Friday Night (High)lights: Same as it ever was; Gonzaga Prep exerts dominance in opener
Week 1 is in the books, and what did we learn?
Well, because of a variety of issues (some ours, some others), maybe not much if you read Saturday’s e-edition. Our roundup of Greater Spokane League action was a little light, but we’ll iron out the problems and do better.
Anyway, that’s what this column is for – to take a closer look at what happened and give some insight about the impact going forward.
The first thing we noticed: lots of points. In the 4A/3A division – all league games – four teams scored 30 or more points and eight of the 10 teams scored at least two touchdowns.
In the 2As – all nonleague affairs – it was more of the same. West Valley, Rogers and North Central all scored more than 28 points.
But the biggest takeaway from the weekend? If you thought there would be any drop-off from Gonzaga Prep with a change of head coaches, you would have been sorely mistaken.
Flexing
The showdown between G-Prep and Ridgeline Friday night was a billed as a battle between two playoff teams from last year in a rematch of a tight game in 2023. What happened was a fairly systematic, one-sided affair after the first quarter.
The Bullpups like to pound the football anyway – their multiple-option has been a staple for decades and new coach Nathan Graham was the longtime quarterbacks coach. But they figured out quickly Friday they could take advantage of Ridgeline placing a priority on G-Prep’s speed on the edges.
“We saw that they were trying to cancel the outside pitch a lot. I think that was their game plan,” running back Noah Holman said. “So it opened up the center a lot, made it easier to make big holes for me to run through.”
Holman finished with 31 carries for 190 yards with three touchdowns. His success wearing down the Falcons allowed speedsters Isaiah Docken and Jonah Keller to later get big chunks on the outside.
In a little twist, the Bullpups threw 17 passes – with good success. There have been full seasons G-Prep hasn’t thrown it that much.
It wasn’t all offense – the G-Prep defense picked off GSL Offensive MVP Landon Garner four times.
League receptions record-holder Brayden Allen, however, got his – 12 catches for 141 yards and three TDs. He’s just 412 yards from adding the all-time yardage record to his career, season and game catches records.
Don’t call it a comeback
Perhaps in the biggest surprise of the weekend, Central Valley cruised to a 33-0 win over perennial playoff team Mt. Spokane. The Bears have suffered consecutive 4-6 seasons the past two years, but they came out like gangbusters in a statement game that will put the rest of the league on notice.
Coach’s kid Beau Butner has shifted his priority from defense to offense this season. He rushed for 80 yards with three TDs and still wreaked havoc on defense by recovering a muffed punt in the end zone.
CV used some preseason polling as motivation.
“We have a lot of confidence in our guys; I know nobody else did,” Bears coach Ryan Butner said. “Quite honestly, we were an afterthought when it came to where we landed in the (preseason picks). But I think deep down we have a lot of confidence in our guys.”
The Wildcats are in the process of replacing all-league players at quarterback, running back and wide receiver. Expect them to rebound as the season goes along.
Panthers prowl
It was a tumultuous offseason for the Mead football program, but the Panthers put their focus back on the field and took care of business, routing University 42-14 at Union Stadium. Undersized running back Jimmy Frahm was his typical self, scoring two rushing TDs and one through the air.
Quarterback JJ Leman, who fought through some injury problems last season, was sharp with two passing touchdowns and a 20-yard scoring jaunt.
Back to the future
Shadle Park’s return to the 3A ranks went as well as possible with a 54-14 win over Ferris at ONE Spokane Stadium. The Highlanders struggled with injury problems down the stretch last season but looked polished in Week 1.
Dual-threat QB Kaden Hooper carried for 126 yards on just six carries with two scores while completing 11 of 13 pass attempts for 237 yards and three more scores with no picks.
On the good foot
West Valley and Rogers both picked up nonleague wins. WV handed Idaho 4A Timberlake its third loss of the season and the Pirates outlasted A.C. Davis in overtime in Yakima.
North Central didn’t win, falling to 1A Colville on the road, but the Wolfpack scored 44 points. Preseason 2A top pick Clarkston lost its opener 19-6 to a resurgent Moscow team.