Week 4 prep football preview: Contrasting styles highlight matchup of Gonzaga Prep, Mead

We’re several weeks into the Greater Spokane League football season and it’s the first opportunity for a pair of the four early leaders to square off in the 4A/3A division.

In the 2A ranks, the out-of-towners (Pullman and Clarkston) look to continue early season success while the Valley schools still look for even footing.

And a level down in 1A, there’s an early season showdown between ranked teams that could decide the league title in Week 4.

All games Friday at 7 p.m. unless otherwise noted.

Game of the week

Gonzaga Prep (2-1, 2-0) vs. Mead (3-0, 2-0) at Union Stadium: The first of several matchups in the upper division that will eventually produce a league champion and seeding for Week 10 against the Mid-Columbia Conference and Big 9.

G-Prep owns lopsided wins over Cheney and Ferris but should get a strong challenge from the Panthers this week, who have a pretty good groove going themselves.

It’s a battle of contrasting styles – the Bullpups want to pound the ball on offense and pound the ballcarrier on defense. Mead possesses a big-strike capability behind Colby Danielson’s arm and legs.

4A/3A

Central Valley (3-0) at Moses Lake (2-1): The Bears have scored 88 points and allowed seven in three league games against Lewis and Clark, Ridgeline and Cheney.

Moses Lake has a new mascot for this season – the Mavericks – but it is up to its old tricks, with a win over Kamiakin and in-league against Eisenhower.

Mt. Spokane (3-0, 3-0) at Ferris (0-3, 0-3): Thursday 7 p.m. The Wildcats are the fourth of four unbeatens left in the upper division and like CV, none of Mt. Spokane’s wins has been close games, outscoring opponents 114-30.

Junior QB T.J. Haberman is one to watch. He throws a great deep ball and is accurate on short throws as well.

Lewis and Clark (1-2, 1-2) at Ridgeline (0-3, 0-3): The Tigers will have a tough time avoiding the 4A Tuesday play-in to Week 10 with a loss to CV already on the books.

But the young LC team has favorable matchups the next three weeks and should be able to build some momentum behind its big offensive line.

University (0-3, 0-2) at Cheney (1-2, 1-2): In its win over Ferris, Cheney used large doses of Jakeb Vallance’s arm to move the ball up the field.

Cheney will look to do that again against the Titans, who would like to get playmakers Tre Buchanan and Jalen King more involved.

2A

Pullman (2-1, 1-0) at Rogers (1-2, 0-0): Friday, 3:30 p.m. The Greyhounds came away with a big win on Saturday, shutting out North Central. Pullman is led by QB Caleb Northcroft, who completed 13 of 17 passes for 140 yards with three touchdown passes against the Wolfpack. The Pirates finally play a league game, just in time for an on-campus homecoming.

Shadle Park (2-1, 1-0) at North Central (0-2, 0-1): The Highlanders come off a big win over West Valley last week, shutting the Eagles out in the second half to pull away. Beckett Ensminger had 26 carries for 228 yards with a touchdown run for Shadle.

West Valley (1-2, 0-1) at Clarkston (2-1, 1-0): The Eagles are still trying to find their identity and have a long road trip to think about it – before and after. The Bantams blew out East Valley last week as Ikaika Millan rushed for 114 yards and three touchdowns.

East Valley (0-3) at Bonners Ferry (4-0): The Knights, still looking for their first win after a playoff performance last season, do not have an easy task this week against the Badgers.

1A

Lakeside (3-0, 1-0) at Freeman (2-1, 0-0): It’s a battle of ranked teams in the Northeast A League as the No. 9 Scotties host the No. 3 Eagles. It’s early yet, but the winner will have an inside track to a home crossover game in Week 10.

QB Kole Hunsaker and RB Hiro Patterson fuel the Lakeside attack. Freeman is paced by dual-threat QB Boen Phelps.