Battle in Seattle | CWU smothers Western

Johnny Spevak wasn't going to waste a trip back home.

Central Washington's sophomore receiver from Edgewood who went to Puyallup High School had eight catches for 98 yards and a touchdown. He also threw for a score as the Wildcats got off to a fast start and thrashed Western Washington 24-7 in the fifth Battle in Seattle on Saturday in front of 11,780 fans at Qwest Field.

"It was great seeing them out there," Spevak said of his friends and family in the stands.

Spevak and Central toyed with the Vikings from Bellingham (2-5 overall, 1-5 North Central Conference) early, jumping to a 21-0 first-half lead.

On its first possession, Central drove 90 yards to go up 7-0. Spevak took an end-around from quarterback Mike Reilly, faked the run, and threw to an open James Murphy for a 22-yard score. It was Spevak's first career TD and the first pass he's thrown since high school.

"Johnny was throwing good in practice," said Central first-year coach Beau Baldwin. "He was throwing on the run better than Reilly."

The Wildcats led 21-7 at halftime. Western got on the board when quarterback Adam Perry found Travis McKee for a two-yard TD pass with eight seconds remaining in the half. McKee, a junior who went to Bothell High School, had three catches on the 41-yard scoring drive. He finished the game with eight catches for 66 yards and one TD.

The win is Central's third straight over Western at Qwest and fourth in five tries. The Wildcats from Ellensburg (6-1 overall, 4-1 North Central Conference) also captured the Cascade Cup with this being the teams' only meeting. The Wildcats are ranked 17th in the D2football.com media poll.

Reilly had a solid game for Central, going 17 of 26 for 218 yards and one touchdown. He was picked off twice. His favorite targets were Spevak and former Meadowdale Maverick and Washington Husky Chris Rohrbach. Rohrbach, who walked on at UW, had three catches for 58 yards.

After a CWU score made it 14-0 early in the second quarter, Western's Craig Garner from Lakes High School fumbled the ensuing kickoff, which — after a successful fourth-and-two — led to a Spevak 14-yard TD catch from Reilly. It was Central's third touchdown in as many possessions.

"You can't spot someone 21 points off the bat," said Western second-year coach Robin Ross.

Western had its chances in the first half but missed a 44-yard field goal and couldn't convert on a fourth-and-one from Central's 3-yard line. A Garner run up the middle was stuffed for a short loss.

The Vikings never seemed to find their rhythm; Perry was 17 of 36 passing for 145 yards and one TD. Garner couldn't get much on the ground, as he ran for 70 yards on 21 carries.

Central running back Johnny Lopez from Kennedy High School of Burien was relatively quiet in the first half, rushing for 45 yards on nine carries and a TD. But when Central was trying to eat up the clock in the second half, Lopez was effective. He finished the game with 102 yards on 21 carries and the one score.

Western has lost five of six games, falling in a tie for last place in the NCC. Central is in a three-way tie for second place.

Despite the win and being able to hold up the coveted Cascade Cup, the victory is just another in a competitive conference for Central.

Said Reilly: "It's just another game on the schedule."