As the playoffs near, this week is proving to be a huge week for Greater Spokane League sides. Teams at the top of the table - as well as 3A contenders - squared off Monday and Wednesday in races to finish as the top team in their respective classifications.
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Squaring off at Joe Albi Stadium in a make-up of a postponed contest, the Bears and Tigers took to the pitch looking to pull even with Ferris in the win column. The two sides were deadlocked through the first 40 minutes, but Jake Levine broke through in the 50th to give Central Valley the lead. Bailey Rosenau, however, answered in the 65th for Lewis & Clark, ultimately sending the match to overtime and penalty kicks and neither side was able to find the back of the net again. In the shootout, a shot sent high and a save from Andrew Bertone gave the Bears the advantage, allowing Devin Hauenstein to close it out 4-2 in the fourth round for the victory.
That result set up a head-to-head showdown of unbeatens on Wednesday at Ferris. It proved to be another thriller that went to the final moments of overtime before Levine provided a last-second game-winner. Levine started things off well for the Bears when he finished a ball from Hauenstein in the sixth minute, but they went nearly another 50 minutes before Hauenstein added a second via RJ Stretch.
Ferris, though, fought back. Brett Freschler cut into the deficit courtesy of Evan Giem in the 74th. It looked like that may be all, but freshman Caden Martin stunned the Bears in the final moments of regulation with a header off a long Braden Brock throw-in.
The golden goal from Levine, however, gave the Bears the win.
Meanwhile, Lewis & Clark avoided being set further back, snaring a victory via a shootout against Gonzaga Prep. Daniel Dougherty gave the Bullpups the initial lead just five minutes before intermission, but Bailey Rosenau tallied on a rebound in the 61st minute to even things up for the second time in three days. The two sides were deadlocked the rest of the way, necessitating a tiebreaker. Even the shootout went long as a save from LC's Nick Davis gave the Tigers the victory in the seventh round.
The results put Central Valley alone atop the table with just a few games remaining in the regular season - all against 3A opposition. Barring a major slip-up by the Bears, LC and Ferris will be in a race for second that will likely come down to their season finale against one another.
Remaining Games in GSL Title Race
CV (6-0-0): Fri v Rogers, Wed v Shadle, Fri v NC
FER (5-1-0): Fri @ Mt Spokane, Wed v Mead, Fri @ LC
LC (5-1-0): Fri @ Shadle, Wed @ NC, Fri v Ferris
Also among Wednesdays contests was a huge match contest between two of the 3A contenders as North Central played host to Mt Spokane at Joe Albi. Going into the day, all four sides were even on the day, but Rogers and Shadle were squaring off against 4A opposition.
It was a back-and-forth contest, but it was NC getting on the board first with 10 minutes left in the opening half. Jake Healy dove low to nod in a ball from Aidan Chaparro. Brad Campbell evened things up for the Wildcats in the 57th minute off a ball from Cody McDonald. In the 69th, though, a foul in the box allowed Chaparro to convert from the spot to grab the win and the lead among the 3A schools for North Central.
In those other two tilts, Rogers fell 3-0 to University in the first contest of the Albi doubleheader - Adam Drassen scored two and Fraser Robertson the third in a three-goal second half - and Shadle Park took Mead the distance before dropping the decision in a shootout.
In a five-goal first half, Mead grabbed a two-goal lead on back-to-back goals from Conner Cary in the seventh and 11th minutes. Shadle, though, brought it back to level terms with Devin McGowan scoring in the 15th and Dylan Tutt tallying in the 35th. The Highlanders, surprisingly, would even grabbed the lead with a minute left before intermission. Cole Johnson would score in the 55th minute for the Panthers and the two went scoreless the rest of the way with Mead prevailing in the shootout when Shadle missed its final two attempts.
North Central holds the 3A lead by a game, but Mt Spokane and Rogers, who picked up the win against NC, face one another among the remaining contests. An upset win by either in their other matches or one from Shadle could make things interesting.
Remaining Games in 3A GSL Race
North Central (2-4-0): Fri @ GP, Wed v LC, Fri @ CV
Shadle Park (1-5-0): Fri v LC, Wed @ CV, Fri @ U-Hi
Mt Spokane (1-5-0): Fri v Ferris, Wed @ Rogers, Fri @ Mead
Rogers (1-5-0): Fri @ CV, Wed v Mt Spokane, Fri v G-Prep
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