SPOKANE — Wenatchee High School football coach Scott Devereaux and his staff watched the three-way Greater Spokane League playoff on television Tuesday night, but privately Devereaux had a pretty good idea what would happen.

“I sent (Ferris) Coach Sharkey an e-mail this week and said, ‘I’ve seen all the film, and we’re playing for you,’” Devereaux said. “The best team won, that’s for sure.”

Ferris defeated Gonzaga Prep 14-7 and then upended University 10-0 in a pair of abridged games at Joe Albi Stadium on Tuesday.

In doing so, the Saxons claimed the GSL’s third seed to the Class 4A state qualifying playoffs, and will turn around and play the Panthers at the Apple Bowl at 7 p.m. Friday.

“They’re the real deal,” Devereaux said. “The quarterback (Connor Halliday) is the real deal, and can throw it all over the field. I can see why Wazzu (Washington State) offered him a scholarship.”

Halliday tossed a pair of touchdown passes and ran for another in the victories over Gonzaga Prep and University.

“I’ve seen on film that a lot of teams have dropped guys back and didn’t rush him very much. I think there’s a time and place for that, but if you give a quarterback like that time, he’ll pick you apart,” Devereaux said. “We’ll have to mix up our pressure and pass coverages.”

Offensively, keeping Halliday and the Ferris passing attack off the field as long as possible will be paramount.

“They can score and score fast,” Devereaux said. “We’ll need to take care of the football, have nice drives and score points. Running the ball and moving the chains will be important. It should be a fun game. I’m looking forward to it.”

Brian Adamowsky: 664-7157

adamowsky@wenworld.com