Week 4 football preview: First battle of Greater Spokane League titans as Central Valley, Mt. Spokane face off
The old, worn-out postgame diatribe of former Arizona Cardinals coach Dennis Green saying, “They are who we thought they were,” histrionics aside, might very well apply to the Greater Spokane League 4A/3A ranks again this season.
Gonzaga Prep, Central Valley and Mt. Spokane all won last week by a combined score of 133-3. We get the first showdown between the “Big 3” this week.
In 2A, Shadle Park and Clarkston picked up league wins last week, hoping to get an early edge on the competition.
All games Friday, 7 p.m. except otherwise noted.
Game of the week
Central Valley (2-1) at Mt. Spokane (2-0): In the first clash of the titans in 2021, the Wildcats host the Bears at Union Stadium at 7:30 p.m. Friday. Why 7:30 and not 7?
The referee crew will be officiating at an early game and won’t get to Union Stadium for a 7 p.m. kick, so it was pushed back a half hour (let’s hope that’s all, for those with deadlines).
Once they get started, it should be as entertaining a game as any all year. CV and Mt. Spokane like to move the ball around to a lot of players on offense and both boast stout defenses.
This one is appointment viewing.
4A/3A
Mead (2-1, 2-1) at Gonzaga Prep (3-0, 2-0): The Panthers took care of U-Hi 24-7 as Colby Danielson rushed for two second-half touchdowns on Saturday, handing first-year coach Keith Stamps a big league win. It’ll be a big moral-booster coming in against G-Prep, which so far looks unstoppable on offense (144 points in three games) and impenetrable on defense (nine points allowed).
Ridgeline (0-3, 0-3) at University (1-2, 1-2): Coach Dave Myers and his Falcons are still looking for their first win in program history. Will it come this week against a Titans squad that handled Cheney two weeks ago but got it handed to them by Mead last week?
Cheney (0-3) at West Valley (1-1): The Blackhawks play down this week in a nonleague game against former Great Northern foe West Valley, but winless Cheney doesn’t have it easy. The Eagles looked good in a win over 1A Newport in Week 1, but not so good against Idaho 4A Lakeland last week.
Ferris (2-1, 2-1) at Lewis and Clark (1-2, 1-1): At Union Stadium, Thursday 7 p.m. Both of these teams took it on the chin last week. The Saxons lost tailback Kruz Wheeler after three offensive plays and looked lost on offense the rest of the way. LC, meanwhile, went to East Wenatchee to face honorary league member Eastmont (third game against GSL 4A team this season) and got pounded.
2A
Pullman (0-3, 0-0) at Clarkston (1-2, 1-0): The Bantams got into the win column last week against North Central after a couple of tough losses to Idaho schools the first two weeks. The Greyhounds have 14 points in three weeks against ranked opponents, so they are looking to generate opportunities.
Rogers (0-3, 0-1) at North Central (1-1, 0-1): The Pirates got a boost from playing their first on-campus game since 2002 and they hope two fourth-quarter TDs last week are a harbinger of good things to come. The Wolfpack have been a little up and down, and are looking for consistency this week.
East Valley (1-0, 0-0) at Shadle Park (1-1, 1-0): Saturday 1 p.m. The Knights haven’t played since Sept. 3, so they’re just looking forward to getting back on the field. Shadle gets a true home game this week with a chance to take a two-game lead over several league opponents already.
Idaho
Lakeland (3-0) at Post Falls (1-3): A chance for the Hawks to prove to they are a contender in Idaho 4A.
Moscow (3-1) at Lake City (1-2): Like Lakeland, the Bears hope to knock off a North Idaho 5A team.
Lewiston (4-0) at Sandpoint (1-2): The Bengals are surprising a lot of folks early on, but don’t let the Bulldogs’ record fool you.
Coeur d’Alene (2-1) at Skyview (WA) (3-0): Saturday 4 p.m. The Vikings went to North Creek of Bothell, Washington, last week and escaped on a stuffed 2-point conversion in OT. The Storm, from Vancouver, Washington, meet the Vikings at Roos Field in Cheney.