Central Valley has no intention of letting up in playoffs
You don’t ease into a playoff game.
The lights had yet to be turned off after Central Valley’s 31-17 win over rival University on Friday night when coach Rick Giampietri dropped some truth for his Bears.
“We’ve got to keep rolling,” he told The Spokesman-Review. “We need to get better because we play a tough Chiawana team next Friday night.”
Central Valley (7-2) enters the playoff game after two straight one-sided wins following a loss to Greater Spokane League champion Gonzaga Prep in a first-place showdown.
While the Bears were wrapping up the No. 2 seed from the Greater Spokane League into the Class 4A playoffs, Chiawana was putting the finishing touches on a 62-3 drubbing on district rival Pasco.
It was the kind of win that Giampietri and his staff will stress to his team in preparations for Friday night’s playoff game at CV.
The Bears have to be ready to go from the moment the ball is first kicked – the Riverhawks ran back a Pasco kick-off 84 yards for a touchdown.
The Riverhawks, winners of their last four games, built a 35-0 lead after the first quarter, including a 31-yard return of a Pasco fumble for a touchdown. Chiawana added a 47-yard fumble return for a touchdown in the fourth quarter.
Against the Bulldogs, Chiawana’s Andrew Vargas ran for 129 yards and scored five touchdowns – on runs of 1, 23, 25, 9 and 5 yards.
The CV defense has proven itself to be stout and promises to make Friday night’s game a battle.
Girls soccer
University won its regional first-round game at Richland with a 3-2 decision over the Bombers in a loser-out match.
Julie Adair scored two goals to lead the Titans, including a penalty kick in the 77th minute.
Adair helped get the Titans into the regional by scoring the winning goal against Central Valley in a loser-out district tournament game that eliminated the two-time defending state champions. Freshman Kelsey Crosby added an insurance goal in the final minute of play in the 2-0 win.
East Valley won the District 7 2A title with a 1-0 win over Clarkston when Shannon Frucci buried a direct free kick in the 67th minute.
The Lady Knights advance to the subregional Saturday as the No. 1 seed.
Volleyball
University swept aside Chiawana in the Class 4A Regional volleyball tournament 25-21, 25-20, 26-24, behind a standout performance by Rachael Schlect, who had 20 kills and 6 blocks, and Kendall Collins, who dished out 33 assists.
The Titans now face Mead on Saturday.
Cross country
The University boys and the Central Valley boys and girls will battle for a state team title at the State Class 4A Cross Country championships Saturday in Pasco.
The U-Hi boys won the regional team title behind a second-place finish by Hunter Simpson. Central Valley placed second.
The CV girls captured the regional title behind a second-place finish by Briegan Bester.
Steve Christilaw can be reached at steve. christilaw@gmail.com.