Panthers leg one out with star RB Jessen hobbled

Mead’s football team showed that it needn’t rely on one good set of legs.

The Panthers defeated rival Mt. Spokane 33-7 at Joe Albi Stadium on a doubleheader homecoming Friday night that attracted a crowd of 6,750.

Mead used backup runner Luke Hattrup and fullback Paul Senescall in the absence of offensive focal point Skylar Jessen. Once more the timely arm of quarterback Andrew DeFelice came up big when needed.

Jessen injured a hamstring on the third play of the game and saw sporadic action, but none after an early try in the third quarter.

Mead (6-0, 5-0) was blessed by good field position throughout the game, thanks to a defense that stifled Mt. Spokane’s struggling offense. The Panthers produced three big first-half plays to settle the issue.

The biggest play was by linebacker Bryan Lynch, which proved to be the backbreaker. It came in the waning seconds of the first half when Mt. Spokane quarterback Kyle Redmon handed off to Kris Pryor, who was going to throw a pass back to Redmond. But the play was sniffed out by Lynch, who made the interception and sailed 63 yards for a touchdown that turned a potential 14-7 halftime score into a 21-0 advantage with 10 seconds left.

Lynch said the Panthers were aware of the Wildcats’ play and when he saw the running back stop and quarterback running he was ready.

“I just jumped it,” he said.

Early in the second quarter Mead got its first big play when Andy Mattingly went over Pryor to snatch DeFelice’s 25-yard pass on his way to the end zone.

Then, with Jessen sidelined for the second time with a gimpy leg, his replacement, Hattrup burst through an immense hole on the left side and raced unscathed 30 yards to make it 14-0 with 2 minutes, 34 seconds left until half.

With Mead’s defense hanging tough by limiting Mt. Spokane (3-3, 2-3) to 142 yards of total offense – just 23 in the first half – the Panthers worked their way to touchdowns 2:30 apart early in the fourth quarter.

Hattrup, who gained 133 yards on 18 carries, rushed five successive times to set up a 1-yard plunge by Senescall, who finished with 83 yards on 10 attempts

Shortly thereafter Mattingly picked off a pass, Mead’s third interception of the game, and returned it 51 yards down to the 3, where DeFelice hit tight end Matt White for the final points.

“Our whole team played good,” said Lynch. “We knew coming in we had a good run defense, but we had to shut down their pass and that was our weak spot. We did what we worked on all week.”

Ferris 46, Shadle Park 20

Caleb Rath continued his move up the GSL record books as the Saxons (5-1, 4-1 scored on their every possession of the first half to make quick work of the Highlanders (3-3, 2-3).

Rath, who rushed for two touchdowns and threw for another, moved into fifth place all-time in GSL total offense. He completed his first 11 passes for 192 yards in the opening half and finished with 222.

Coupled with some modest rushing yardage he finished the night with 230 yards and a career total 4,472. The figures surpass former Saxons player Travis Elisara’s 4,340.

Additionally, Ryan Murphy rushed for a 131 yards and the game’s initial score, a two-play drive in which he gained all 45 yards.

Ferris had little trouble exploiting Shadle’s defense. Rath, Anthony Zachery, who caught seven passes for 150 yards and scored rushing and receiving touchdowns, and Pat Burke’s field goal produced scores on five successive series and a 39-7 halftime lead.

McKenzie Murphy had earlier picked up a fumble and gone 66 yards to make it 36-0.

After an early fourth-quarter score, Ferris’ starters called it a night. Shadle all-purpose quarterback-runner-receiver Clay Scribner accounted for 141 of his team’s 230 total yards.