Long road to victory

Empirically speaking, Gonzaga Prep’s Travis Long probably shouldn’t have played a prominent role against Mead on Friday night at G-Prep.

It was Long’s blocked punt and key fumble recovery, however, that spurred G-Prep’s 24-10 victory over the Panthers in a Greater Spokane League football game.

On a night when G-Prep (7-0, 6-0) acknowledged the accomplishments of 27 seniors, the Bullpups’ lone sophomore upstaged the team’s older stars. Considering, too, that 23 juniors also dot Gonzaga Prep’s roster, Long’s feats were even more remarkable.

“What it says is that he’s one of our best athletes,” Bullpups coach Dave Carson said, noting Long is another in a long line of sophomores who have stepped in at linebacker and contributed immediately.

Long blocked Chase Collings’ punt and gave G-Prep possession at Mead’s 19. That led to Mat Barker’s 38-yard field goal that gave the Bullpups a 17-0 lead with 1 minute remaining in the first half.

The Panthers (2-5, 2-4) looked like they would responded immediately, aided by Luke Hattrup’s kickoff return to the G-Prep 49. But Long squelched the drive three plays later with a recovery of Robbie Knuth’s fumble at the Bullpup 29. That play preserved G-Prep’s 17-point lead at intermission.

“It was good to get another punt block,” said Long, who also blocked a punt last week against Shadle Park. “I got it because my teammates opened it up.”

G-Prep broke through for its first touchdown on Johnny Jones’ 1-yard plunge for a 7-0 lead with 1:24 left in the first quarter. Quarterback Max Manix connected with John McKenna on a 57-yard pass to set up the score.

Manix extended G-Prep’s lead to 14-0 with a 4-yard touchdown pass to Brian Lee with 4:23 remaining in the half. One of nine seniors starting on offense, Manix also contributed with a 1-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter.

Mead didn’t record its initial first down until its first play from scrimmage in the second half – a 23-yard pass from quarterback Glen Reser to Ryane LaForte. The Panthers offense was punchless in the first half, turning six possessions into only 60 yards of offense before halftime.

Panthers running back Hattrup – the GSL’s third-leading rusher – found no wiggle room against G-Prep’s stout, experienced defense. Hattrup finished with 21 rushing yards and exited the game late in the third quarter with an apparent leg injury.

Collings capped Mead’s first drive of the third quarter with a 39-yard field goal to trim G-Prep’s lead to 17-3. Reser threw an inconsequential 9-yard touchdown pass to Chris Jones with just more than a minute left in the game.

Carson won’t be looking past league rival Rogers on Thursday, but a victory over the winless Pirates would put the Bullpups in position to win an outright league title with a win over Lewis and Clark on Oct. 26.

Carson would admit that G-Prep’s pristine record is a tribute to the team’s upperclassmen.

“These guys have lost four games in four years,” Carson said. “They understand how to win.”