Mike Vlahovich

When Jeff Pope was a Valley Christian sophomore he thought there was a possibility he could win the State B high school cross country race before settling on third place. “My legs gave out at the end and I was third by .001 of a second,” he said.

PASCO – The sun made an appearance to illuminate a rainbow in the background Saturday afternoon at Sun Willows Golf Course as the North Central Indians took the awards podium to accept another State 3A cross country state championship. The scene couldn’t have been more appropriate for seven racers whom coach Jon Knight called heroes to their community.

Andy Kimpel came out of nowhere as a freshman to place fifth the next season in the State 3A cross country championships. But his coach at North Central, Jon Knight, wouldn’t necessarily call him a distance running prodigy.

The proof is in the pudding next week when the Greater Spokane League squares off with the Columbia Basin Big Nine in crossover football games. But some teams, Gonzaga Prep in particular, could argue the GSL deserves added State 4A playoff opportunities. The Bullpups manhandled Lewis and Clark 28-7 in their league finale Friday night at Albi Stadium, but this year only two from the GSL get that playoff opportunity. Those two representatives are Ferris, which earned a share of its second straight league title by belting University 45-14 at U-Hi, and co-champion Central Valley (both 8-1 overall and 7-1 in league) this year.

One-half a football game was good enough Thursday night for Central Valley to claim a share of its first Greater Spokane League championship since the 1997 state title year. The Bears (8-1, 7-1 GSL) rode a big defensive hit at home by J.C. Agen that resulted in an end-zone fumble recovery on the way to a three-touchdown second half and comeback 20-10 victory over Mead (5-4, 5-4).

A year ago, Bonners Ferry product and Boise State wrestler Adam Hall fell just short of earning All-American in his first NCAA Division I championships. Hobbled by a knee injury, he was one of nine Broncos NCAA qualifiers, four of whom reached the round of 12 in their respective weight classes. Another was University High graduate Cory Fish.

While future Greater Spokane League athletes were cutting their teeth on youth football as youngsters, Central Valley’s Blake Bledsoe was on the slopes. Bledsoe was a regionally ranked junior ski racer which left no time for the game, despite his football lineage.

With so much riding on the Greater Spokane League football showdown between second-place teams Central Valley and Gonzaga Prep and the nerves the contest engendered, it seemed inevitable that the outcome would come down to which team committed the last gaffe. The host Bullpups made two mistakes in the game’s final 6 minutes Friday night, enabling the Bears (7-1 overall, 6-1 GSL) to rally for the lead and hang on at the end for a 24-23 victory that brought them closer to one of two regional playoff games for potential state berths.