Manix, Pups sprint past Highlanders
The Gonzaga Prep Bullpups running attack, run to near perfection by quarterback Max Manix, washed over Shadle Park for 462 rushing yards in a 30-13 Greater Spokane League win Friday night before the 2,919 who sat through a steady rain.
In other GSL action, Mead joined the Bullpups atop the league standings with a 35-13 win over host West Valley; Ferris opened the Albi doubleheader by dominating North Central 41-6; Cheney’s first home game since 1992 was a win, 21-13 over Mt. Spokane; while East Valley traveled to Clarkston and came home with a 46-0 win.
The Pups (5-0, 4-0 and ranked seventh in the State 4A) remained undefeated by riding Manix, who made just about all the right choices in the G-Prep option offense. Most of the time the right choice was to keep it, as the junior finished with a career-high 258 yards on 13 carries, four of which ended in the end zone.
“They made the reads pretty easy,” a soaked Manix said. “They were crashing their linebackers a lot, which is an automatic (keeper). The line did a great job opening holes and the fullbacks carried out their fakes perfectly.”
“He’s exerted himself,” G-Prep coach Dave Carson said of Manix, who won the starting job in a three-way battle this fall. “The kids have rallied to him, which is important because he’s real quiet, real cerebral and doesn’t talk much.
“He’s sure made our job as coaches easier.”
After rushing for 112 yards and two short touchdowns before halftime, Manix finished the opening drive of the third quarter with a 46-yard scoring run. But it wasn’t his best, or longest of the night,
That came on the first play of the fourth quarter. With a second down at the G-Prep 4, Manix ran the option right. Reading the linebacker, he kept the ball, raced through an opening over right tackle, reversed field and sprinted down the left sideline to the end zone.
Asked if he were tired at the end of the 96-yard sprint, he said “Yeah, a little,” before catching himself and laughing. “No, I wasn’t tired. I’m not going to admit that.”
But Manix wasn’t alone.
Conner Hare gained 84 yards on just six carries. Fullback Michael Hovan added another 41 on nine carries.
The Highlanders, who were undefeated two weeks ago, led 7-0, on the heels of a game-opening 72-yard drive. Quarterback Clay Scribner, who teamed with tight end Mitch Kamstra for two big first downs during the drive, scored with a keeper from the 1.
But Shadle (3-2, 2-2) only had 55 yards of total offense the remainder of the half as Prep’s defense, anchored by Spencer Savage and Cameron McMillan, clamped down on the Highlanders’ running game.
Shadle began to move the ball after halftime, but one long third-quarter drive died on a fourth-down sack inside the Prep 15.
The Highlanders finished with 230 yards rushing, including 71 yards for Branden Hughes.
Mead 35, West Valley 13
The Panthers (5-0, 4-0 and ranked fourth in the state) led 21-7 at the half, then, on the first play of the third quarter, Skylar Jessen cut left and went 90 yards off tackle. Later on Nick Proen picked off a pass just inside the 5-yard line, spun out of a horde of WV (2-3, 2-2) players near the 20 and continued the 95-yard interception return to put the game away with 7:12 left in the third.
Jessen finished with 180 yards rushing to become the third player in GSL history to rush for more than 3,000 yards in a career. The senior has 3,101 with five GSL games left. Central Valley’s Tyree Clowe, who finished his prep career in 1998, leads with 3,937 yards.
Ferris 41, North Central 6
Thanks to a smothering Saxons defense, the Indians’ offense was nearly non-existent, with just 7 yards in first-half total offense and 56 overall in the Albi Stadium opener. The Indians (0-5, 0-4), who had two first downs against Lewis and Clark last week, picked up their lone first down this week with 7 minutes, 23 seconds remaining.
Their only score came on Shane Thomas’ 81-yard third-quarter kickoff return.
Contrast that with Ferris’ 393 yards in total offense, 144 on the ground and 249 passing. Senior quarterback Caleb Rath, who moved into sixth place on the GSL all-time career total offense list with 4,242 yards, accounted for 353 of those yards himself.
He also had a part in five of the Ferris (4-1, 3-1) scores, running for two and throwing three, including a 77-yarder to wide receiver Pat Burke.
East Valley 46, Clarkston 0
Ryan Campbell backed up his GSL record-tying 38-point performance of last week by scoring four times, including runs of 71 and 56 yards. The junior tailback finished with 178 yards on just six carries.
The Knights (3-2, 3-1) held the Bantams (1-4, 1-3) to 18 yards rushing.
Cheney 21, Mt. Spokane 13
The Blackhawks (2-3, 1-3) picked up their first GSL win this season, riding Donny McKee to victory. The sophomore rushed 29 times for 273 yards and all three Blackhawk TDs, including a 69-yarder. Mt. Spokane dropped to 2-3, 1-3.