Saxons finish it

Ferris had every opportunity to lose its Greater Spokane League football game against East Valley. The Saxons, however, made good on every opportunity to win.

A team whose first halves this year have been an afterthought to the game rallied from a 10-0 deficit for a 24-17 overtime win.

Facing fourth-and-18 at the 33 in the tiebreaker, Shawn Stockton hooked up with go-to receiver Jared Karstetter for a game-saving first down.

On third-and-24 at the 29, sophomore Andrew Weigand slipped behind EV’s secondary – a game-long malady – and juggled Stockton’s throw into the end zone where he held on.

Ferris’ defense did the rest.

“When we give Shawn time we go ‘four-vertical’ and he picks out someone to make a play,” said coach Jim Sharkey, whose team has yet to score a first-half point, but today stands 2-0 in the GSL.

While quarterbacks Stockton and Jeff Minnerly combined for three touchdowns and Karstetter’s 6-foot-3 height was impossible for EV to defend, credit the Saxons defense for this win.

The Knights held the ball for 17 minutes, 30 seconds of the 24-minute first half, had a 222-67 yardage advantage, and Ferris turned the ball over four times. But the defensive front allowed just 10 points.

EV scored on its second possession of the game following an interception. The Knights dented the red zone five other times during the game, but only got a field goal to show for it. Two others missed, a third was blocked.

In the second half, like last week, Ferris’ game began. Stockton doubled the team’s offense on two plays after intermission, a 33-yard quarterback draw and 35-yard pass to Karstetter. The two connected four plays later for the first touchdown.

Minnerly, in for Stockton who had his bell was rung after an interception, threw a wobbler that McKenzie Murphy turned into a 67-yard completion by beating the Knights secondary.

Then it was to that man Karstetter again for the score and 14-10 third-quarter lead.

“My height helped,” he said. “Shawn threw good and he got good protection.”

For all that, this quirky game was not yet done, even though the Ferris defense held twice inside the 15, the Knights missed their second field goal and time was their enemy.

Then Ferris botched a punt snap that Karstetter downed at his 1-yard line, EV punched it over in two plays for a 17-14 lead and only 1:10 to go.

But the kicking game let the team down again and Ferris started near midfield. Dexter Belling kicked a 27-yard field goal as time expired to send the game into overtime.

Karstetter had nine catches for 126 yards. The Saxons finished with 300 yards through the air.

“We saw that they were in press man coverage and had to stretch the field,” said Sharkey. “I’m happy with the kids. They didn’t quit.”

Lewis and Clark 21, Mead 6: Two touchdowns in the final 6 minutes of the game lifted the Tigers to their second consecutive GSL victory and next week’s South Side first-place showdown at Joe Albi Stadium against Ferris.

A time-consuming, 13-play drive put LC (2-0) in front of the defending league champions 14-6 with 5:28 remaining to play. Two minutes later, following the second of three Tigers interceptions, they cashed in again to throw the GSL into early-season turmoil.

Mead (1-1) had started the second game of a Joe Albi Stadium doubleheader like a house afire, covering 70 yards in a hurry. Chris Jones, a 210-pound senior back, ripped off several big gains and Luke Hattrup finished off the final 15 yards of the drive in two carries to put the Panthers ahead 6-0 midway through the first quarter.

But after a quarter’s worth of sparring, the Tigers mounted their drive to take a 7-6 lead with 3:42 left until half.

LC had a field goal blocked in the third quarter and Mead bogged down following a drive between the 25-yard lines as a prelude to the Tigers’ fourth-quarter dominance.

Included in the 74-yard scoring march was a well-executed 23-yard pass from Taylor Eglet to Mathew Henry-Proost that might have gone the remaining 31 had he not fallen. Eight plays later, Alex Shaw punched in from a yard out.

Tyler Nanny’s rushes had set up that score and after he intercepted a pass and returned it 26 yards to the 12, it was Nanny who scored in one tackle-shredding run.

Mead outgained LC 314 to 213 yards as Hattrup gained 106 yards in 16 carries and Jones added 96 in 13.

But LC’s defense, that caused five turnovers, and an economical offense that played mistake-free spelled the difference.

University 24, Shadle Park 7: Workhorse Tyler Carlson carried 33 times for 185 yards and two touchdowns as the host Titans rallied for victory.

Penalties hurt U-Hi in the first half during a 7-7 deadlock. Highlander Branden Hughes broke a 68-yard run for the first TD of the game.

Carlson countered in the second quarter with a 47-yard burst. His 2-yard third-quarter plunge put the Titans (1-1, 1-0) ahead for good.

U-Hi had three quarterback sacks and James Seely had two interceptions.

The Titans outgained Shadle (0-2) 346-195.