Ferris Runs Out Of Miracles As Shadle Runs Over Saxons

Ferris tried to imitate John Elway but the Saxons came up short. The problem might have been an earlier imitation of Brian Bosworth that worked - for Shadle Park.

The Highlanders pounded out a 17-14 win in a Greater Spokane League football game at Albi Stadium Thursday with a running game that piled up more than 300 yards.

Tim Snell and Ben Monger sacked Ferris quarterback Tim Bursch on a fourth-down play from the Shadle Park 32 with 11 seconds left to preserve the win.

“We went to watch our volleyball team (at Ferris Tuesday) and they tried to pick a fight with us,” said Snell, who also rushed for 114 yards. “I try not to talk with my mouth. Talk with my pads is what I tried to do. I was thinking sack the quarterback.”

Ignoring the Boz-like talk, the Highlanders rushed for 314 yards, with Jeff Lafferty adding 112. The Highlanders had 21 first downs and controlled the ball for 31 minutes of the 48-minute game.

“We cannot be a John Elway team every week,” Ferris coach Clarence Hough said. The Saxons beat University last Friday by scoring with 10 seconds left.

In the second game, Lewis and Clark used a ball control offense that didn’t allow University a single snap from scrimmage in the third quarter to edge the Titans 14-7. The double-header drew 3,268 fans.

Shadle Park set the tone early, taking the opening kickoff and marching 73 yards in 19 plays, taking almost 10 minutes off the clock. The Highlanders opened the drive with an incomplete pass and then had 18 straight running plays. The longest play was 8 yards and quarterback Kris Walters went around left end for 3 yards and the touchdown.

“That was nice, wasn’t it?” Shadle coach Mark Hester said. “Our kids played awful well. What we wanted to do was establish the running game.”

After the first drive, the Highlanders went 85 yards on seven running plays, with Lafferty bulling over from the 3.

“That’s just the way it worked out,” said Snell. “Our offensive line did a great job. We didn’t have to go our two-receiver set and the backs kept running.”

Working from the wing T, the running backs - Snell, Lafferty and Nick Bender, who added 64 yards - also did a good job blocking for one another.

Ferris came back to tie the game with its big-play passing game. Bursch hit Jonathon Parker on a 50-yard scoring play in the third quarter and a 14-yarder with 6:25 to go. However, the Highlanders then went from their 21 to the 14 before Walters kicked a 30-yard field goal with 1:40 to play.

“We never thought it would be easy, they’re a comeback team,” Snell said. “Our defense came through and so did our offense at critical times.”

In the late game, Lewis and Clark almost matched Shadle Park’s amazing drive, opening the third quarter with an 85-yard, 16-play march that consumed 8:37 and ended a string of seven scoreless quarters.

“That was a tremendous lift to our offensive football team,” LC coach John Hook said. “Going as many quarters as we did without scoring, that was a big confidence builder. In our stage of development, we have to be able to do that.”

U-Hi had controlled much of the first half but missed three field goals, twice after getting inside the 10-yard-line.

“We had missed opportunities,” Titans coach Mike Ganey said. “They were just a little more physical the second half. They just got behind (300-pound LaSean Grant), nothing fancy, just smash-mouth football.”

The Titans responded with a 94-yard kickoff return by Jason Berger. He took the ball at the 6, went into the maze at the 20, squirted through and raced down the middle for the touchdown.

However, the Tigers came right back with a 60-yard, 13-play drive to score the winning touchdown with 10:24 to go in the game.

The game was far from over. Taking over on their 35, the Titans made it to the LC 20 when they faced a fourth-and-10. Quarterback Rob Bartlett hit Berger with a beautiful out to the 1. Bartlett scored on the next snap, but the play was nullified because the Titans were called for not having seven players on the line. However, they were in an unbalanced set and appeared to be lined up OK.

They got back to fourth-and-1, but LC’s Andy Allen stopped Tim Buchanan for no gain.

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