Weston Fracz kicks East Valley to double-overtime win over North Central 31-28

Weston Fracz, a soccer player turned kicker, is out for football for the first time at East Valley.

It took just three games but he came up big for the Knights in a 31-28 double-overtime win over the visiting North Central Wolfpack in a Greater Spokane League opener for both teams Friday.

On the last play in regulation, Fracz booted a 35-yard field goal to force overtime.

After a scoreless first extra session, lineman Miguel Rodriguez Alcantar recovered a fumble to give possession to EV (2-1).

NC’s defense stiffened, forcing a field-goal attempt. That’s when Fracz sent the homecoming crowd home joyous when he split the uprights from 20 yards.

It was a game unfortunately one team had to lose. Both teams played well in spurts.

The workhorse – perhaps better phrased as the ironhorse – was EV senior running back Dean Deakins. He rushed 48 times for 232 yards and three touchdowns.

“It’s all the linemen. I’m just a running back,” Deakins said. “I can’t do it without them. They make the holes. It’s really up to the big guys.”

NC’s defense kept EV out of the end zone in a couple of critical situations or the game may not have gone to overtime.

The Wolfpack (1-2) drove 98 yards after stopping the Knights near the goal line. Quarterback Trevelle Jones hit Nicholas Elliott on a 10-yard TD pass to give the Wolfpack a 28-25 lead with 48 seconds to go in the fourth quarter.

That set the stage for the late heroics from Fracz.

“To be a fan in this game – holy cow,” EV coach Adam Fisher said. “It was back and forth. I’m proud of both teams. Both teams played hard. There were some great plays on both sides. I’m just proud of the resiliency. There were a lot of ebbs and flow of the game. We made one more play. That’s what it came down to.”

Fisher didn’t know he had used Deakins as much as he did.

“(Deakins) just battled,” Fisher said. “And a huge credit goes to the offensive line. They got a push and maintained.”

East Valley served up a lot of Deakins in the first half.

North Central used big plays for three first-half touchdowns.

Deakins scored all three of the Knights’ touchdowns, rumbling 111 yards on 22 carries, including scores of 6, 1 and 4 yards.

The Knights led 22-14 when the Wolfpack pulled within a point on a 55-yard TD pass from Jones to Aide Wright, who made an athletic catch on a tipped ball and spun around into the end zone.

Jones scored the game’s first touchdown when he scrambled untouched 76 yards.