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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

NWPrepsNow Power Rankings - Week 2: Ferris Easily On Top

Ferris' Jalen Hicks, second from left, celebrates a long pass reception leading to a first-half score with his teammates, Friday, Sept. 6, 2013, at Central Valley High School.
Peter Sowards SWX Online Coordinator
Thanks to a dominant 42-14 win over Central Valley, Ferris is an easy No. 1 in the Week 2 NWPrepsNow power rankings. Eight of our nine panelists rated the Saxons as the top team, with GSL play-by-play announcer Larry Weir the lone dissenter, who went with Lind/Ritzville-Sprague as his top team. “Defending state champions,” Weir said of LRS, “and I think they have the best chance for a state championship from this area.” Weaknesses are not easy to spot in the Ferris lineup, says SWX Director of Sports Sam Adams. “This team has it all. Aggressive defense. Explosive offense. The read-option offense of QB Christian Olson and Jalen Hicks/Cole Karstetter will be a headache for GSL defensive coordinators this season.” Spokanesman-Review preps writer Greg Lee agrees. “Hicks and Karstetter. Enough said.” Despite a crushing one-point loss to Bothell at Husky Stadium on Saturday, Coeur d’Alene was voted as the No. 2 team. “Nobody has had two tougher games to start the season, and they could easily be 2-0,” SWX football insider Bill Ames said. Adams said Coeur d’Alene is “playoff ready” after road games to Portland and Seattle. “If the Vikings can figure out how to make more stops on defense, this team is going to steamroll its way to a 5A title in Idaho,” Adams said. Mead steamrolled University in each team’s GSL opener and finds itself in the third spot on our list. Sports anchor/reporter for KHQ/SWX Michelle Dapper likes Mead’s chances in the passing game with quarterback Matt Wetzel at the helm. “Wetzel has got an arm and the receivers to hang on,” Dapper said. Coming in fourth is Shadle Park, who has a good chance to win every game behind junior quarterback Brett Rypien, who threw for five touchdown passes in the first half of a 62-14 thrashing of Rogers. “Shadle Park scored over 60 points in the first game of the year,” Vision Marketing V.P. and Director of Sales Paul Sorensen said. “The ‘O’ is on a roll.” East Valley and Gonzaga Prep round out the fifth and sixth spots in our rankings, respectively. East Valley rolled over Sandpoint at home, 37-21, while the Bullpups took care of Lewis and Clark 42-13, also on their home turf. “Defending GSL champ picking up where it left off?” asked Lee. Adams likes what Easy Valley has to offer. “The favorites to win the GNL got off to a rousing start against Sandpoint in their season opener, storming out to a 37-3 lead before winning 37-21,” Adams said. “The Knights have two playmakers in Gage Burland and JT Phelan, who combined for five touchdowns on Friday.” Here’s where we break down the top-six ranked teams. Week 2 Rankings: Rank Team Record Points 1st Place Votes 1. Ferris 1-0 52 8 2. Coeur d’Alene 1-1 35 3. Mead 1-0 22 4. Shadle Park 1-0 16 5. East Valley 1-0 12 6. Gonzaga Prep 1-0 11 *Also receiving points (in order): Lake City, Lind/Ritzville-Sprague, Colton, Pullman, St. John-Endicott, Timberlake, Wallace, Freeman, Cheney, Moscow. The NWPrepsNow Power Rankings are based on top-six voting system and reflect the perceived performance of each team regardless of classification. Voters include a handful of sports reporters and play-by-play commentators within the SWX organization. Results vary week to week depending on the performance of each team. New results will be released every Tuesday morning during the football season. The nine-person panel consists of: SWX football insider Bill Ames KGA Radio host Toby Howell SWX/KHQ sports reporter/anchor Michelle Dapper Vision Marketing V.P. and Director of Sales Paul Sorensen GSL play-by-play Larry Weir Spokesman-Review preps writer Greg Lee SWX director of sports Sam Adams SWX/KHQ sports reporter/anchor John Collett SWX sports producer Neil Stover