Ferris’ ground game grinds out 24-9 victory over LC

Ferris and Lewis and Clark traded mistakes Friday night before Johnny Via took over and ran away with a 24-9 victory for the Saxons over their South Hill rivals.

The senior running back picked holes and ran over tacklers en route to 182 yards on 25 carries and two touchdowns.

“It feels awesome,” Via said. “There is nothing better than that.”

Ferris coach Jim Sharkey said he thought the Saxons (4-5, 2-3 Greater Spokane League) had the advantage in the trenches.

“We told (Via) all week that we were going wear him out. We leaned on him as much as we could,” said Sharkey, who didn’t call a pass play in the second half. “Why? We took football back to the 1920s tonight.”

The Tigers took the opening kickoff and marched to the Saxons’ 43-yard line. Facing fourth-and-4, Cameron Duncan dropped back, evaded a sack and somehow got through the line before breaking into the open field and scampering to the 5.

Ferris then stopped the Tigers (3-6, 1-4) three times before Duncan tried to run it again on fourth down. He got stuffed at the 3 to turn the ball over on downs and Ferris never looked back.

Sharkey credited LC coach Dave Hughes for playing Duncan at quarterback. Usually a running back, the senior rushed 28 times for 153 yards and a touchdown. He also completed 7 of 16 passes for 76 yards, but two interceptions were costly.

“Putting Duncan at quarterback caused us problems all night,” Sharkey said. “He’s very athletic.”

Ferris took the lead on a 38-yard field goal by Braden Brock at the end of the first quarter.

On the next series for the Tigers, Ferris’ Jake Zastrow picked off Ian Smith. Ferris quarterback Logan Bunker converted a long third down before he finally punched it in from 2 yards out to give the Saxons a 10-0 lead.

After a Tigers punt, Bunker fumbled the ball and it was recovered by Lewis and Clark at the Ferris 17.

Duncan then punched it in from 1 yard out to make it 10-6 after a missed extra point.

Just before halftime, Duncan hit Ryan Meyer for a 27-yard touchdown pass. But referees ruled that Duncan had crossed the line of scrimmage before the throw.

The play of the night came on the first play of the fourth quarter. Facing third-and-7, Via took a handoff, picked a hole and burst through the line for a 55-yard touchdown run that put the game away at 24-6.

“All of the sudden, the sea parted,” Via said, “and no one was there.”

Ferris will now play Hanford on Thursday at 6 p.m. again at Joe Albi Stadium, Sharkey said.

“This is important for our seniors,” he said. “We have a chance to get (the record) to .500.”