Mike Vlahovich

The cross country race at Audubon Park figured to be fast considering the caliber of the runners involved. The runners didn’t disappoint, even if one of a trio who could be a top-three finisher at state was on the sidelines in the showdown among teams with the best records in the Greater Spokane League.

Who’da thunk it? A proud Mead football program staring at a 41-point deficit and playing the final 20 minutes, 25 seconds, unable to stop the clock from ticking to its inevitable conclusion. Host Central Valley, in a stunning display of defensive and offensive dominance, belted the visiting Panthers 41-14 Friday night to keep their Greater Spokane League football playoff hopes alive.

The notion there would be a race between defending state cross country championship teams Wednesday at Manito Park was quickly dispelled. It was business as usual for the North Central boys. The 3A Indians (6-0), with seven successive state titles, left no doubt who was the better team. Placing six of the first seven finishers they buried defending 4A champion Central Valley (4-2) 18-41.

Austin Lee refused to take any credit after he took visiting Clarkston to the woodshed in a Great Northern League football game Friday night. By halftime, the West Valley junior quarterback had accounted for 182 yards of total offense and all 25 first-half points en route to a 32-14 victory.

The Central Valley defense intercepted two passes in the first quarter, saving itself from its own foibles early in its game against visiting North Central. When the Bears recovered from their first-half blues, they rolled to a 48-7 homecoming victory Friday night.

Even without its number one runner, the Central Valley girls proved formidable in Wednesday’s Greater Spokane League cross country meet against rival University. Bears sophomore Briegan Bester was victimized by illness at the arduous Liberty Lake County Park course and was unable to finish.

Shadle Park has a dangerous weapon in highly sought-after quarterback Brett Rypien, and he did throw five touchdown passes in a 40-17 romp at University Friday night. But it was the running game, which pulled its weight, and a bold squib kickoff to start the second half that proved critical in what would become a Highlanders romp.

Perspiration glistened on the bodies of distance runners competing on a steamy 90-degree day Saturday at Shadle Park. But it was no sweat for Nick Hauger on his home course during the senior race that capped the Highlander Invitational cross country meet. Hauger contented himself to lay back in the pack until the second half of the 2.5-mile race, when he surged to approach then-leader Michael Williams of Richland, drafted behind him, then cut inside on the turn and buried him on the final hill.

Visiting Gonzaga Prep found itself trailing University after a quarter. Then Sam Dowd gave them a jump-start. In his first varsity offensive appearance, Dowd substituted for Jack Bamis, who was forced to sit most of the half with an injury, rushing for 93 first-half yards and two touchdowns as the Bullpups (2-0) roared to a 51-28 Greater Spokane League football victory over the Titans (0-2) Friday night.

Dana Graphics and Gibson’s Nursery won championships to conclude the Spokane Valley Baseball League season. Top-ranked Dana Graphics, from Otis Orchards, capped a 12-1 Midget season with a taut 9-7 victory over Velis Family Dentistry (Sunrise Elementary).

The Spokane Valley Girls Softball season-ending double-elimination tournament results were at once predictable yet also unexpected. Regular season champions captured three of the four tournaments, but a couple of teams came from nowhere to reach the finals, one of them winning a title, the other forcing a second game before succumbing.

It was not the Greater Spokane League’s finest hour, all four of the league’s 3A teams losing to Mid-Columbia Conference foes in the first round of the postseason. There was a common thread running through the reasons coaches gave for their season-ending setbacks: Their teams simply picked the wrong time to have subpar games.

Gonzaga Prep couldn’t have had a worse day running the base paths at Whitworth’s Merkel Field. Two runners were caught stealing. Two base-running gaffes cost the Bullpups at least a couple of runs.

West Valley’s road to the Great Northern League baseball championship was a case of mind over matter. A dose of small-ball didn’t hurt, either. The Eagles bunted their way to a 4-3 victory Friday in the first game of a doubleheader against the visiting Clarkston Bantams, getting the title-clinching business out of the way early before winning the second game 12-2.

Don’t look back, someone might be gaining on you. A moribund Lewis and Clark baseball program is showing signs of life under first-year coach Steve Bennett. Following a slow start, the Tigers have qualified for the 4A district tournament that begins Monday at Whitworth University.

One down, two to go for the Gonzaga Prep and Ferris baseball teams. The Bullpups – who took game one 11-2 Wednesday afternoon at Ferris – and Saxons switch fields to finish out the regular Greater Spokane League season today and will meet again for the District 8 4A championship Monday at Whitworth.

The first 11 innings were essentially batting practice masquerading as a baseball game when Ferris and Mead faced off in their two-game Greater Spokane League series that began Friday and concluded Monday at Ferris. Between them, the teams wore out home plate, scoring a combined 48 runs in those 11 innings.

It was a satisfying week for Gonzaga Prep’s Justin Blatner. His team won three times to secure at least a tie for the Greater Spokane League baseball championship.

Citing health issues, Scott Sutherland has tendered his resignation as University’s head baseball coach. He had been on paid administrative leave from nearly the beginning of the season. Sutherland has diabetes, and the pressures and energy of running a solid program has taken its toll, he wrote via text message.