Cheney drops Shadle, stays in hunt

The Cheney Blackhawks knew they had to defeat Shadle Park High on Thursday night to have any hope of earning a postseason football berth.

The plan was simple: Play hard, hit hard, run hard, and whatever happens, happens.

“And we needed a little luck, too,” Cheney football coach Jason Williams said after his Blackhawks grabbed a 21-13 win before 1,215 at Albi Stadium.

The victory gives Cheney a 4-4 overall record but, more important, a 3-4 Greater Spokane League mark. It also means the Blackhawks’ postseason fate – winning the league’s second 3A berth over West Valley, Clarkston or North Central – is still in their hands.

Such hopes would have all floated away without quarterback Mike Kinnie’s quick hands.

After Shadle had broken on top 7-0 with a game-opening 80-yard drive – capped by Branden Hughes’ 4-yard run – Cheney needed to answer.

It took almost 16 minutes, but the Blackhawks finally had a scoring chance. They faced a second-and-7 at the Shadle 12.

Kinnie handed the ball to Donny McKee, who went right, was hit and fumbled, and accidentally kicked the ball it into the end zone. A handful of Highlanders and a lone Blackhawk fell on the rolling ball, but no one corralled it.

“All those Shadle guys jumped on it and it kind of squeezed out of the pile, just like in a movie,” said Kinnie, who was trailing the play. “I just jumped on it.”

“It was a designed play,” McKee said, laughing.

No, it wasn’t, but the next Blackhawks touchdown was. It came halfway through the third quarter, and McKee, who finished with 87 yards on 20 carries, scored it on a 1-yard run over right tackle, a spot Cheney attacked all night.

But Shadle (3-5, 2-5), depleted by injuries and suspensions, didn’t give in. The Highlanders opened the fourth quarter by putting together an 87-yard drive, overcoming two holding penalties en route.

Hughes, who led Shadle with 86 yards on 13 rushes, punched it in again, this time from 2 yards out, and all the Highlanders needed for a tie with 6 minutes, 44 seconds remaining was the extra point.

But the snap was high, the timing was just off, and the kick was pulled left. Cheney still led 14-13.

When Shadle needed a stop, it couldn’t get one. A 34-yard kickoff return by Josh Quisenberry ignited a 51-yard drive, culminating in sophomore Jesus Fregoso’s 9-yard touchdown run. They were the last of Fregoso’s game-high 99 rushing yards.

But the score gave Shadle a shot as it got the ball with 1:04 left. A quick drive got it into Cheney territory, but Tyrell Poorsi picked off a last-second pass, and Cheney had survived.

“We knew we had to win to have any chance at all,” Williams said. “The kids responded and they played hard. Now we have to keep going. We still have a couple of steps to take.”