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

Prep football: Mead rolls past No. 7 Lewis and Clark, ending Tigers’ undefeated season

With Lewis and Clark cruising and Mead struggling the past few weeks, Thursday night’s matchup at Albi Stadium looked to be a prelude to a de facto league title game next week.

It turned into a surprising blowout – and seriously muddled the Greater Spokane League 4A race.

Mead rebounded from back-to-back losses and stunned previously undefeated and seventh-ranked Lewis and Clark 42-21 to pull even with the Tigers in the GSL standings.

The Panthers (5-3, 3-1) and Tigers (7-1, 3-1) now await the result of Friday’s Gonzaga Prep-Ferris game to find out which team will reside in first place with one game to play.

LC faces G-Prep (5-2, 3-0) next week, which could have been a battle of unbeaten teams for the league title, while Mead finishes up with Central Valley.

“This is a big win for our program,” Mead coach Benji Sonnichsen said.

Mead’s Ryan Blair completed 11 of 12 passes for 260 with four touchdowns – three to Michael Workman, who finished with 150 receiving yards. The Panthers’ Isaiah Saldana rushed nine times for 93 yards and a score.

“We’ve kind of struggled the past couple of years with finishing strong,” Sonnichsen said. “Coming off two tough losses, it was like, ‘How were we going to respond?’

“We did all we could bringing the energy back. It was just special to come out tonight and put it all together.”

Mead came out swinging. On the first play of the game, Blair hit Jacob Dolezal on a medium pass and the speedy wideout went the distance for a 69-yard touchdown catch-and-run.

After a short LC drive, Mead took the ball at its 36 and systematically marched down the field. Cam Crawford took a direct snap and went off tackle for a 5-yard scoring run and 14-0 lead with 4:39 left in the first.

LC turned it over on downs and Saldana broke through the line, bounced off a couple of would-be tacklers and went 52 yards to the LC 11. Four plays later, he pounded it in from the 1 and Mead took a surprising 21-0 lead.

Mead’s defense held again on fourth down. On the next play, Blair hit Workman in stride for a 61-yard touchdown pass.

The Tigers found some urgency after the kickoff. Flaherty connected with Xavier Guillory on a 28-yard gain down to the 21. Two plays later, the pair connected again for a 17-yard TD pass to get LC on the board.

Midway through the third, Flaherty found Guillory again on a seam route for 36 yards to the Mead 36.

After a holding penalty, Flaherty was sacked on fourth-and-18 – the third time in the game Mead forced a turnover on downs.

Two plays later, Blair hit Workman at full speed for a 68-yard touchdown and a commanding 35-7 lead.

LC didn’t quit. Guillory made a tremendous one-handed grab along the sideline for a 29-yard gain. A few plays later, Flaherty found his favorite receiver again in the back of the end zone for an 11-yard TD catch. Guillory had eight catches for 131 yards.

On the next drive, Saldana busted a 26-yard run. On the last play of the third quarter, LC was called for a personal foul, moving the ball to the 21. On the next play, Blair connected with Workman for the third time for a 42-14 lead.

LC took advantage of a turnover in the fourth and Guthmueller scored on a 12-yard run. Guthmueller ended up with 142 yards on 29 carries.

Extra points

Doing work: Workman only had three catches, but all went for scores. “They connected well on the deep ball,” Sonnichsen said. “Blair was early on his throws. He didn’t stay in the pocket too long. That was nice to see him come out of a play-action, then throw it quick, and he put it up there where Workman could go get it.”

Defensive stance: LC got its yards, but the Mead defense limited the big plays and kept Guthmueller and Flaherty mostly in check. “Awesome job,” Sonnichsen said. “ I mean, we got back to being able to play our defense that we teach really well.”

Just for kicks: Mead punter Jacob Dolezal had several outstanding punts, including pinning LC on its 1-yard line, and the unit didn’t allow a big return. “Who’s sitting back there? No. 3 (Guillory),” Sonnichsen said. “He’s a really good football player, and so our punter knew that you can’t let him get an opportunity. Take a touch away from him.”