GSL powers Ferris, Shadle Park set to battle

Both teams are coming off impressive victories in their respective GSL openers, and both teams know it won’t be as easy this time. When Ferris and Shadle Park square off at Joe Albi stadium Thursday at 4:15 p.m., arguably the top two teams in the conference will play a game that likely carries significant weight for later in the season. Owning the tiebreaker in this battle goes a long way to a GSL title. Behind five first-half touchdown passes from junior quarterback Brett Rypien, Shadle jumped out to a 48-6 halftime lead in a 62-14 throttling of Rogers on Friday. “It’s nice to enjoy this, but we have our work cut out for us next week,” Highlanders head coach Alan Stanfield said, referring to the mighty Saxons. In an equally inspiring victory, Ferris utilized the versatility and explosiveness of Jalen Hicks, who had six receptions for 159 yards in addition to his 126 yards rushing on eight carries, en route to a 42-14 win at Central Valley. Hicks, a junior with soft hands and quicker feet, scored on second-half runs of 17, 13 and 66 yards, as well as a 65-yard touchdown catch from quarterback Christian Olson in the first half. Hicks’ three runs to pay dirt came back-to-back-to-back, breaking a 14-14 halftime draw and putting the game out of reach. “We can talk about Jalen all night, but we were really good up front,” Saxons head coach Jim Sharkey said, giving due credit to his offensive line. “Our kids dominated the line of scrimmage, which was the big question going in.” Ferris two-way player Cole Karstetter, who stars at safety and running back, told The Spokesman-Review’s Greg Lee that he has his sights set on being the Greater Spokane League’s defensive player of the year.