Chiefs sink league rival Pirates on road

Moses Lake 36, Davis 7

YAKIMA - Moses Lake capitalized on the strong running of senior Michael Thomas as the Chiefs earned another Columbia Basin Big-9 conference victory Friday night.

Thomas led the Chiefs with 100 yards rushing on 10 carries and scored two touchdowns as Moses Lake rolled to the 36-7 victory over Davis.

Moses Lake improved to 4-3 this season while Davis fell to 0-7.

Following the victory, Moses Lake head coach Greg Kittrell said he was proud of the way his team performed.

"I think the kids and the coaching staff is happy with how well they played," he said.

With the win, Moses Lake clinched a postseason opportunity, Kittrell said.

"It clinches a playoff spot for us," he said. "It puts us in a position to be one of the top four teams."

While the Chiefs won the game, Moses Lake didn't have many opportunities in the first half but Chiefs capitalized on the ones they did have, Kittrell said.

"We didn't get a chance to get our hands on the ball a lot in the first half," he said.

The Chiefs took a 6-0 lead in the first quarter when Thomas grabbed the hand off from senior quarterback Josh Loera and ran 11 yards for the Moses Lake touchdown.

Thomas was productive Friday night and Kittrell said it was because of his offensive line.

"The offensive line controlled their defensive line by executing and being physical," he said. "The five worked really well together."

While the offensive line was controlling the line of scrimmage, the Moses Lake defense kept the Davis offense out of the endzone most of the game.

"Our defense played really well when the defense settled down," Kittrell said.

The Chiefs took a 13-0 lead in the second quarter after sophomore defensive back Taylor LaGrave picked up a Davis fumble and ran 68 yards for a Moses Lake touchdown.

The only blemish on the scoreboard for the Chiefs defense was a 20-yard touchdown pass which cut the Moses Lake lead to 13-7.

The Chiefs went to halftime with a six-point advantage before the Moses Lake offense scored three times in the third quarter to distance themselves from the Pirates.

The first second-half score came when Thomas found the endzone for the second time Friday night.

Thomas' 3-yard touchdown run gave Moses Lake a 20-7 lead.

Moses Lake would score again, this time through the air when Loera hit junior Mitch Hill for a 19-yard touchdown and a 26-7 lead.

Loera was not done in the third quarter as he took the snap from center and ran 15 yards for his only rushing touchdown of the game.

Loera finished the night seven of 10 passing for 65 yards. He also ran five times for 40 yards.

With Loera's touchdown run, the Chiefs took a 33-7 lead into the fourth quarter.

The Chiefs would score their final three points of the game when junior kicker Dylan Signorelli kicked a 26-yard field goal through the uprights.

Moses Lake will use the victory over Davis to prepare for next week's game at Sunnyside, Kittrell said.

"We are trying to look at every piece of our team," he said. "Discipline, it's an ongoing thing. We are going to emphasize the basics, the things we've been doing we are going to continue to do."

Billy Brice, the Columbia Basin Big-9's leading receiver did not play against Davis because of a concussion and a mild neck sprain he suffered in the 34-20 loss to Wenatchee on Oct. 10, Kittrell said.