Moses Lake routs Falcons in home opener
Moses Lake routs Falcons in home opener
MOSES LAKE — Chiefs' head coach Greg Kittrell huddled his team around him and said, "Please treat your opponent with respect," during Friday night's 60-7 blowout of Hanford.
Moses Lake outnumbered the Falcons 2-to-1 on the sidelines and were able to take advantage of the incongruous numbers to give the younger Chiefs some valuable varsity playing time.
The third and fourth quarter were dominated by the play of Moses Lake's non-starters and while there were a few kinks to work out, the Chiefs still managed to score three times in the second half.
"It was a great opportunity to play the younger kids at the varsity level," said Kittrell. "We planned on getting Josh (Loera) some time last week and I felt bad that we didn't but that game just got out of hand."
Moses Lake's next generation of football starters began their time in the third quarter with Josh Loera at the helm.
On the first few plays of the drive, Loera was unable to connect with a receiver or get much on the ground.
A run by Brandan Anderson was called back on a replay of down after off-setting penalties by both teams: A holding call against the Chiefs and a face mask call against Hanford.
Loera was staring down a third and 10 situation when he was able to find Aaron Wafer for a touchdown to put Moses Lake up 54-7.
The final score of the game began with Brock Lybbert as quarterback for the Chiefs on Moses Lake's own 42-yard line.
On second and 11, Lybbert scampered for a gain of 13 yards for a first down and then found Chris Richardson on the next second and 10 for a 7-yard gain.
Kyle Coriell carried the ball for Moses Lake on the next play to put the Chiefs in the red zone.
Lybbert then connected with Richardson for a 9-yard touchdown to close the scoring books.
"It was a great effort all around," Kittrell said.
The Chiefs began the night with a quick score that was set up by a Jordan Hill return of a Hanford punt to the Hanford 39-yard line.
On first and 10 of the first Moses Lake drive of the game, Ben Waites handed the ball off to Ryan Carpenter who took it to the big house to make it a 7-0 ball game.
Hanford began to grind the game out, getting within field goal range during their second drive of the game but missing the uprights and not earning their lone score until midway through the second quarter.
After Hanford's missed field goal, Moses Lake set up on their own 17-yard line and earned a 20-yard gain on Carpenter's feet during the first play of the ensuing drive.
Moses Lake suffered a setback on the next play, being penalized for holding and making it second and 12. Hanford then committed two penalties in two plays to give Moses Lake their momentum.
On third and seven from the Hanford 30, Carpenter took the ball in for a touchdown after a pitch from Waites to go up 14-0.
Moses Lake began the second quarter with a touchdown from Wafer on a pitch from Colton Smith.
With Hanford on their own 28-yard line, Hill picked off a pass to return possession to Moses Lake. The Chiefs took advantage of the defensive play by getting the quarterback into the end zone on a cutback to make it 28-0.
During Moses Lake's next offensive drive the Chiefs were able to score a touchdown with the help of Anderson but it was called back after the Chiefs were penalized for clipping. Anderson's early work was rewarded when he earned a touchdown for the Chiefs, rushing in from the Hanford 19-yard line.
Moses Lake ended the first half by taking a knee against the Falcons.
"We had no idea about Hanford going into the game," Kittrell said. "Their film was bad but we knew they hammered Davis pretty well."
Moses Lake hosts Pasco at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 15 at Lions Field.
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