Central Valley outlasts Gonzaga Prep in overtime, 3-0
Three weeks ago the Central Valley Bears were 0-2 in Greater Spokane League football play. They knew they couldn’t lose another game if they wanted to participate in the postseason.
With losing not an option, they decided letting their opponents score wouldn’t be an option either.
For a school-record third consecutive week, CV posted a shutout Friday over a previously undefeated foe.
This time, however, the Bears didn’t score either, at least in the 48 minutes of regulation.
When they did, on Zach Evans’ 42-yard field goal, it gave them a 3-0 decision over defending league champion Gonzaga Prep before more than 3,000 at Prep.
“We know where we stand,” said senior running back and defensive back Tyler Demars, one of the Bears’ heroes – and goats. “We knew we had to turn things around, especially mentally. The way we are playing now, with the intensity we’re playing with, there’s no doubt we can make the playoffs.”
Now, holding onto the ball – for either team – was a doubtful exercise.
That’s why Demars was able to go from hero to goat to hero again. In the opening half, he recovered a fumble and had CV’s lone interception. In the fourth quarter he recovered another fumble – one of four the Bullpups lost – at the Bears’ 9-yard line and less than 7 minutes left. Then he returned the favor, fumbling on the G-Prep 5 with 1:08 left, ending the Bears’ best regulation scoring chance.
“We had mistakes, lots of them,” he said, “but we held together as a team, that’s what’s important.”
Demars’ fumble seemed catastrophic, mainly because it was so unexpected and came after the Bears’ one big offensive play.
After Demars’ pounced on G-Prep’s new turf to recover quarterback Max Manix’s fumble, CV put together its best drive, converting three long third downs but still was only out to its 44 with 1:26 left. Facing a second-and-27 after the 14th penalty of the night, Evans broke through the G-Prep middle en route to a 55-yard run on a draw. Only a diving tackle after a 60-yard sprint by defensive back Brendan Cunningham stopped Evans on the G-Prep 3-inch line.
Quarterback Cameron Ebat, playing in relief of injured Nick Lallier, promptly scored on a sneak. But another yellow flag – an illegal procedure on a wideout – brought it back to the 5, where Demars fumbled on the next play.
G-Prep’s chance mostly came because of the efforts of Manix, who had his best passing night of the season. He completed 12 of 22 for 147 yards, nine of the completions going to Cory Piper. But Manix was limited to 48 yards on 20 rushing attempts, as the Bears focused on slowing him down.
Though the Bullpups moved the ball in the final minute, they couldn’t get close enough for a last-second field-goal try.
In overtime, G-Prep got the ball first and promptly fumbled. The recovery was made by Demars. All the Bears had to do was kick a field goal.
After two runs for no gain, Evans did just that, splitting the uprights and keeping CV’s postseason hopes alive.