Shadle streaks into playoffs

The Shadle Park football team took care of matters from its end Thursday, and the Highlanders are postseason-bound by virtue of the quality-wins criteria.

All of which makes sense, since Shadle may be the hottest Greater Spokane League team after the Highlanders stopped Mead 21-7 in what essentially amounted to a loser-out league finale at West Valley.

Shadle (6-3), which extended its winning streak to five after opening the season 1-3, earned the league’s No. 3 seed and will travel to Kennewick on Tuesday to face Southridge (8-2), the Big Nine’s second-seeded team, in a play-in game at Lampson Stadium. Kickoff will be at 6 p.m.

The Highlanders finished in a three-way tie for third place with Lewis and Clark and University. Shadle received the third seed based on the most quality victories. LC was the odd team out because of a loss to U-Hi.

Shadle senior wide receiver/defensive back Andy Largent preserved the win with 1 minute, 40 seconds remaining when he picked off Mead quarterback Andrew DeFelice at the Highlanders’ 25-yard line.

“I dropped the one right before that, so I figured I had to make up for that,” said Largent, who caught a 17-yard touchdown pass from Josh Powell 55 seconds into the fourth quarter that gave Shadle the lead for good at 14-7. Largent finished with six catches for 91 yards.

The Highlanders added an insurance TD after Bryan Braman recovered a fumble by Mead running back Skylar Jessen, who had picked up a first down on a 19-yard run when he lost the ball at the Panthers’ 29.

On Shadle’s first play, running back Ryne Kiter slipped around right end and sprinted 29 yards untouched to extend the Highlanders’ lead to the final margin with 2:50 to go.

“We keep getting better each week,” Largent said. “Those turnovers were costly (for Mead). We knew they turned it over quite a bit and we knew we could get them. We never let down and we kept fighting back.”

After a scoreless opening quarter, the Highlanders began their third series at the 50. Facing third-and-7 at the 26, Powell found Largent for a 14-yard gain. A facemask penalty on the play gave Shadle a first-and-goal at the 6.

Largent got within inches of the goal line on his lone rush, and Powell finished it off on a sneak as Shadle took a 7-0 with 5:44 to go before halftime.

Mead (5-5) answered with its best offensive series, marching 75 yards. Jessen, who finished with 110 yards, picked up 61 on five attempts on the drive. He capped it with a 4-yard run through a truck-wide hole to knot the score at 7 with 2:46 left in the first half.

Kiter matched Jessen’s output with 114 yards on 18 carries. Powell, who completed his final eight passes, finished 15 of 23 for 168 yards.