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Connor Halonen helps Gonzaga Prep top Lewis and Clark to claim GSL 4A title

Lewis and Clark
Lewis and Clark's Xavier Guillory (3) tries to turn the corner with Gonzaga Prep's Braeden Young, right, in his face, Friday, Oct. 26, 2018, at Joe Albi Stadium in a key GSL matchup. Gprep was dominating over Lewis and Clark in the first three quarters at Joe Albi Stadium. (Jesse Tinsley / The Spokesman-Review)Buy a print of this photo
By Dave Nichols daven@spokesman.com(509) 459-5441

It was a game befitting its meaning.

Connor Halonen rushed for 167 yards with four touchdowns and Gonzaga Prep beat Lewis and Clark 41-33 to win the Greater Spokane League 4A title and earn a home game next week against the Mid-Columbia Conference’s third-place finisher Hanford in a playoff opener.

“This means a lot,” Halonen said, “especially from what we came from at the beginning (of the season) with a lot of talk about us not being the No. 1 team.

“We really played our heart out for this win.”

G-Prep finished undefeated in league and 7-2 overall.

The outcome was still in doubt until G-Prep’s Daniel Siwinski picked off a pass at the G-Prep 43 with less than a minute to play.

“Proud of our kids,” G-Prep coach Dave McKenna said. “Our coaches put them in position to make plays and Siwinski’s been a great player for us all year.”

LC (7-2, 3-2) finished as the GSL’s third seed and will play MCC champ Chiawana on the road. Mead will travel to Richland.

“It was definitely a hard game,” Halonen said.

On LC’s second drive, quarterback Michael Flaherty took it himself for a 21-yard touchdown.

G-Prep answered. Halonen hit Justyse White for a 25-yard gain. On second-and-goal from the 7, Halonen spun off two defenders and reached the end zone to tie it.

“He’s special,” McKenna said of his quarterback. “But he’s got 10 other guys around him that help him out. That’s what makes this team even more special.”

In the second quarter, G-Prep went on a 12-play drive which resulted in a 39-yard TD pass from Halonen to Travis Hojnacki and a 14-7 lead.

Flaherty connected with Xavier Guillory for 41 yards. Two plays later, he found Guthmueller for a 16-yard TD pass.

Jacob Parola returned the kick to the G-Prep 47 and Halonen busted off a 30-yard run. After being thwarted twice inside the 5, Halonen slipped into the end zone from the 1 and G-Prep led 21-13 at intermission.

G-Prep opened the second half with a 76-yard drive and a 6-yard Halonen keeper for a TD.

Flaherty found Guillory for 18 yards to the G-Prep 11. On the next play, they hooked up again for a score and LC trimmed the deficit to 28-19.

But Parola took the kick back 94 yards to the house to put G-Prep up by 15.

After a punt, Flaherty found Guillory for 14 yards down to the 10. Three plays later, Flaherty sneaked it in from the 1 to make it a one-score game.

G-Prep just ran off chunks of yards, though, and on the seventh play of the drive Halonen went 18 yards for his third TD run of the night.

Flaherty connected with Charles Avery on a 26-yard TD pass with 4:04 left to make it an eight-point game.