Gonzaga Prep beats Mt. Spokane in defensive battle, earns GSL 4A/3A league title

Some games don’t need any hype. When two perennial powerhouse teams – both undefeated in league and already qualified for the postseason – meet in Week 8 with the league title on the line, the play on the field does all the talking.

A couple of first-half turnovers and a lot of Nate Moinette in the second half made the difference in a defensive battle for the league crown.

Moinette finished with 31 carries – 22 in the second half – for 140 yards and Gonzaga Prep outlasted Mt. Spokane 21-10 to win the Greater Spokane League 4A/3A title at Union Stadium on Friday.

“It was a great battle,” Gonzaga Prep coach Dave McKenna said. “It is every time we play them. Both teams earned the right to play in that game. And that’s all you can ask.”

The Bullpups led 13-7 at the half, beneficiaries of two interceptions and a long kickoff return, but only had about 65 yards of offense.

“We had a motivational talk in the locker room at halftime,” Moinette said. “We were down, but then we got our confidence back and all thanks to my (offensive) line. They got their stuff together and we pushed through.”

Matteo Saccomanno gained 148 yards on 24 carries for the Wildcats. Receiver Bode Gardner, who leads the league in touchdowns, was limited to six carries for 76 yards and no scores.

“We just stuck to what we’ve done all season,” G-Prep defensive back Ryan Jackson said. “Just played our defense and coaches put us in great situations and we just made plays when we needed.”

The first big break went to G-Prep. After Matthew Herzog’s punt hemmed Mt. Spokane in at its 3, TJ Haberman tried to hit Talan Main on a quick slant, but the ball popped up and sophomore defensive back Matthew Getahun came up with the interception at the 11.

The Wildcats’ defense held, and Herzog kicked a 24-yard field goal for a 3-0 lead with 5 minutes left in the first quarter.

“It’s always nice to be considered a leader and a part of the team,” Herzog said. “So secret weapon or not, I’m ecstatic to be on this team.”

A short punt gave Mt. Spokane the ball at its 43 to start the second quarter. Saccomanno carried twice to the G-Prep 25. Haberman tried to throw a hitch to the outside, but sophomore Jacobe McClelland jumped the route, made the pick at the 15 and raced down the sideline for an apparent touchdown.

But a block in the back penalty negated the score and brought it back to the Mt. Spokane 35. The Wildcats’ defense responded again, and the Bullpups settled for a 39-yard Herzog field goal and 6-0 lead with 6:37 left in the half.

“We turned the ball over in the first half a couple times like we’ve been doing,” Mt. Spokane coach Terry Cloer said. “We just we can’t do that and give them a short field in a game like this, and yeah, they capitalized on those first-half turnovers.”

“I’m proud of those two sophomore corners,” McKenna said. “The whole defense, I could name every guy. Just proud of them all.”

Mt. Spokane finally found a rhythm on offense. Haberman found Gardner for 12 yards on a third-and-long, and Tristan Olson added a 29-yard reception to the G-Prep 20. On third-and-goal from the 3, tight end Ryen Borcher found a soft spot in the defense and Haberman connected with him for the first touchdown of the game.

Jonah Keller returned the kickoff 61 yards to the Mt. Spokane 38. Keller took a counter 17 yards to the 11. On third-and-1 at the 2, Moinette carried 1 yard on a dive for first-and-goal with 19 seconds left.

Moinette was stuffed for no gain on first down, but Bodie Stafford hit Isaiah Docken on an out route with 7.7 seconds left and G-Prep led 13-7 at halftime.

After a punt, G-Prep took its first possession of the second half at its 23 and fed Moinette eight straight dive plays to the Mt. Spokane 1. On third-and-goal, Carson Flynn took a pitch to the outside and scored untouched. A 2-point conversion put the Bullpups up 21-7 with just under 8 minutes left in the third quarter.

“I just want the ball. Always,” Moinette said. “Just feed me.”

Mt. Spokane responded, taking a play out of the Bullpups playbook. Saccomanno carried between the tackles on 10 of the Wildcats’ next 14 plays.

But a third-and-goal pass for Gardner was over his head in the corner of the end zone. Main kicked a 23-yard field goal to make it 21-10 on the second play of the fourth quarter.

But the Bullpups – and Moinette – were relentless. Picking up 4 and 5 yards at a time, G-Prep kept piling up yards and draining the clock. The drive stalled at the Mt. Spokane 21 after a 7-minute possession, and Herzog’s 38-yard field-goal attempt was wide right.

Mt. Spokane reached midfield quickly, but three straight incompletions and a sack from the G-Prep 44 sealed the Wildcats’ fate.

“It’s easy to motivate for next week with the ‘Battle of the Bell’ (against Mead) coming up,” Cloer said. “So that one will be easy to bounce back. You know, you got to learn from a loss like this.”