Bears shut down Lewis and Clark

A year ago Central Valley’s football team had Lewis and Clark on the ropes at home, but let the Tigers get away.

Not on Thursday. The Bears (3-2, 2-2) shut down Ethen Robinson, who last year rushed for 237 yards, added 47 yards in pass receptions and scored three times, en route to a 24-0 shutout at Joe Albi Stadium.

CV’s second straight shutout evened its Greater Spokane League record and left the Bears in control of their future.

The Bears already have as many wins as last year and are at Gonzaga Prep next week in a game with potential playoff implications.

University (2-3, 2-2) took advantage of favorable game-long field position during a 42-6 romp over Rogers and second-straight victory.

Next up, the Titans host West Valley.

CV scored 17 second-quarter points and defense held Robinson to just 66 total yards rushing and receiving. Zach Evans scored twice and combined with Tyler Demars for 147 of the Bears’ 197 rushing yards in the game.

U-Hi led 35-0 at halftime against Rogers. Billy Sweetser scored three touchdowns and Eric Puryear had an 82-yard TD return of a blocked field goal attempt. Sweetser’s 81 rushing yards accounted for nearly half of the Titans’ 188 yards of total offense.

WV and East Valley played on Friday.

Beware of the Bear

Central Valley’s girls cross country team will have a say about the outcome of the unpredictable Greater Spokane League.

On Wednesday the Bears (6-2) moved into fourth place by knocking off previously unbeaten Mead. They coupled good health with precocious youth to make its intention known.

Senior Anna Layman is healthy and back as the GSL’s second-best distance runner. She beat Mead’s Ryan Torpie by eight seconds which was pivotal in the 27-28 team victory.

Freshmen Tris Kline and Breanna Barsten ran fourth and fifth. The effort of seventh-place sophomore Melinda Miller was another key to the taut outcome. And 10th-place Robyn Swanson finished ahead of Mead’s sixth runner to assure the win.

Not one of those runners competed in regionals a year ago, but they’ll be there this year, with a legitimate chance for a state team berth.

Meanwhile, East Valley girls coach Nick Lazanis saw hope that his program was returning to 3A contention.

The Knights won four straight state titles and finished second for Lazanis from 1994 through 1998. But the years have been lean since the school moved into the GSL.

Still, Lazanis figured this year they had a chance to contend for a state berth, and Wednesday was encouraging. The Knights (3-5) whipped Ferris, 20-41, and more importantly 3A rival Cheney, 25-34.

Freshmen made a difference for the Knights as well. Lauren Bergam finished as EV’s No. 2 runner, Elise Thatcher was No.4 and Devin Bjora and No. 5, harkening back to a decade ago.

Meanwhile, University’s state veteran team (4-4) continues to struggle after losses to North Central and Lewis and Clark. Its only victory on Wednesday came against West Valley (2-7), but Eagle Larsen Agee, second overall, was 16 seconds faster than the first Titan.

Looks are deceiving

University’s boys finished third and West Valley 10th at the Bellevue Invitational cross country meet last week.

Looks, however, were deceiving.

Because the race was conducted in flights and the Eagles conceded the top flight, it skewed the outcome.

Times during the meet indicated a potentially different outcome and when the two teams met again Wednesday in the GSL. Indeed, WV (5-4) turned the tables, winning 26-30 over the Titans (2-6).

The Eagles had three of the top four finishers in their head-to-head meeting, sophomores Richard Keroack and Josh Gardner finishing sixth and seventh overall with Garrett Hanson 10th, separated by eight seconds.

In other races, East Valley’s Nick Atwood lost for the first time this fall, to unbeaten Ferris. The Knights (2-6) lost 21-40 to the unbeaten two-time defending State 4A champions, but Atwood took second and Tyler Thatcher was fifth.

And Central Valley (5-3) ran afoul of unbeaten Mead, which had seven of the first eight finishers. Sean Coyle broke them up with his fifth-place finish.

Volleyball crunch time

Five matches, three in particular for University and Central Valley, over the next three weeks will determine the playoff fate of the Valley’s Greater Spokane League volleyball teams.

Six 4A teams, including the Titans and Bears, are in the running for four available district berths.

U-Hi has two of them, Shadle Park and Mt. Spokane, on the schedule and ends the season at current second-place Lewis and Clark.

CV, which played LC on Friday, also has three of the other playoff hopefuls, Gonzaga Prep, Ferris and Mt. Spokane.

The Titans last Tuesday swept East Valley and played Rogers on Friday, likely going to 5-3 for a three-way share of fifth place, only a match out of third.

CV was upset by North Central. A loss to the Tigers would have dropped the Bears to 4-4 and eighth.

The Knights (3-5) bounced back from their Tuesday loss to sweep Clarkston behind the 11 kills of Trisha Hiebert and 28 assists and four service aces by Stephanie Bellefueille.

Next Thursday they play North Central and end the season Oct. 20 at West Valley (both also 3-5) in the chase for top 3A district seed.

The Eagles lost in four games to Ferris and league unbeaten Mead last week. They play at NC on Oct. 11.