Cv-Wv Matches May Be Over
It seems impossible but Friday’s East Valley-West Valley football game could mark the end of an era.
“Who knows, this could be the last time we play these guys,” WV coach Steve Kent said.
The two schools have met annually since 1968, when the Knights had come out of the Northeast A League to become the smallest school in the now-defunct Border League.
Now EV has outgrown the Frontier League and is considering a move to the Greater Spokane League.
Judging from their records, the meeting of these longtime rivals doesn’t generate much excitement. East Valley is 2-1 in the Frontier and 3-2 overall while the Eagles are 0-2 and 0-5.
Appearances can be deceiving. In their last four meetings WV has won 43-34 and 9-6, EV has won 14-13 and the two teams have tied 24-24. And the favorite hasn’t necessarily won.
“Anytime you’re an underdog you can make cliched statements like it’s a rivalry and all bets are off,” said Kent. “Twenty-three years ago I played in our first Frontier League game. We were 0-5 and they were 5-0 and we won 45-30.”
In order to win this time, he said, West Valley would have to play well.
“They’re good,” he said of EV.
Indeed, EV is fresh off a 10-7 victory over Cheney and in position to be a playoff team if, said coach Jim Clements, the Knights “run the table” in their last three games.
EV could have won easily over the defending champion Blackhawks were it not for a series of major penalties assessed against the Knights.
“We shot ourselves in the foot from the second quarter on,” said Clements.
But the Knights completed a dramatic fourth-down pass and went on to the winning field goal as time ran out.
“All I could think of was a tie puts us out,” said Clements.
Coincidentally, leading rushers for each team were teammates last year at Rogers High School.
EV’s Tristan Beeman gained 117 yards on 22 carries and Cheney’s Gino Williams gained 101 yards on 26 attempts.
West Valley lost 48-15 in Pullman despite 248 yards of total offense by Ty Gregorak.
“I felt we didn’t match up with Pullman’s speed and I was right,” said Kent. “We outgained them in offense but made five mistakes for scores. You can’t do that.”
Which brings WV to Friday’s home contest against EV and the uncertainty not only of the game’s outcome but also of its future.
“It’s safe to say this is the end of the Frontier League in its present configuration,” said Kent.
Soccer showdown Friday
Fresh off victory over Gonzaga Prep, University is facing a game Friday of major impact in Greater Spokane League girls soccer.
The Titans host Ferris in a 4 p.m. game that could make or break them.
There is a six-team tangle for five playoff berths among teams whose records range from Ferris’s 3-1 to U-Hi’s 2-2.
After losing 1-0 to Shadle Park (3-1), the Titans beat the Bullpups (2-2) in another important game.
Megan Black scored twice in the first half. Prep closed to within a goal just before intermission.
The score remained 2-1 until Sara Streufert’s goal with just two minutes left in the game.
, DataTimes