Week 9 football preview: Everything on the line as league finales determine champs, playoff seeds
Due to the potential to miss games this season due to COVID, the Greater Spokane League decided at the start of the season that losses would determine a team’s record for playoff purposes – not winning percentage – so there are plenty of teams still hoping to qualify for a tiebreaker.
With the confusion settled about how teams from the three classifications within the GSL can qualify for the postseason, let’s get back to the matter of hand – the games on the field.
There are playoff ramifications – and league titles to settle – in many of this week’s games, which is what you want in the last week of the regular season.
Nonleague games listed at highest classification. All games Friday at 7 p.m. unless otherwise noted.
Game of the week
Mt. Spokane (6-1, 6-1) at Gonzaga Prep (8-0, 7-0): It’s the de facto league title game with the Bullpups, ranked No. 3 in the 4A state media poll, hoping to complete a perfect regular-season run against a tough Wildcats team, ranked No. 7 in 3A. If Mt. Spokane pulls off a win, it will be a three-way tie between the Wildcats, the Bullpups and Central Valley for the league title.
It’s a battle between conflicting styles of the two quarterbacks – G-Prep’s Ryan McKenna has rushed for over 1,000 yards over seven games, and Mt. Spokane’s Kellen Flanigan has 15 TD passes this season.
GSL 4A/3A
Mead (2-5, 2-4) at Lewis and Clark (3-5, 3-4): If the Panthers win, they’ll match idle University (4-4) in the loss column for the GSL 3A’s second bid to the 32-team state bracket and force a tiebreaker “minigame” of two 10-minute halves on Tuesday at Union Stadium at 5 p.m.
LC is set as the 4A No. 3 seed and will face the Mid-Columbia Conference No. 4 team on Tuesday at 6:30 at Union in the 4A play-in game.
Central Valley (6-2, 6-1) at Ridgeline (1-7, 1-5): The Bears face the Falcons for the first time. Most of the Ridgeline students (and several coaches) were originally at CV, so this annual battle will take on a lot of significance through the years. This season’s battle, however, is a mismatch between a good 4A team and a young 3A one.
Cheney (0-8, 0-7) at Ferris (2-6, 2-5): It’s been a difficult season for both the winless Blackhawks and the Saxons, who have six touchdowns between them in games not against Ridgeline’s underclassman-stocked roster.
GSL 2A
Shadle Park (5-2, 5-0) at Clarkston (4-3, 4-1): The GSL 2A gets two bids to the round of 16 and Shadle is bound for state regardless of the outcome. The Bantams are in with a win and can eliminate a lot of confusion, but they’ll have work to do following a two-touchdown loss to West Valley last week.
West Valley (4-3, 1-2) at Rogers (0-8, 0-5): The Eagles could be the biggest beneficiary of the league’s stance on COVID-related missed games. If they earn just their second league win and Clarkston loses, it sets up a three-way tie (in losses) between WV, four-win Clarkston and three-win East Valley.
In that instance, WV would play EV on Nov. 5 at a neutral site , then the winner would face Clarkston later that evening in minigames consisting of two 10-minute halves.
East Valley (4-2) at Lynden Christian (4-2): Saturday at 1 p.m. The Knights finish the regular season with a tough nonleague road matchup. At least they’ll know whether they qualified for a tiebreaker before they play.
North Central (2-3, 1-3) at Pullman (2-6, 2-3): Two of the three league members no longer eligible for the postseason face off in a league finale.
Northeast A
Freeman (6-1, 4-1) at Lakeside (8-0, 5-0): District 7 and District 6 both get two bids to state, so the Northeast A League plays crossover games with the Caribou Trail League for the four spots.
The Eagles want to win to preserve a perfect record, though they’re set with the top seed. If the Scotties win, setting up a three-way tie, Lakeside is No. 1, with Freeman second and Riverside third due to a preseason number draw.
Either way, the league has three teams with a strong shot to reach state.
Medical Lake (1-4, 0-3) at Riverside (7-1, 4-1): The Rams look to finish strongly against a Cardinals squad having a rough season with COVID issues and on the field.
Colville (2-6, 1-4) at Newport (3-4, 2-3): The Grizzlies are trying to keep hold of the league’s final spot in the Week 10 crossover games. A loss could necessitate tiebreakers.
Deer Park (2-6) at Kettle Falls (0-5): The Stags finish up a tough season against the 2B Bulldogs in a nonleague contest.
Idaho
Capital (6-3) at Lewiston (7-2): The Bengals finished second in the Inland Empire 5A three-way tiebreaker on Monday and get to host the Southern Idaho River Division third-place Eagles in the first round of state. The winner gets top-ranked Rigby on the road next week. Lewiston is led by tailback Cruz Hepburn and quarterback Jace McKarcher, two of the top 10 rushers in the state.
Mountain Home (3-6) at Sandpoint (5-2): The Bulldogs earned the No. 1 seed in the Idaho 4A State tournament based upon their strong MaxPreps rating due to their wins over three 5A teams this fall. They’ll host the Great Basin fourth-place Tigers. Gerritt Cox and Parker Pettit pace the Bulldogs.
Lakeland (5-4) vs. Skyline (5-4): Thursday, 7:30 p.m. at Holt Arena in Pocatello. The Hawks earned the No. 11 seed in 4A despite last week’s loss to Sandpoint. They play the High Country Conference champion sixth-seeded Grizzlies. Expect heavy doses of Lakeland feature back John Cornish.