Mustangs run wild in shellacking of Othello

OTHELLO - Plenty of good football teams have been made to look not so good when matched up with the Prosser Mustangs.

The Othello Huskies were the latest victim of the Prosser football machine last Friday night, falling behind 28-0 at halftime and eventually falling 42-7 in a Central Washington Athletic Conference contest at Huskie Field.

Prosser, a perennial power at both the 3A and 2A levels, averaged 11.1 yards per play and had five scoring drives of two minutes or less. Mustang quarterback Jordan Durbin threw for 349 yards and six scores, while star receiver Cody Bruns hauled in seven catches for 222 yards and two scores, one of which was a spectacular 99-yard catch-and-run in the fourth quarter.

The game began in ominous fashion for Othello (1-2 overall, 1-1 CWAC) as the Mustangs returned the opening kickoff 63 yards to the Huskie 27. Prosser methodically marched inside the 10, and Durbin escaped a sack on third-and-goal, firing a bullet to tight end Keegan Pilot for a 6-yard touchdown.

Prosser received excellent field position for its next drive, taking over at the Othello 37 when Steve Natho recovered an errant punt snap. Three plays later, Bruns hooked up with Aaron Galvan on a short pass, and Galvan juked two defenders on his way to a 27-yard score.

Othello's offense actually moved the ball well throughout the game, but had difficulty finishing drives with any points. After Prosser went up 14-0, the Huskies used a pair of Marc Garza-to-Michael Harvey passes to reach the Prosser 32. David Walker's run converted a fourth-and-two play, but the drive eventually stalled at the 13 when Garza's fourth-down pass to Raymond Rodriguez fell incomplete.

Prosser took all of four plays and 49 seconds to capitalize. Drake Washington had a 49-yard run and Bruns dashed 39 yards on a short pass play to reach the Othello 6. Durbin's TD pass to Kirby Moore was called back for holding, but the Mustangs received a fortunate bounce on the next play. Durbin's pass was tipped by an Othello defender and fell into Moore's arms in the end zone, putting Prosser ahead 21-0.

Garza, who finished the night 11 of 22 for 85 yards, tossed one of his two interceptions late in the half to Pilot. The Huskie defense appeared ready to atone for the mistake, forcing a fourth-and-8, but Durbin calmly rolled right and threw deep to the left, hitting a wide-open Bruns for a 38-yard score.

Down four scores at the half, the Huskies simply tried to salvage some pride in the second half. Their offense continued to push the ball deep into Prosser territory, but without anything to show for it on the scoreboard.

Othello mixed the pass and run well on a 12-play, 51-yard march midway through the third quarter, but Galvan picked off Garza to end the threat.

Prosser followed with its patented quick-strike offense, going 77 yards in three plays and scoring when Moore took a short toss, broke a tackle and raced through the middle for a 55-yard TD.

Othello's frustration mounted when it drove 66 yards in eight plays to reach the Prosser 1 early in the fourth period. But the Mustangs stuffed Walker's fourth-down run a yard short of the goal line.

Not content to run the ball out of the shadow of its own goalposts, Durbin and Bruns hooked up moments later for the game's most memorable play. Bruns beat his defender on a go route down the left sideline, caught the ball near his own 30-yard line, then cut back across the field and eluded several defenders for the 99-yard score.

Othello avoided the shutout on its next possession, driving 70 yards in 13 plays. Walker had five carries for 35 yards on the drive, capping it with a 2-yard burst up the middle. The senior finished the game with 111 yards on 25 carries.

The Huskies ran for 222 yards in the game, with senior James Valdez adding 104 yards on 19 carries. Harvey caught six balls for 51 yards.

Othello will try to even its record this Friday when it travels to Toppenish for a 7:30 p.m. kickoff.