Mead’s defense stops Rogers; LC defeats NC

Heavy preseason favorite Mead looked anything but the team expected to waltz through the Greater Spokane League – at least everywhere but on defense. The Panthers hunkered down in the second half as Mead topped winless Rogers 15-6 Friday at Joe Albi Stadium. Mead looked as if it could do anything it wanted whenever it wanted. Problem was, the Panthers got in their own way many times, especially with penalties and fumbles. Mead fumbled six times, losing two. Even though the Panthers didn’t lose most of the fumbles, the gaffes stopped momentum. The Panthers limited Rogers to 144 yards total offense, 35 coming in the second half. In the first half, Mead looked like a team that didn’t want to be on the field and winless Rogers did. Rogers took the opening kickoff and whittled 5 minutes, 27 seconds off the clock before the drive stalled at Mead’s 48-yard line. After the Pirates’ defense held on Mead’s first series, Rogers had a short field starting at the Panthers’ 45. Six plays later on fourth-and-3, quarterback Dom Sanders executed a nice play-action pass to tight end Nick Kaley for a 23-yard touchdown pass. A two-point conversion failed with Rogers ahead 6-0 and 20 seconds remaining in the first quarter. Then Mead had a penalty-plagued series that ended in a turnover. Rogers drove deep into Panthers territory again, but the series ended on a sack at Mead’s 30. Mead put together its first scoring drive that culminated with a 4-yard bootleg by quarterback Gunnar Kayser. Point-after holder Darian Barlow took the snap and sprinted around the end for the 2-point conversion. The Panthers led 8-6 at halftime. Lewis and Clark 37, North Central 23: The Tigers (4-4) took advantage of two critical turnovers to rally and keep the Indians (1-7) from spoiling Homecoming. NC place-kicker Heber Martinez kicked a 20-yard field goal that extended the Indians’ lead to 23-16 with 4:24 to go in the third quarter. From that point to the end, NC threw three interceptions and lost a fumble deep in its territory. NC’s Jake Hoffman fumbled at the Indians’ 4-yard line and LC defensive end Michael Vanwert recovered. On the ensuing play, junior running back Coleton Fitzgerald scored, pulling the Tigers even at 23 with 8:56 remaining. LC defensive back Nigel King came up with the first of two interceptions, giving the Tigers possession at NC’s 28. Three plays later, quarterback Andrew Black scored on a 19-yard draw to extend the lead to 30-23 with 6:55 to go. Fitzgerald, who scored two TDs, had a game-high 172 yards rushing on 27 carries. On its next-to-last possession, NC moved to LC’s 40 before the drive stalled and the Indians punted. LC took over at its 7 and quickly moved down the field. Black scored his second TD on a 33-yard delay up the middle to provide the final margin with 1:52 to go.