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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

CV picked to take GSL showdown

By Greg Lee and Sam Adams NWPrepsNow.com
Two straight weeks picking the same winners ends this week. And we could have had more differences. Not sure who didn’t have enough guts – yours truly or Sam Adams. This is the time of the fall that Sam begins trying to chip away at my lead. The scoreboard reads – Lee 19-5 (.792), Adams 15-9 (.625) after we went 4-2 last week. Central Valley vs. Mead, Thursday, Albi, 7:15 Lee: Make no mistake, the Panthers are capable of beating the Bears. But for me, this comes down to continuity. The familiarity of tradition, an established program and a team with a sound defense. That sums up CV. Mead has a good defense, too, but CV’s is better. CV 24, Mead 10. Adams: These two teams are cut from the same cloth, making the transition from smash mouth football to a more spread attack. Defense should be the difference maker in this one, so I’m counting on Jordan Talafili to disrupt the Panthers’ passing attack just enough to pull the game in the Bears’ favor. CV 28, Mead 24. Northwest Christian at Lind-Ritzville/Sprague, Friday, 7 Lee: This game will decide the Northwest 2B championship. In fact, it will decide the league’s top two postseason seeds. The Crusaders were impressive last week against Colfax. LRS might not have as many proven skill players as the Crusaders, but the Broncos have the better offensive and defensive lines. And this game will be won in the trenches. LRS 27, NWC 20. Adams: Talk about your coin-flip matchup. If these teams play on a neutral site, it’s a 50-50 proposition. But it’s being played in Ritzville, where the Broncos haven’t lost a game since 2010. LRS will keep the streak going, but don’t be surprised if we see these two teams again somewhere down the line in the playoffs. LRS 35, NWC 28. East Valley at Cheney, Friday, 7 Lee: The Knights are a tough read. Will we see the EV team that put up 48 and 56 points in its first two games or the team that struggled in back-to-back losses to Inland Empire League teams? You cold compare games against common opponents but that could be misleading. EV probably has a better offense and Cheney definitely has a better defense. Defense prevails. Cheney 28, EV 20. Adams: Ty Graham is coming off a career night for the Blackhawks against Sunnyside (209 yards, four touchdowns). Can he keep it going against EV? If not, Josh Martin has proven to be a more than capable quarterback. Either way, Cheney has offensive weapons to survive in this GNL opener. Cheney 27, EV 21. Pullman at West Valley, Friday, 7 Lee: There should be a lot of points scored. At least by the Greyhounds, who have twice scored 60 or more. WV has speed to keep up with the Greyhounds, but Pullman has more playmakers. Pullman 42, WV 20. Adams: The Greyhounds have been riding the arm of Mason Petrino in nonleague play. Now comes a league matchup on the road against maybe the tough defense in the GNL. If it comes down to it – and it might – Pullman can adapt and ground and pound the ball between the tackles. Pullman 21, WV 17. Post Falls at Moses Lake, Friday, 7 Lee: The Trojans have steadily improved and will give the Chiefs all they can handle. But Moses Lake impressed me by holding Coeur d’Alene to 17 points two weeks ago. Both play solid defense, and that will be the difference. Moses Lake 24, PF 14. Adams: Moses Lake has been a worthy adversary against CdA (narrow loss on a goal-line interception) and Lewis and Clark (victory). If this game is in Idaho, I’m taking the Trojans in a heartbeat. This will be a tough, tough road test for Post Falls, but on a hunch I think the Trojans will answer the call. PF 17, Moses Lake 13. Lake City at Sandpoint, Friday, 7 Lee: I can make an argument for either team. LC has played the more difficult schedule. Quarterback Matt Duchow made a nice debut on place of injured Collin Hunter last week against Tumwater, the top-ranked 2A team in Washington. Sandpoint put in a new old offense last week, scrapping a misdirection-based attack for the I formation that coach Satini Puailoa used for many wins in his first tour as head coach. I picked Sandpoint to win at home three weeks in a row and missed on each one. So I’m going with a hunch here. LC 30, Sandpoint 27. Adams: Even the so-called ‘easy’ matchups for LC aren’t this season, are they? This nonleague 5A vs. 4A matchup takes the T-Wolves to Sandpoint, where the Bulldogs are on the verge of living up to preseason hype. The difference may be the new QB, Matt Duchow. I have a feeling we’ll be pronouncing this name (DOO-Coe) a lot on Friday nights from here on out. LC 24, Sandpoint 21. Pullman at West Valley, Friday, 7 Lee: There should be a lot of points scored. At least by the Greyhounds, who have twice scored 60 or more. WV has speed to keep up with the Greyhounds, but Pullman has more playmakers. Pullman 42, WV 20. Adams: The Greyhounds have been riding the arm of Mason Petrino in nonleague play. Now comes a league matchup on the road against maybe the tough defense in the GNL. If it comes down to it – and it might – Pullman can adapt and ground and pound the ball between the tackles. Pullman 21, WV 17.