Tiger football marks 15 winning GSL seasons
Football
“Oct. 9: In my Monday (Spokesman-Review) prep notebook I took note of a Greater Spokane League milestone by Lewis and Clark’s football program.
The Tigers have had 15 successive winning league seasons. That surpasses the 14 straight that Gonzaga Prep ran off from the beginning of the expanded Greater Spokane League in 1976 through the 1989 season.
LC still has a couple of seasons to go to catch the Bullpups overall record of 17 consecutive winning seasons under coach Don Anderson that began in 1973 in the old City League. But 15 winning seasons in a row (and 20 out of 22 with one break-even year) is impressive.
I remember Jerry Connors telling me after he left a successful LC stint to coach Central Valley in the early 1980s that the talent well was dry in Tiger town. But by John Hook‘s third year, 1985, LC was tied for third place and their only losing season since was a 3-5 year in 1991.
Volleyball
“Oct. 6: Greater Spokane League teams have three or four volleyball matches remaining and after this past week, the crystal ball is clearing up.
The top three in some order are probably set. Gonzaga Prep solidified its third-place position with wins over Ferris and Shadle Park. The Bullpups (6-1, before Tuesday’s match with Mt. Spokane), trail unbeatens Lewis and Clark and Mead and had a two-game lead or more over the rest of the field.
Gonzaga isn’t out of the woods yet with Mt. Spokane (4-3), Mead and Central Valley to play, but with six wins, things are looking pretty good for first-year coach Greg Smith.
Barring the unforeseen, those top three teams are into 4A district. The other three spots are up for grabs.
CV (3-3 prior to Tuesday’s match against Mead) is currently fourth for seeding purposes, but only a game ahead of three other teams. This week is pivotal for the Bears with matches against the Panthers and at Shadle Park (2-4).
The Highlanders, University (2-4) and Ferris (2-5) control their own destiny. As Saxons coach Stacey Ward said via e-mail, “I’m hoping we can recover enough to win our last three matches against U-Hi, EV and CV and sneak into the playoffs. If we can get in, we could be dangerous.”
The Saxons did beat Shadle. It was a match, in hindsight, that was huge in Ferris’ stretch-run bid to finish in the top six. U-Hi also plays Shadle.
The “spoilers” (if you want to call them that) are teams who ultimately play 3A postseason. Mt. Spokane has beaten Central Valley and Ferris and plays both Gonzaga and Shadle. North Central (3-3), under first-year head coach Shannon Bontrager has already beaten Ferris and U-Hi, and Tuesday was at Shadle Park.
Circle Tuesday, Oct. 17 on your calendar. LC is at Mead for the GSL title and Mt. Spokane is at NC for 3A playoff seeding. Those, obviously, are “must-see” matches.
Basketball
“Oct. 5: Eight, count ‘em, GSL girls basketball players, have announced they will sign to play for Division I schools. Spokane Stars director Ron Adams who has coached the best players in the area for nearly 30 years said this is the most ever in one year from the GSL to earn D-I offers.
Players to announce so far are Angie Bjorklund, University (committed to Tennessee last year); Katelan Redmon, Lewis and Clark (Washington); Nikki Nelson, formerly Mead, now at Chewelah (New Mexico); Lyndi Siedensticker, LC (Montana State); Jenna Galloway, Ferris (Northern Arizona), Tara Cronin, Gonzaga Prep (Portland), Shadle Park’s Lexi Bishop and Mead’s Kelli Valentine (Portland State).