Friday Night (High)lights: Mead clamps down to go 2-0; getting late early in GSL 4A/3A race
With 10 teams in the Greater Spokane League 4A/3A division, each team plays nine league games – leaving no time for the frivolity of early-season nonleague games.
As such, after two weeks of the season, we can already see a pecking order setting up for league supremacy with four teams off to 2-0 starts.
Further, there are four teams off to 0-2 starts. As Yogi Berra famously said, “It gets late early out there.”
Three of those teams have first- or second-year coaches and are still trying to forge an identity in the GSL.
The fourth, Mt. Spokane, is a traditional powerhouse and perennial 3A playoff qualifier breaking in new starters at nearly every skill position on offense. There are seven weeks left for the Wildcats to try to right the ship – but it’s not going to be easy. They face Gonzaga Prep next week and follow that with an early-season “Battle of the Bell” against Mead.
Anyway, buckle in as there’s a lot of football left to be played.
Let’s take a closer look at what happened around the league in Week 2.
Defensive stance
One of those 2-0 teams, the Mead Panthers, withstood a first-half challenge from Lewis and Clark before putting the clamps on in a dominant second-half defensive performance.
The Panthers generated three second-half turnovers – all leading to scores – as they scored 24 unanswered points en route to a 30-16 win.
“I’m really proud of the way our defense hung in there tonight,” Mead coach Keith Stamps, in his fourth year with the Panthers, said. “Credit to (LC), they did a nice job. They hit a couple big plays on us. But our defense played really well.”
While the defense made several difference-making plays, quarterback JJ Leman was the difference maker on offense for the Panthers. He ran for Mead’s first score, then added three second-half touchdown passes – two to Matt McShane, who hauled in scoring passes of 55 and 25 yards.
Now an instant contender, Mead has another big one set for next week when it travels to resurgent Central Valley for a battle of unbeatens in Week 3.
Bearing down
It’s probably a little unfair to be surprised at CV’s quick start. After all, the Bears have had high-powered offenses and stout defenses lead playoff surges in the recent past. But two consecutive losing seasons – and an obvious numbers and talent drain to the new school in the district – have lowered the expectations somewhat for that proud program.
Coach Ryan Butner won’t make any excuses, though, and he has the Bears on the upswing again.
CV followed its Week 1 dismantling of Mt. Spokane with a thoroughly dominant performance in all facets, downing University in the schools’ rivalry game. CV has won 33-0 and 35-3 in consecutive weeks. Its matchup with Mead next week will tell us a lot – about both teams.
Rolling
Speaking of lopsided scores, G-Prep had little issue dispatching Ferris in a 70-6 decision. Perhaps more than the score itself, it was the variety in which the Bullpups scored that should have the rest of the league – and, perhaps, the state – opening their eyes.
Featured back Noah Holman did his thing again with two more short touchdown runs, but the Bullpups also had eight scores of more than 20 yards and threw for three touchdowns. First-year coach Nathan Graham hasn’t veered too far from the traditional game plan at G-Prep, but he has incorporated more downfield plays to take advantage of the speed of Isaiah Docken and Jonah Keller on the outside – the pair combined for five TDs covering 169 yards.
On the rise
Shadle Park used its big-play combo of Kaden Hooper-to-Jacob Boston to outlast Mt. Spokane on Thursday night. The pair hit on three long touchdown passes, including the go-ahead score with just less than 3 minutes left in the game. The Highlanders are certainly using an underdog mentality this season as motivation.
“The other teams like to call us ‘2A,’ ” Shadle Park coach Jim Mace said. “Well, ‘2A’ is kicking butt in 3A right now. And we’re gonna keep it going.”
Early success
West Valley won again to move to 2-0, this time downing 2023 State 1A runner-up Lakeside 38-7. Featured back Austin Clark ran wild with three first-half TDs. While most of 2A starts league play next week, West Valley is the odd team out and has one more nonleague game against Riverside.
Elsewhere in the 2A division, Rogers fell in a close one against new 2B Freeman at ONE Spokane Stadium, and East Valley and Deer Park picked up their first wins of the season against 1A teams.