Saxons sail on

Nary a glitch in the Ferris football team’s giddy-up Friday.

The third-ranked Saxons scored four touchdowns in the first quarter – the final one coming on the period’s last play – and they cruised to a 48-3 victory over the Wenatchee Panthers in a 4A play-in game at Albi Stadium.

Ferris (10-0) will entertain Richland (8-1), a 21-7 winner over Gonzaga Prep, in the first round of the State 4A playoffs on Friday in the second game of a doubleheader at Albi Stadium. Kickoff is at 8.

The usually efficient Ferris offense, coupled with the death-like grip the Saxons’ defense seems to apply weekly, produced a predictable result.

Goodwin passed for 231 yards and four touchdowns, completing 10 of 12 attempts.

His 55-yard pass to Riley Stockton as the clock expired at the end of the first quarter staked the Saxons to a 27-0 lead.

Jordan Tonani scored on a 3-yard run in the second period, giving the Saxons a 34-0 lead at halftime.

Ferris showed no signs of letting up in the second half, scoring two more TDs in the third quarter to cause the 45-point rule and running clock to go into effect for the last quarter.

“The kids came out in a real good frame of mind,” Ferris coach Jim Sharkey said. “And with the late start, I thought they handled that real well, too.”

Sharkey and Goodwin said the Saxons still made mistakes – perhaps not perceptible to the average fan, but something they’ll notice on video.

“We had a few hiccups in the first half but not much,” Sharkey said.

“We had some times we didn’t execute very well,” Goodwin said. “We always find something to work on every week. We’re nowhere close to perfect.

“We’re always trying to get better.”

The game was a rematch of last year’s play-in contest when Ferris, as the third seed, traveled to top-seeded and undefeated Wenatchee. The Saxons knocked off the Panthers, something that sparked a run that ended in the state championship game.

“We had a very good week of practice,” Sharkey said. “I think being here before really helps this time of the year. We’ve been through it enough. Remembering that we traveled over there and knocked them off kept us focused.”

The Saxons’ defense held Wenatchee (5-5) to 213 yards, 180 on the ground. Running back Nolan Johnston eclipsed 1,000 by picking up 130.

“The defense played really well – as they’ve been doing all season,” Goodwin said. “It’s the 10th game in a row that they’ve played very well and fast. It’s really something to watch.”

Now Ferris faces a Richland team that defeated Wenatchee 31-19. Sharkey was impressed that the Bombers held Gonzaga Prep to seven points.

“It will be a game of two very good run defenses, and I’m glad we’ve got them here,” Sharkey said. “It will be a real physical game.

“To beat Prep was a pretty good task.”