Wenatchee hammers Moses Lake, ends Chiefs' hot start

Chiefs' offense held to three points in blowout loss

WENATCHEE - The Moses Lake Chiefs fell behind 13-0 in the first quarter and never got their offense rolling as the fifth-ranked Chiefs were defeated 38-10 by the Wenatchee Panthers on Friday in a Columbia Basin League showdown at the Apple Bowl.

Moses Lake, entering the contest with the CBL's top scoring offense, was held to just 144 yards of total offense and seven first downs as the speed of the Wenatchee defense was too much for Moses Lake to handle.

"Most of the defenses we have faced have been big, lumbering defenses," Moses Lake head coach Greg Kittrell said. "We knew going in we had to adjust to their speed. They're very fast on defense."

Moses Lake was unable to adjust, as the Chiefs' offense was kept out of the end zone and managed to get inside the Wenatchee 30-yard line on only two drives.

For the Panthers, it was a completely different ball game. Wenatchee amassed 450 yards of total offense, including 289 yards on the ground, and scored touchdowns on four of their first five possessions.

"We knew when they came out of the chute, they were going to come out strong," Kittrell said of the Panthers, who scored on both of their first-quarter possessions and kept the Moses Lake offense on the sidelines for most of the game's first 12 minutes.

While the Chiefs and Kittrell were expecting the Panthers to come out hot in the first quarter, Moses Lake wasn't ready for the Panthers to continually respond each and every time the Chiefs threatened to get back in the game.

After a forgettable first quarter in which the Chiefs ran just three offensive plays for eight yards, Moses Lake put together a solid drive to open the second quarter that resulted in a 32-yard Matt Harris field goal.

"I felt like after that field goal went in, things were going pretty well," Kittrell said. "I thought we had turned the momentum."

Unfortunately for the Chiefs, the momentum swing was short lived.

A deep Moses Lake kickoff resulted in the Panthers taking possession of the ball on their own 13-yard line. After an incompletion on first down, Panther fullback Joe Griffiths turned a dive off the left side into an 87-yard touchdown burst that ignited the Wenatchee crowd and gave the Panthers a 20-3 lead.

That Wenatchee crowd, which created an atmosphere Kittrell said was comparable to a college stadium, was a problem for the Chiefs as well.

"Their stadium was rocking," the Moses Lake head coach said. "It made it very difficult."

Also difficult for the Chiefs was the pressure Wenatchee put on the Moses Lake offense. The Panthers shut down Moses Lake's option rushing attack, kept the Moses Lake passing game in check and regularly had defenders in the face of Chiefs' quarterback Josh Loera.

Moses Lake drove across the 50 and into Wenatchee territory on their next possession, but a broken play resulted in a sack of Loera. The Moses Lake signal-caller fumbled the ball as he was hammered by the Wenatchee defense, and the Panthers recovered near midfield.

Wenatchee took over and used most of the remaining 4 minutes and 23 seconds to methodically drive down the field for another touchdown to pull ahead 26-3 at the half.

As much as the touchdowns hurt Moses Lake, so did the Panthers' deliberate pace with the ball that kept the Chiefs' offense off the field for a large portion of the contest.

"They had a real good game plan," Kittrell said in reference to Wenatchee's efforts to eat up the clock and limit Moses Lake's chances on offense.

After a scoreless third quarter, the Panthers tacked on another touchdown on the first play of the fourth quarter to take a 32-3 lead.

Moses Lake made another run at Wenatchee when Ryan Coulston returned the ensuing kickoff 89 yards for a touchdown, giving the Chiefs' a much-needed spark.

Moses Lake attempted an onside kick after the score, and it appeared Chris Richardson recovered the ball for Moses Lake. While Richardson was the first to jump on the loose ball, several Wenatchee players piled on, and the Panthers came away with the possession.

From there, Wenatchee drove down for yet another score as Kris Carlson caught his second touchdown pass of the night for the Panthers, all but putting the game out of reach for Moses Lake.

While it was not the result Moses Lake was expecting going into the contest, Kittrell did manage to see some good things from his team against the Panthers. The Moses Lake coach was very pleased with the play of his special teams, along with the efforts of defensive lineman Kyle Porter and linebacker Garin Bergeson.

Moses Lake moves on to host the Richland Bombers this Friday in another game with major playoff implications. The Bombers (4-2, 2-1 CBL) were picked by many in the preseason to challenge for the league title, and feature the league's top rusher in Marcelino Morales.

"You go five wins and get your bubble burst, you gotta lick your wounds," Kittrell said of what his team must do after the loss to Wenatchee. "We've just got to take care of business. That won't be an easy task."