Week 7 football preview: ‘Battle of the Bell’ highlights slate of games with playoff impact

Hard to believe we’re talking about frost and football playoff seeding since it seems like the season just started. Yet, here we are in Week 7 with postseason ramifications in just about every game.

The big one this week is the postponed Battle of the Bell, as Mead and Mt. Spokane clash at Union Stadium on Friday night.

The other big game is in 1A, where unbeaten top-10 teams Lakeside and Riverside clash for supremacy in the Northeast A League.

In Idaho, Coeur d’Alene and Lewiston face final tests before their matchup next week.

Nonleague games listed at highest classification. All games Friday at 7 p.m. unless otherwise noted.

Game of the week

Mt. Spokane (4-1, 4-1) at Mead (2-3, 2-3): This rivalry always makes for an interesting, hard-fought game regardless of the records.

The Wildcats come in winners of two straight via shutout and have four on the season. The only team to score against Mt. Spokane is Central Valley, which edged the Wildcats 21-19 after a furious comeback by Mt. Spokane at Union Stadium three weeks ago. QB Kellen Flanigan seems to get better every week while Jordan Sands and Aiden Prado are his deep threats.

The Panthers hung tough last week against a good Richland squad and almost pulled off the upset. Mead coach Keith Stamps features a strong running attack, and QB Colby Danielson has been efficient when asked to throw the past few weeks.

GSL 4A/3A

Gonzaga Prep (6-0, 5-0) at Lewis and Clark (2-4, 2-3): The Bullpups stuck at No. 3 in the 4A poll this week after turning a two-score game into a lopsided final with a dominating defensive performance against CV last week. G-Prep generated three takeaways and six sacks while the offense hung 35 points on the tough Bears defense.

Central Valley (4-2, 4-1) at Cheney (0-6, 0-5): Thursday 7 p.m. QB Luke Abshire and the Bears look to bounce back on the road against a Blackhawks team that has scored 13 points in six games.

University (3-3, 3-3) at Ferris (2-4, 2-3): The Titans have been maturing as the season progresses with last week’s 21-17 win over Lewis and Clark their best win to date. RB Malaki Miller is turning into a force. Ferris continues to deal with injury problems and has scored once in the past four weeks.

Ridgeline (1-4) at West Valley (2-3): A late-season nonleague game. The Falcons are coming off the first win in program history while the Eagles are on a two-game losing streak in league play, getting blanked by Shadle Park last week.

GSL 2ARogers (0-6, 0-4) at East Valley (2-2, 1-2): The Knights gave Clarkston (4-2, 4-0) all they wanted last week but fell 9-7 as the Bantams rallied for all their points in the fourth quarter.

Pullman (2-4, 2-1) at Shadle Park (3-2, 3-0): Saturday, 2 p.m. The Highlanders shut out West Valley last week and have positioned themselves for a shot to take out Clarkston in the last week of the season. They’ll have to get past the Greyhounds first, who’ve scored 35 and 45 the past two weeks, led by Riley Pettitt’s strong passing attack.

Northeast A

Lakeside (6-0, 3-0) at Riverside (6-0, 3-0): The No. 3 Rams against the No. 9 Eagles. Lakeside is scoring 41.5 points per game as Eagles QB Kole Hunsacker is putting up some gaudy passing numbers. Riverside dual-threat Silas Ng continues to impress.

Medical Lake (1-3, 0-2) at Freeman (4-1, 3-1): The Scotties bounced back from their loss to Riverside in a big way and still have their sights on the season finale against Lakeside.

Deer Park (1-5, 0-3) at Colville (1-4, 0-2): Teams having down years looking for their first league wins.

Idaho 5A & 4A

Post Falls (3-4, 0-1) at Coeur d’Alene (5-1, 1-0): The Vikings started the season with a rough loss on the road but have been working their way into shape each week. The high-scoring Trojans face their toughest test.

Lewiston (6-1, 1-0) at Lake City (2-4, 0-1): Lewiston edged Post Falls last week as a last-second field goal went awry. The Timberwolves were blanked by CdA.

Sandpoint (3-2, 0-0) at Moscow (3-4, 0-1): The Bulldogs have the respect of the Idaho media poll, sitting at No. 4 in 4A with good reason – they own wins over three of the four 5A schools in the north.