Third-string QB Huck ignites Mt. Spokane

Two unheralded seniors weren’t about to let Mt. Spokane’s regular season end on a sour note. Third-string quarterback Tyler Huck passed for two touchdowns and ran for another as the Wildcats pulled away from the Rogers Pirates 41-20 in a Greater Spokane League football finale Friday at Joe Albi Stadium. Senior running back Zach Stensland had a career night, scoring three touchdowns while rushing for 160 yards. “I’ve been working hard all year and waiting for it to happen,” Stensland said. “Rogers has been playing well and we knew it was going to be a competitive game. We brought our best and won.” Huck started in place of sophomore Daniel Munoz, who moved into the starting lineup the third week after junior Stu Stiles broke a collarbone. Huck passed for 151 yards while rushing for 154 including a 74-yard TD that put Mt. Spokane (2-7) on its way to the win, 34-20, with 9:37 to go in the fourth quarter. Munoz suffered a concussion last week. “He did a great job stepping in and not taking any reps all year,” Stensland said. “You can’t ask for much more.” For the first time this season, the Pirates (0-9) held a halftime lead – albeit by the slimmest of margins, 14-13 over Mt. Spokane. A touchdown pass from Dom Sanders to TJ Trotchie with 27 seconds left in the second quarter and a two-point conversion gave Rogers the lead at intermission. After Huck scored on a 61-yard scamper to open the third quarter, Rogers pulled even at 20 on a 2-yard run by Luke Rogers with 6:06 to go in the third. Mt. Spokane scored three straight TDs to hold off Rogers. “We just had to read our keys and everyone do their job,” Stensland said. Huck, a starter at cornerback all season, was poised for a big game. “I’ve been looking forward to this all year,” Huck said. “I like playing defense more. Today was my day to step up. It was Senior Night and it was a big night. It’s probably one of the most memorable nights of my life.” Huck couldn’t think of a better way to finish league. “It’s a great way to end the season,” he said. “We had struggled all year with a lot of injuries. We were picked to be the sixth team in the league and we believed we were going to be first. This is a nice way to end things at Albi.” Luke Rogers led the Pirates with 172 yards on 36 carries. He moved up to fifth all time for career rushing, vaulting past Skylar Jessen of Mead.