Moses Lake battles Wenatchee for first place

MOSES LAKE — Moses Lake entered the 2009 football season with some unanswered questions.

After five games this season, those questions are beginning to find answers.

How will Todd Griffith adjust in his first year as head coach?

After starting the season 3-2 overall and 2-1 in conference play, the Chiefs are in prime position to control their own destiny when they travel to Wenatchee, Wash., Friday night to take on the undefeated and fifth-ranked Panthers.

How will Moses Lake replace a two-time conference offensive player of the year at quarterback?

Moses Lake senior and first-year quarterback Dylan Signorelli seemed to answer that question in a 37-13 win over Pasco on Sept. 25.

Signorelli threw a pair of touchdown passes and ran for another while setting two school records in the process when he threw for 350 yards and accounted for 380 yards of total offense.

With Griffith and Signorelli filling the big shoes left by their predecessors, Moses Lake is in position to move into the Columbia Basin Big Nine Columbia Division top spot with a win over Wenatchee.

Moses Lake enters Friday night’s contest with one of the conference’s most complete football teams.

The Chiefs rank third overall in offense, averaging more than 350 yards per game.

Moses Lake isn’t only turning heads on the offensive side of the football. Moses Lake’s defense ranks fourth, giving up fewer than 218 yards per game and fewer than 86 yards per game on the ground.

Moses Lake’s stingy run defense will be put to the test Friday night when the Chiefs look to slow down the Big Nine’s leading rusher in Wenatchee senior running back Jacob Sealby.

Sealby has rushed for approximately 164 yards per game and 6.9 yards per carry and Moses Lake’s defense will work to slow him down Friday night, Griffith said.

“We need to make sure when Sealby touches the ball, we make sure he earns every yard,” Griffith said. “We know he is a great runner.”

Sealby has been impressive carrying the ball this season and Griffith said his defense needs to slow down Wenatchee’s offensive line to stop Sealby.

“We are focusing on their offensive line and their blocking scheme,” Griffith said. “The reason he is so good is because of his offensive line. They are really doing a great job of blocking for him.”

While the key to Moses Lake’s defense will focus on slowing Sealby down, the Chiefs offense will look to capitalize on a balanced offense to knock off the fifth-ranked Panthers, Griffith said.

“One (of the keys to the game) is us getting the ball on the edge and getting the ball into the hands of (senior Randy) Koon and Signorelli when we have to,” he said. “We definitely want to run the ball. We want to mix those pass plays intermittently with our running plays and mix them up.”

Moses Lake is averaging more than 350 yards per game and Signorelli is leading the league in total offense with 1,115 total yards.

Signorelli has been impressive in his first year under center for the Chiefs and Griffith said his senior quarterback is important to his team’s continued success.

“He is doing a great job as far as leading our team,” Griffith said. “He is a silent leader. He says what he has to say and he doesn’t say anything more.”

With Moses Lake facing their biggest test of the season Friday night, Griffith is confident in his Chiefs.

“The kids are making me excited,” Griffith said. “We knew this group of kids were going to play good football. No matter what … we knew they would do a good job.”

Friday night’s conference contest should come down to the wire and Griffith said his has confidence in his team and his coaching staff.

“I have a hell of a coaching staff and all of my coaches are doing a great job,” he said.

Although Wenatchee enters the game as the state’s fifth-ranked team, Griffith knows the Panthers are in for their biggest test of the season.

“We have played ranked teams before and no matter what happens, they come out of that football game knowing they played a tough football team,” Griffith said.

Moses Lake has been preparing for Wenatchee since early in the season and Griffith and his Chiefs know what is on the line Friday night.

“We have been thinking about (Wenatchee) for a long time. We knew it is an important matchup,” he said. “This game means a lot. If we win it, we will be No. 1 in our league. If we lose it, we will probably be No. 3. We want to be No. 1.”

Friday night’s contest with Wenatchee is scheduled to kick off at 7:30 p.m.