Chiefs take an arrow to the heart

Ferris stuns Moses Lake with winning score in final 12 seconds

SPOKANE - For all intents and purposes, the game looked over.

Seven minutes and 46 seconds were all that remained on the scoreboard at Joe Albi Stadium, and the Moses Lake Chiefs had just increased their lead to 27-14 over the second-ranked Ferris Saxons.

But the final 7:46 saw every conceivable bounce and big play go the Saxons' way. When Ferris running back McKenzie Murphy plowed in from a yard out and the ensuing extra point sailed through the uprights with 12 seconds left, the Saxons had rallied for a 28-27 victory and earned a berth to the 4A state playoffs.

Moses Lake's players and coaching staff left the field in a somber mood, some in tears, an understandable reaction given the sudden twist of fate.

The Columbia Basin League's third seed, Moses Lake was generally considered a big underdog against the undefeated Greater Spokane League champions, but outplayed the Saxons for a large chunk of the game.

Chiefs head coach Greg Kittrell credited that to his team's attitude and preparation.

"We don't go into any game thinking we're beat - not with Ferris, not with anybody else," Kittrell said. "Our kids are very positive mentally and they worked hard all week."

Moses Lake (6-4 overall) tried to exploit some perceived weaknesses in the Saxons' offensive line, a strategy that worked until Ferris quarterback Jeff Minnerly simply refused to let himself, or the ball, hit the turf.

Josh Loera's 12-yard strike to Ryan Coulston gave the Chiefs a 13-point lead with under eight minutes remaining. Ferris faced a fourth-and-12 play on its next possession, but Minnerly kept the Saxons' hopes alive with a 26-yard toss to Shawn Stockton.

Moses Lake's Kyle Porter and Spencer Fackrell combined on a sack, but Minnerly's 35-yard screen pass to Murphy erased a third-and-21 situation. Not content to score without more drama, Minnerly waited until third-and-goal from the 20 to find Stockton behind Moses Lake's Matt Harris - cutting the Chiefs' lead to 27-21 with 4:04 left.

A roughing-the-passer penalty allowed Ferris to kick off inside Moses Lake territory, and the Saxons elected to try an onside kick. Naturally, in a game of shifting momentum, the ball hit Moses Lake's Billy Brice in the chest, squirted away, and the Saxons pulled it out of the ensuing dog pile.

Moments later, Minnerly found Jared Karstetter on what appeared to be the go-ahead touchdown. But officials ruled Karstetter had stepped out of bounds before the reception, an illegal touching penalty that set Ferris back to second-and-23.

The Chiefs' defense held on the next two plays, and with just 1:29 left, Moses Lake's offense took possession.

But Ferris didn't allow a first down on three running plays and conserved the clock by taking two timeouts. Jacob Newton's 29-yard punt left the Saxons at the midfield stripe with 36 seconds on the clock.

After a short pass, the Chiefs appeared to have Minnerly wrapped up near the line of scrimmage. Once again, Minnerly wriggled off the hook and zipped 44 yards down the right sideline, barely stepping out of bounds before tucking the ball inside the pylon.

"I guess we might have thought we had him, then let him go," Kittrell said of the play. "He made a heck of a play there - give him credit."

After Murphy scored two plays later, the Saxons appeared to botch the extra-point kick. The officiating crew instead called an illegal procedure penalty, allowing Ferris a second crack from five yards further back.

Coulston caught a last-gasp pass from Loera, but the Chiefs couldn't spike the ball before the clock hit zeroes.

Ferris (10-0) took the lead just 91 seconds into the game as Adrian Milsap blocked Newton's punt, scooped it up and scored from 20 yards out.

If it was a harbinger of bad things to come, the Chiefs didn't think so. They dominated the remainder of the first half behind Loera's accurate passing and a stellar defensive effort that had Minnerly running for his life.

The Chiefs wasted little time responding to Milsap's TD. Loera hit Jordan Wilks for 18 yards, Coulston for 22 more, then rolled out to his left and found Chris Richardson on a 6-yard play to the end zone.

"We tried to give Josh plenty of protection and throw the ball down the field," Kittrell said. "It's a little bit different key than (Ferris) has been looking at."

Ferris' punt team had its own implosion 90 seconds later. Karstetter couldn't field a bad snap, the Chiefs swarmed him, and Kyle Palmer rolled in from 12 yards out. Harris missed the PAT kick, however, a lost point that proved vital.

Early in the second period, Moses Lake capped a 77-yard drive as Loera found Mitch Hill on a slant route. Hill did the rest, breaking two tackles and scoring on a 31-yard play to put the Chiefs in front 20-7.

A 25-yard TD pass from Minnerly to Nate Tonani was wiped out for holding later in the quarter. Colton Messer sacked Minnerly and Ferris' 32-yard field goal attempt went wide left.

"We saw some things in their pass protection scheme that they hadn't adjusted to," Kittrell said. "We tried to take advantage of that and early on we sure got a nice pass rush on them."

Another special teams error in the third quarter set Ferris up on the Chiefs' doorstep. Newton went to a knee to field a poor snap, giving the Saxons possession eight yards from the end zone. Minnerly punched it in from a yard out on third-and-goal.

Ferris used a 43-yard halfback pass to move deep into Moses Lake territory on its next series, but Murphy fumbled and Harris recovered for the Chiefs.

The Chiefs were without tailback Junior Solis, who didn't suit up after an ankle injury sustained in last week's win over Davis. That left Michael Thomas Moses Lake's go-to runner, and he did a fine job, running 21 times for 80 yards.

Loera also had a fantastic afternoon, completing 21 of 27 throws for 238 yards. Coulston, who led CBL receivers with 46 catches and 695 yards, caught eight balls for 106 yards in his final game.

Kittrell credited his senior leaders - Coulston, Jarred Walker and Taylor Stout, among others - for making everyone around them better over the course of the season.

"The whole group has just been fabulous," he said. "They have worked hard, been there every minute and really had to work with a young team.

"Those kids perform like that because those seniors instill that kind of pride and desire."