Prep notebook: GSL football a 6-team race

If anything has come out of the first three weeks of Greater Spokane League football, it is not to take any team for granted.

University’s overtime win against Gonzaga Prep was a case in point. The Bullpups were on a high after defeating Ferris the previous week and University was coming off a disappointing loss at rival Central Valley.

“It was such a deflating disappointment,” said U-Hi coach Bill Diedrick, “On Wednesday, I told them I didn’t know where their heads were at.”

But it was the Titans who threw things into a cocked hat with their 20-17 overtime shocker and now one game separates six teams – CV (3-0), Mt. Spokane (2-0), U-Hi, Gonzaga Prep, Ferris and East Valley, all 2-1.

U-Hi had led 14-0 and lost another scoring opportunity when, said Diedrick, he got “greedy” and had a pass picked off. But the Bullpups missed a game-winning field goal.

In overtime, after falling behind, U-Hi went for it on fourth-and-one and went on to score the winning touchdown in overtime.

“We didn’t want to play another overtime. We didn’t know if we could hold them to a field goal again,” said Diedrick. “It was a nice win.”

Six 4A teams, including Mead (1-2) and LC (1-2), have three games remaining against fellow classification foes. Nothing, as the first three weeks have shown, is for sure.

“There are a lot of head-to-head games that all of a sudden have become a bit bigger,” said Diedrick.

Sophomores impress

Last year, football coaches were high on their freshmen classes. Now sophomores, quarterbacks Gaven Deyarmin at CV and Andy Wetzel at Mead have been given a chance to show what they could do at the varsity level.

Deyarmin, in his first varsity action, alternated series and carried twice for 15 yards and passed for 32, directing a couple scoring efforts.

“I think Gaven had a pretty clutch night for his first time under the hood,” said CV coach Rick Giampietri. “He gives us a dimension of being able to run outside, which is huge.”

Wetzel, in his second game, went the distance in a loss to Ferris, going 14 of 25 with an interception for 135 yards and a touchdown. Mead had not totaled 100 yards passing combined in its first two games.

We’re (all) No. 1

Prior to the cross country season, Shadle Park coach Bob Isitt confessed, off-the-record, that he had, in effect, four No. 1 runners, which is saying something considering that senior Andrea Nelson is a two-time state champion.

Last weekend’s Highlander Invitational cross country meet did nothing to dispel the notion. Shadle had the third-through-fifth place finishers and obliterated the field, winning team honors with a low score of 34 points, 88 fewer than second-place Richland, a State 4A program.

Nelson timed 14:50. Freshman teammate Kendra Weitz was two seconds back, making her the eighth fastest female in meet history.

Shadle’s five scorers finished among the top 12, with Katie Morris (15:13) in fifth and newcomers Chelsea Chandler (15:40) in 10th and Shayle Dezellem (15:50) in 12th. No wonder the Highlanders are the league favorite and nationally ranked.

Highlander notes

The new course at Shadle ran counter to the old one, so comparing times is difficult, but there were some dandies. Ferris Saxon Adam Thorne’s 12 minutes, 26 seconds was the fastest in 15 years for 2.5 miles and moved him into third all-time behind Mead’s Matt (12:12, 1993) and Micah Davis (12:15, 1994).

•Shadle sophomore Nathan Weitz lowered Thorne’s sophomore record by three seconds, clocking 12:32.

•Mead’s Andrew Gardner timed 13:07, making him the third fastest freshman in meet history.

•The latest freshman girls phenom is Cheney’s Sanne Holland, who pushed two-time varsity race winner Baylee Mires from Mead. Both ran 14:49, eighth fastest all-time (Mires ran 14:33 last year).

Three to WSU

Three Spokane-area baseball players have made verbal commitments to continue their careers at Washington State.

Outfielders Nate Blackham from Mt. Spokane and Mitch Peterson from West Valley, and pitcher Scott Simon from Central Valley have announced their intent.

Mead soccer to Albi

Wednesday’s Mead-Shadle Park soccer match has been moved. Originally scheduled to be played at Mead, athletic director and Greater Spokane League soccer coordinator Dick Cullen said it will instead be at Joe Albi Stadium, 6 p.m., following Lewis and Clark vs. North Central.

Pomeroy added

Reardan has added Pomeroy to its football schedule as a replacement for Republic, which like Selkirk and Garfield-Palouse is now playing independently. The game is in Pomeroy on Oct. 16.