshall hauled in two touchdown passes.
University 30, North Central 18: John Wright rushed for 136 yards on 17 carries and scored two first-quarter TDs to lead the host Titans (4-2, 3-2) past the Indians (1-5, 1-4).
North Central quarterback Justin Materne completed 8 of 15 passes, threw one touchdown pass and ran for another.