3 takeaways from Gonzaga Prep vs. Mead: Bullpups rally in second half to win Greater Spokane League title showdown

Twice, Gonzaga Prep overcomes deficit after halftime to close out Panthers, 28-21, at Union Stadium

Noah Holman rushed for 147 yards and three touchdowns in Gonzaga Prep's 28-21 win over Mead for the GSL championship. / Photo by Lane Mathews

MEAD, Wash. - The Greater Spokane League football championship trophy will spend another year in a familiar case - Gonzaga Prep.

Led by Noah Holman's game-high 147 rushing yards and three touchdowns, including the final go-ahead 15-yard score with less that three minutes remaining, the No. 4 Bullpups slid by ninth-ranked Mead, 28-21, on a chilly Friday night at Union Stadium.

Gonzaga Prep was also fueled by three second-half turnovers by the Panthers, including a fumble recovery on the ensuing kickoff that enabled the defending champions to run the clock out.

"This is stuff I’ve dreamed of since I was a little guy," an elated Holman said. "This is awesome, especially with a game like that coming down to the end."

Both teams gained berth into the round-of-32 playoffs in two week, and will likely get home games.

Here are three takeaways from the Gonzaga Prep-Mead game:

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'EYES TO THE END ZONE'

In Gonzaga Prep's triple-option attack, Jonah Keller is the speedy outside playmaker - and Holman is the interior hammer.

What does that mean?

He thirsts to delver a little punishment to much bigger guys while churning out the hard yards.

"I credit a lot to wrestling," Holman said. "I've got good balance from that ... and I'm able to stay on my feet and keep barreling forward."

Or as he later exclaimed, "Eyes to the end zone every play, no matter what the yardage."

With just 28 rushing yards at halftime - and the Bullpups held to 93 yards total - Holman came alive in the second half with touchdown runs of 4 and 15 yards - the game-winner up the left edge with 2:53 remaining.

"Kind of the name of the game right now … grinding and grinding and grinding," first-year Gonzaga Prep coach Nate Graham said.

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GAME TURNED RIGHT AFTER INTERMISSION

Going into halftime, Mead had all the momentum, riding two big series from workhorse running back Keegan Mallon, who had 106 of his team-high 132 rushing yards in the first half, along with a pair of touchdowns.

But on the third play of the second half, everything changed.

Quarterback J.J. Leman rolled out on third down and fired down the right flat. But Gonzaga Prep's Luke Hills stepped in front of the intended receiver for an interception, and returned it to the Panthers' 46.

Five players later, Sam Kincaid connected with Isaiah Docken (who is really good, by the way) on a 9-yard touchdown to cut Mead's lead to 15-14.

The Panthers fumbled on their next drive as well for a turnover, and Holman's 4-yard score gave the Bullpups a 20-15 advantage with 6:44 remaining in the third quarter.

"Ton of momentum," Graham said. "Turnovers."

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MEAD LET LEAD SLIP AWAY

As easy as it was for the Panthers on their first two drives - they gobbled up 67 and 55 yards on scoring drives on big-chunk runs by Mallon - it became just as difficult to move the ball after that.

The had 110 yards in the second half, with 65 of that coming on Leman's touchdown pass to Matthew McShane with 4:44 to go, giving them a final lead, 21-20.

"Our offense looked like it did all year for a couple of series," Mead coach Keith Stamps said. "And then ... we had some missed opportunities. We were really hurt by the turnovers, which we've been good with all year."

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