Jacobe McClelland blocks go-ahead field goal attempt late in fourth; Gonzaga Prep holds off Central Valley 23-21

In the grand scheme of things, the showdown between Gonzaga Prep and Central Valley on Friday may not mean a whole lot to either team’s postseason aspirations, with both in good position to secure a bid to their respective classification’s Round of 32 in Week 10.

But with one loss between them coming in, the Greater Spokane League regular-season title was certainly still in play.

What ensued was a tough back-and-forth battle played in a misting rain – leading to some turnovers and sloppiness on both sides.

And it was in doubt until the very end.

Gonzaga Prep defensive back Jacobe McClelland blocked a potential go-ahead 43-yard field-goal attempt with 1 minute, 4 seconds left and the Bullpups escaped with a 23-21 win over the host Bears in a 4A/3A game.

McClelland said he used a defensive tackle as a blocker to get through the line to get to the kick.

“Every other field-goal block, I felt like I was really close on them,” he said. “So, I just had to change my angle a little bit and got through.”

“We come out here – it’s a battle every time we play out here,” Gonzaga Prep coach Nathan Graham said. “It’s such a well-coached team, and they always fight. They always give us all we can handle, so it’s always fun to play CV.”

Gonzaga Prep (7-0) had 252 rushing yards, split between Noah Holman (21 carries for 149 yards), QB Sam Kincaid (11 for 48) and Jonah Keller (10 for 53). Holman scored twice and Kincaid once.

Kincaid had 10 of his carries in the second half as the wet ball made some of G-Prep’s pitches more perilous – the Bullpups fumbled five times, losing three.

“We’ve got a lot of weapons on the field, and (Kincaid) does a great job distributing the ball,” Graham said. “We saw that tonight. It was his number, and it was time. When came crunch time, he took care of it.”

“I just saw that we needed a little boost,” Kincaid said. “I think we all were a little bit flustered, but I trust those guys so much. I just know when I’m running behind (Holman), I’m gonna get a lot of yards.”

G-Prep held GSL leading rusher Beau Butner to 100 yards on 17 carries, although he scored two TDs. Butner had averaged 214 yards over his past three games. CV quarterback Tuff Ryan completed 20 of 36 passes for 178 yards, a touchdown and an interception.

“We played really hard on both sides of the ball,” Central Valley coach Ryan Butner said. “We knew was going to be a close game. Obviously, we wanted to be on the other end of it.”

The win, coupled with Mead’s 42-0 win over Cheney, sets up a battle of unbeaten teams next week in the late game at Union Stadium in what becomes the de facto league championship game and the top seed to the 4A Round of 32.

“We’re gonna enjoy this one,” Kincaid said. “But best believe, next Friday, we’re coming.”

Kincaid’s 5-yard touchdown with 4:41 to go put G-Prep up 23-14, but CV (5-2) was undaunted. A 13-play, 64-yard drive ended with Butner’s 2-yard TD run.

The Bears attempted an onside kick with 2:31 to go, but it was recovered by G-Prep’s Wren Jackson at midfield. CV’s defense forced a punt, and the Bears got it back at their 35 with 2:09 left.

CV drove to the G-Prep 26 but stalled. McClellan knocked down Tyler Bissell’s kick to seal the win.

CV struck first on Butner’s 37-yard rushing TD. The Bullpups answered with an eight-play, 90-yard drive, culminated by Holman’s 1-yard TD plunge to tie it.

The Bears recovered an errant pitch at their 20. Ryan hit Kamden Lanphere for 32 yards to the G-Prep 17 and Se Martinez gathered a swing pass and scored from 10 yards out to make it 14-7 midway through the second quarter.

G-Prep was faced with fourth-and-1 at the CV 22. Andygreat Agada’s dive was met by several Bears and he was stopped for a 2-yard loss with just more than 3 minutes left in the half. The Bullpups were called for unsportsmanlike conduct, and CV gained an additional 15 yards out of it.

The Bullpups were hit with a roughing the passer penalty on a third-down stop to move the ball to midfield. But G-Prep’s Jaeger Grimsby picked off a Ryan pass and a CV personal foul gave the Bullpups 15 yards.

They moved quickly into the red zone and on the last play of the half, James Wolter kicked a 32-yard field goal to make it 14-10 at halftime.

CV caught the first break of the third quarter. G-Prep took its first possession to the CV 15, but a pitch meant for Holman went to the turf and the Bears recovered. Fortune reversed on the next play, as CV coughed it up in the light rain and the Bullpups took over at the CV 37.

Five plays later, and now in a steady rain, Holman barreled in from the 1 and Gonzaga Prep took its first lead at 17-14 with 4½ minutes left in the third.

A short CV punt gave the Bullpups the ball at the 50. Kincaid gained 30 yards on three carries and had first-and-goal at the 3, but Holman was stripped on a dive play and CV recovered in the end zone for a touchback.

G-Prep forced a punt, then moved into the red zone, with Isaiah Docken taking a reverse 20 yards to the CV 5. Kincaid did the last 5 yards, but the extra point was blocked.