Gonzaga Prep blanks Walla Walla 42-0 to earn State 4A football berth
Gonzaga Prep's Michael Pablo (21) gets a handle on Walla Walla receiver Isaiah Moss (7) on Friday, Nov. 6, 2015, at Gonzaga Prep in Spokane, Wash. (Tyler Tjomsland / The Spokesman-Review)
On a cold Friday night, the Gonzaga Prep defense never let the Walla Walla offense warm up and led the host Bullpups to a 42-0 regional victory and a State 4A playoff berth.
Backup running back Jake Tucker ran for three scores. Defensive end Evan Weaver ran for another and the Blue Devils (3-7) couldn’t find a way through the Bullpups defenders.
“I’m proud of the kids,” G-Prep coach Dave McKenna said. “Getting a shutout at this level is always a special thing.”
The Bullpups will host a first-round state game next Saturday at 1 p.m.
As has been the case this year, Gonzaga Prep (10-0) handed the ball off to Mason Plese early and often. He gained chunks of yards. But Tucker came in early and late for the three scores, which more than doubled his season total.
“It’s awesome,” Tucker said. “The offensive linemen did their job. All I had to do was keep my head down and go.”
Walla Walla coach Eric Hisaw said his team got a full helping of what he expected from the Bullpups.
“That’s a really good defensive football team,” Hisaw said of G-Prep. “I’m proud of this group. We’ve had to kick and scratch for the wins we got. I’m proud we held it close as long as we did.”
Gonzaga’s defense came out stout and bedeviled the Blue Devils (3-7) the entire first half, holding them to under 20 total yards.
After Plese led the Bullpups down the field, he came out of the game and Tucker rambled 8 yards for a touchdown to give the Bullpups a 7-0 lead.
“We are great buddies,” Tucker said of Plese. “It doesn’t matter who gets it in the end zone, as long as we do it together.”
A couple series later, Weaver, who was all over the field, sacked Walla Walla’s Mitchell Lesmeister on third down, forcing another punt.
Plese and Nick Johnson again moved G-Prep on the ground before Bell threw a 18-yard dart to Blake Bonham to make it 14-0 with 4:21 left before halftime.
Two plays later, Sam Lockett intercepted Lesmeister and the Bullpups. After converting a short fourth down inside the Walla Wall 10, Weaver into the end zone to make it 21-0.
Gonzaga Prep added a 17-yard end-around by Devin Culp late in the third quarter and two, 1-yard runs by Tucker to complete the scoring.
The only time the Blue Devils threatened to score came in the third quarter when Lesmeister drove his team to the Gonzaga Prep 14. But on third down, Lesmeister fumbled at the Bullpups 10 to end the threat.
“Getting a shutout in a game like this is a big plus for our defense,” McKenna said. “I’m very happy. Our kids played hard.”
Jack Machtolf said the defense wanted to dominate in the game. Teammates danced on the field after the game to celebrate the goal they accomplished.
“Getting a shutout is indescribable,” Machtolf said. “It’s sweet.”