WENATCHEE — While the Greater Spokane League takes its time figuring out which of its teams will go to the playoffs, Wenatchee is content to just sit and wait.

On Friday night at the Apple Bowl, the No. 6-ranked Panthers will host the winner of tonight’s three-team tiebreaker between Gonzaga Prep, Ferris and University.

The winner gets in the Class 4A state playoffs, and the loser goes home.

Gonzaga Prep and Ferris will play at 6 p.m. today in a shortened game (two eight-minute halves), and the surviving team will play the Titans under the same format.

Wenatchee coach Scott Devereaux acknowledged that having to play twice in a week will tire the GSL teams more than a usual week, but he doesn’t think that’s the biggest boon for his Panthers.

“It will really limit the amount of preparation time they’ll be able to put in on us,” Devereaux said. “I don’t think playing two eight-minute halves will take much more out a kid than a hard practice, but they’ll really have to work hard to win those playoff games.”

Devereaux said the Panthers will approach the first few days of this week’s practice by introducing a few of each team’s bread-and-butter plays.

“Gonzaga Prep plays a run-heavy option, Ferris throws like crazy, and University is a spread team, but they’re a little bit more balanced,” he said. “We’ll send a coach or two to scout them all tonight, and then we’ll really get to work on Wednesday.”

Just for kicks

With just over five minutes left in Wenatchee’s victory over Richland on Friday night, Devereaux sent cannon-legged kicker Angel Guerra onto the field to attempt a 55-yard field goal.

It was blocked, but had it been true it would have obliterated the current Panther best of 47 yards, currently held by Jose Guzman and Cohn Wolfe.

Back to visit

Sam Chapin stood on Lee Bofto Field on Friday a few minutes after the Panthers thrashed Richland 40-7 to get within a victory of their first state berth since 1998, and surveyed the celebration like a proud papa.

Which, in a way, he is.

Chapin was a wide receiver and free safety at Wenatchee from 2005-2008, and helped cultivate the dedicated, hard-working ethic that the Panthers have used to get to this point.

“I’m not really that surprised,” said Chapin, one of the most polite and well-spoken young men around. “They had a lot of talented kids coming back, and they all got a lot of experience last season. I could see this happening, and it’s been great.”

Chapin is taking a year of from school to work, and plans to enroll at Colorado Christian College next fall.

Brian Adamowsky: 664-7157

adamowsky@wenworld.com