Time to take GSL football quiz

I came into the office Monday morning and there was an essay test sitting on my desk.

It included five questions, graded on the curve. Here are my answers.

Question 1: Using more than won/loss record, delineate the best football team in the Greater Spokane League this season. (10 points)

A third of the way through the league season, the team that seems to be hitting its stride is Gonzaga Prep. Like all GSL football teams, the Bullpups have weaknesses (team speed being their most glaring). But unlike many, they have found ways to cover up their shortcomings, forcing teams to deal with their strengths.

Those strengths begin with Billy Karwacki, the Pups’ quarterback. A first-year starter at that position, he makes mistakes any first-year starter would. But he also is the key to G-Prep’s offense, with his quick feet and his powerful arm.

Add in a dash of Brandon Kennedy, one of the league’s best receivers (and a sure-tackling defensive back), and that equals an opportunistic offense.

But the defense has been the team’s anchor, led by Mike Ogrin, John Tschirgi and Tom Adolfae. The Pups have yielded more than 10 points once, against Cheney, and only six of Cheney’s 24 points came against the first team.

Question 2: Citing statistics and other objective criteria, name the player who has surprised you the most. (10 points)

The only statistics that matter here are 6-foot-6 and 400 pounds.

North Central lineman Kareem Clark sports those numbers (although he’s listed in the GSL program at 6-2, he’s closer to 6-6). Over the years, most high school linemen I’ve seen listed at 400 pounds either really don’t weigh that much or they look like a truckload of Krispy Kremes.

Clark is an exception. He’s quick. He disrupts the opponent’s offense. He has to be accounted for, and it goes without saying he’s hard to move.

Question 3: Given the limitations inherent in not seeing each game, describe the most impressive play you’ve seen this year. (5 points)

I would say the 80-yard, Karwacki-to-Kennedy scoring pass against Mt. Spokane, if …

No, that was it. Although I’ve written about it before, Karwacki’s strong-armed, 55-yards-in-the-air, off-the-back-foot toss that dropped into Kennedy’s hands has to be the jaw-dropping play of the season so far.

Question 4: Taking into account both teams’ records and other factors, which game has to be considered the biggest upset? (5 points)

When U-Hi hosted Clarkston last Friday, the Titans were 0-3 and hadn’t put up a tremendous fight in any of them. The Bantams were 3-0, with three close wins over tough teams.

U-Hi won 14-10, scoring the game-winner in the final minute.

Question 5: Who was the most overrated team to play in the state of Washington this season, and why? (2 points)

This one’s so easy it must be a trick question. De La Salle of Concord, Calif., was treated as a cross between the New York Yankees and Notre Dame. Sporting a 151-game winning streak, the Spartans were undressed by Bellevue, 39-20 in the opener at Qwest Field in Seattle. Since then, they are 1-1-1, finally earning their first win last weekend.

What most people fail to realize is each year high school football teams have to start over with a whole new cast. Even the returning players change to a greater degree than at any other time of their life. Last year’s success – or failure – has little to do with this year’s results. Given this, picking who will be good going into a season is harder at the prep level than anywhere else.