3 GSL teams aim for state

A trio of Greater Spokane League football teams stakes its state playoff hopes with 1 p.m. home games today.

Gonzaga Prep (8-1) plays Columbia Basin League No. 3 seed Eisenhower and Ferris will play at Albi Stadium against CBL No. 2 Moses Lake in 4A preliminaries.

East Valley, for the third straight year, faces West Valley-Yakima in a 3A play-in game.

How will they fare?

“It’s hard to say,” said Bullpups coach Dave Carson. “The (CBL) is traditionally more physical than us. But according to everybody, they think it is down a bit.”

The Columbia Basin League put up better offensive numbers than the GSL, which might not be as strong as in the past couple of seasons, either. But the GSL was stingier on defense.

Eisenhower is led by quarterback Zach Gavin, the 6-foot-4 son of former West Valley and Central Valley coach Greg Gavin. He passed for 1,521 yards and 13 touchdowns and rushed for 652 and 12 more scores while leading the CBL in total offense. He’ll be challenged by a Bullpups defensive front that allowed just 162 yards total per game.

Moses Lake rushed for 2,570 yards in chunks, led by Ryan Carpenter’s 1,115, 7.4 per carry average and 17 touchdowns. Quarterback Ben Waites added 554 yards and passed for 418. Junior-dominated Ferris allowed only 112 yards rushing per game this year and will counter with the GSL’s best passing attack that accumulated 1,490 yards, 1,118 of those by Jeff Minnerly.

East Valley beat WV-Yakima 30-3 and 24-6 the previous two seasons. The Knights led the GSL and Rams the 3A CBL in total offense. Their five-back offense rushed for 1,551 yards and Phillip Jennings passed for most of their 1,165. EV ran for 1,862 and passed for 1,118 more.

G- Prep is ranked No. 1 in state.

“You have to win five more weeks in a row to be No. 1,” Carson said. “Are we the best? I don’t know, but we’ll play with anybody because we play hard.”