Saxons want to take football team further
The tradition of winning is something Ferris High School is used to, especially on the basketball court. This season though, the Saxons want to further a tradition of winning where it hasn’t always been … on the football field.
Last season the Saxons finished second in the Greater Spokane League with an 8-1 record, losing only to GSL champ Gonzaga Prep. The 8-2 season ended in a disappointing 14-13 loss to Moses Lake in the state playoffs, but the defeat in a rare trip to the state level served as a springboard for the Saxons this season.
This season the Saxons are off to a 3-0 start.
“We got a taste of it,” said second-year head coach Jim Sharkey. “Early on in the game you could tell we were a little tight, but as the game went on we found out we could play with Moses Lake. I think it is a big motivation for them in that they did get a taste of what it’s like. Last year we took a group of us and watched the state finals. It’s something that they do want, to achieve success on the state level.”
“We learned we could play with everyone,” said senior quarterback Jeff Minnerly. “They (Moses Lake) played Prep really tough and Prep made the semis of state. We knew we could play with the teams that were at the top of state. It’s exciting to see what we can do this year.”
Minnerly will have to be a big part of the Saxons success. The 6-foot-1 quarterback led the GSL in passing last year, connecting on 88 of 144 tosses for 1,118 yards and 11 touchdowns. Not bad for someone who was sharing time at the position with fellow classmate Shawn Stockton at the beginning of the year, but an injury to Stockton put Minnerly in charge week three of the season.
“When Shawn got hurt he was thrown into full-time duty,” said Sharkey. “It did help his progression tremendously. As we looked at film of Jeff from week 1 to week 10 he was two different kids.”
Minnerly’s work off the field was a big factor in his improvement.
“The main thing is his work ethic and he pays attention to details extremely well,” Sharkey said. “He has very strong leadership and a great work ethic. He watches film, and works hard in the weight room. His physical nature has improved. What he’s done in the weight room will pay off.”
“I just want to get better and get more efficient, making better throws,” said Minnerly, who threw for two touchdowns and ran for another in the Saxons’ opening night 42-0 win over North Central. “I want to get to where I’m making more perfect decisions and continue to get better.”
In the first three games, Minnerly has passed for 640 yards and rushed for 89. He’s thrown for seven touchdowns and rushed for two.
Ferris returns most of the starters from an attack that helped the Saxons become the third-rated offense in the GSL last year. Three first team All-GSL selections come back, including Minnerly, running back McKenzie Murphy and wide receiver Jared Karstetter, who led the league in receiving with 54 catches for 765 yards and seven touchdowns. With all of that experience back, it is a boost to Minnerly’s confidence.
“It definitely helps my comfort level,” said Minnerly. “We’ve got a lot of us coming back on offense. We have almost all of our wide receivers back, our running backs and some of our offensive line back. I think that puts us a little ahead of where we were last year. We have a great group of leaders coming back this year. If it’s me or them, it really doesn’t matter who it is. I just want to win. We’re just going to take things one week at a time. We don’t get caught up in all the hype.”
Minnerly, Karstetter and Stockton, among others, were part of the Saxons’ undefeated 4A state championship basketball team last year, and hope that success carries over to this fall.
“The basketball kids know what it takes to have success at the state level,” said Sharkey. “I hope it helps us with this team. I do think it takes the pressure off as they have done it before.”
“The confidence we had in basketball carried over from football (last year) and the success we had there,” Minnerly said. “Hopefully, the kind of success we had in basketball continues for us in football.”