GNL Preview Football

More intrigue

West Valley cruised undefeated to the league championship last year, but the road to the conference title is expected to be much bumpier this year.

That’s not to say WV won’t repeat. The Eagles, who have 27 seniors, return 11 starters and 35 lettermen off a team that played in the state championship game. The key replacement comes at quarterback.

“We look to continue to build our program off of a very successful 2009 campaign,” WV coach Craig Whitney said.

The team GNL coaches believe will challenge WV is Clarkston – the runner-up last season. The Bantams return their backfield intact. Senior running back Colby Hanson is speedy and will cause teams all sorts of problems.

Lewiston coach Emmett Dougherty said he would put the ball in Hanson’s hands 60 times if he was at Lewiston.

How coaches see it

The coaches give Clarkston the nod to capture the league title, but by the slimmest margin.

Of five coaches who voted, three tabbed Clarkston. They received 27 points to WV’s 26. East Valley, which dropped from 3A and the Greater Spokane League, was picked third with 19 followed by Cheney (16), Deer Park (11) and Pullman (6). WV and EV each received a first-place vote.

Colville, which earned the third playoff berth in a three-way playoff with Cheney and Deer Park, dropped to 1A. Medical Lake was allowed to play an independent schedule, including a handful of games against GNL schools, because of safety concerns.

Deer Park coach Keith Stamps summed up the competitive GNL well.

“This is a great league and you have to be ready to play every week,” Stamps said. “Every team in the league has the potential to compete for the playoff spots.”

All-league returners

Arguably the best player in the league could be Deer Park senior Shawn Burton, a monster at 6-foot-4 and 312 pounds. He was a two-way first-team pick on both sides of the line of scrimmage last year.

Clarkston’s Hanson was a first-team selection on offense. Other first-team picks back on defense are Mike Payne (lineman) and Diondre’ Moore-Young (linebacker) of Cheney, Ethan Fox (LB) of Clarkston and Tyler Poldevart (LB) of West Valley.