Jalen Hicks runs for 360 yards, five TDs as Ferris tops Shadle

Jalen Hicks ran for a school-record 360 yards and five touchdowns in leading Ferris over Shadle Park 43-34 on Friday night in a nonleague football game at Joe Albi Stadium.

The last time Hicks ran for more than 300 yards, the Saxons (2-4) beat University. Friday night, the 5-foot-8, 155-pound senior bested Archie Grant’s 1970 Ferris record of 331 yards and fell just short of the Greater Spokane League record of 366 set by East Valley’s Scott Campbell in 2003.

“This win right here is what we needed to get our season rolling and get that playoff mindset going,” Hicks said.

“He’s the ultimate playmaker in this league,” Ferris coach Jim Sharkey said of Hicks. “He has the best speed in the league. If you give him an inch he can take it anytime, and I was really proud of him tonight. He did a good job of reading our zone game.”

Hicks scored two touchdowns and Jack Boatman gave the Saxons a safety to jump out to an early 16-6 lead.

With 3:58 left in the first half, Brett Rypien led the Highlanders to back-to-back scores – including a 40-yard Hail Mary to Sam Stratton in the back of the end zone as time expired – to give Shadle Park (4-2) a 20-16 halftime lead.

Rypien finished with 466 yards of total offense, with 145 yards rushing and five total touchdowns.

After Ferris took a 29-28 lead with 9:46 left in the fourth quarter on Hicks’ third TD run of the night, Boatman picked off Rypien’s fourth-down pass at the Saxons 12.

On the ensuing play, Hicks took it 88 yards down the sideline to score. He added his fifth touchdown from 45 yards out on Ferris’ next drive.

Rypien led Shadle Park to a score with 57 seconds left, but the Saxons fell on the onside kick to seal it.

“Now we can hopefully ride some momentum and see what happens when we trust our technique and stay within our schemes, stay within ourselves and stick together,” Sharkey said.