Rypien throws 6 TD passes in Shadle Park’s win over Lewis and Clark

Brett Rypien’s 294 yards and six touchdowns passing led Shadle Park to a 43-20 victory over Lewis and Clark in a regular-season finale that gave the Highlanders a share of the Greater Spokane League football title Friday night at Albi Stadium.

The Tigers (3-6) were able to keep Rypien and company within reach in the first half, trailing 15-7, but couldn’t avoid the flood in the third quarter when Shadle Park (8-1) outscored LC 22-6.

“The senior night stuff kind of gets you emotional and you have to play through it, but we came out a little flat,” Highlanders coach Alan Stanfield said.

“It was definitely emotional watching those guys get taken off the field (for the ceremony),” said Rypien, a junior.

“I’ve known them since I was a freshman and seen them grow up these past three years,” Rypien continued. “Just to see those guys mature and how we’ve all come together, if you’ve seen how hard we’ve worked, it’s unbelievable to see those guys come out here now.”

LC’s Andrew Black put the Tigers on the board first on a 22-yard bootleg run with 5:07 left in the first quarter.

With 8:27 to go in the second quarter, Rypien capped an 84-yard drive with a 4-yard pass to Tanner Pauly. Rypien found Nick Kiourkas on another 4-yard TD pass later in the quarter, with Matt Keenan’s 2-point conversion pass to Kiourkas giving Shadle Park the 15-7 halftime lead.

Then the Rypien rout started.

The junior quarterback threw three touchdown passes in the third quarter: 51 yards to Cam Duty, 53 to Pauly and 23 to Alvin Welch.

Lewis and Clark closed to within 17 points twice with scores in the second half. Coleton Fitzgerald weaved through the Shadle Park defense for a 56-yard score in the third quarter, and Black ran 14 yards for a fourth-quarter TD.

Shadle Park’s final TD came on a 1-yard pass from Rypien to Kiourkas.

The Highlanders will host a 3A play-in game against Kennewick on Friday at 8 p.m. at Albi Stadium.