Bears outlast Bullpups

There could be no disagreement that Conor Janhunen had his trials during Central Valley’s Friday night Greater Spokane League football game against visiting Gonzaga Prep.

But it was also Janhunen who made the game’s biggest plays as the Bears defeated the Bullpups 17-7 in a pivotal game for both.

The Bears led from beginning to end, but because of red-zone difficulties were nursing a mere 10-7 lead with 6 minutes, 43 seconds still to play.

That was when Janhunen ran up the middle on the kickoff following G-Prep’s touchdown and used sprinter’s speed to race 97 yards to the finish line.

“Was that a long football game or was that a long football game? My goodness,” said CV coach Rick Giampietri. “We should have had 21 points in the first half and a minimum of 13.”

CV improved to 2-1 in the GSL to move past the Bullpups (2-1 overall, 1-1 in league).

The Bears needed less than two minutes to cover 66 yards to lead 7-0 on their first possession.

They drove deep into Bullpups territory three more times in the half, twice inside the 20, where Janhunen missed two field goals.

G-Prep turned over the ball twice before making one late foray into CV territory, reaching the 8-yard-line. The Bullpups, too, missed a field goal.

CV continued to control the tempo in the third quarter on both sides of the ball and Janhunen made a 24-yarder for a 10-0 lead a minute into the final period. It was set up by his pivotal block that helped spring Pat Mealey on a 43-yard pass and run to the Bullpups’ 7.

“After I missed those two field goals, I was upset at myself and kept saying ‘Make a difference,’ in the locker room, ‘make a difference and we’ve got this game,’ ” Janhunen said. “They called that wide screen for Pat and I heard the crowd, so I thought, ‘I’ve got to get under those pads,’ and saw him go by me. We got a field goal and I got my confidence up.”

The Bears recovered a fumble at midfield early in the fourth. But Janhunen couldn’t secure the handoff on a running play and promptly gave it back.

Kelly Henthorn had two receptions from quarterback Bryan Karwacki, who played on an ankle he sprained late in the first half, covering 31 yards. The second grab had deflected off Travis Long. It set up Joel Curry’s 10-yard score.

Fifteen seconds later, Janhunen crossed the opposite goal.

“You can’t hang your head,” said Janhunen of his misfortunes. “I just treat those like 100 meters and if there’s a seam there I take it.”

But Janhunen wasn’t done. He intercepted Karwacki in the end zone with 3 minutes to play.

Giampietri lauded the defense and Mealey has been a part of it all season.

“I felt personally we did a pretty good job of shutting down their running offense, which is a big deal against an option team,” Mealey said. “It’s a big pickup for our team.”

Shadle Park 29, Rogers 21: Big plays gave the Pirates (0-3) the lead after three quarters, but perseverance paid off for the Highlanders (1-2). Shadle ground out 360 rushing yards on 50 carries and scored nine points in the final quarter, including quarterback Ian Carlson’s plunge for the victory. Andrew McCanna rushed for 185 yards and a touchdown and Wyatt Evenson kicked three field goals. That offset two long Andrew Durant passes, 71 yards to Jacob Partridge and 69 to Cody Peterson. Peterson also had a 95-yard kickoff return for a touchdown and 21-20 lead.

East Valley 35, North Central 7: Dakota Lawson helped the Knights (2-1) break away from the Indians (1-2) in the third quarter. EV led 6-0 at half before Danny Marshall hauled down two TD passes, one from junior receiver Lawson. Lawson also scored on a 54-yard punt return. Marshall had four catches for 86 yards.

University 26, Mt. Spokane 23: The second-place Titans (3-0, 2-0) continued to live dangerously, waiting until 41 seconds remained to pull out victory at the expense of the Wildcats (0-3). Dalton Puyear capped U-Hi’s 82-yard drive with an 8-yard touchdown reception from Danny Jordan in the win. The Titans had fallen behind on touchdowns by Brandon Jared, one a 78-yard reception from Connor Haley. Jordan also scored on a 67-yard scamper. Tyler Carlson ran 29 times for 176 yards and a TD.