Davis runs wild in win over Moses Lake

YAKIMA - Youth or experience doesn't necessarily mean someone

can or can not make a tackle.

On Friday night, the Moses Lake Chiefs' football team struggled

to wrap up a hard-charging Davis running game and the hosts rolled

to a 51-21 win in Big 9 play.

YAKIMA - Youth or experience doesn't necessarily mean someone can or can not make a tackle.

On Friday night, the Moses Lake Chiefs' football team struggled to wrap up a hard-charging Davis running game and the hosts rolled to a 51-21 win in Big 9 play.

Moses Lake (0-3, 0-1), came out sluggish and Davis (3-0, 1-0) made them pay with a 30-yard fumble return for a touchdown on the Chiefs' first offensive play.

Moments later Austin Wagner tore off a 45-yard touchdown run and the Chiefs were down 12-0 only minutes into the game.

"We didn't match their intensity level," Moses Lake head coach Todd Griffith said. "They were 2-0 coming in and wanted to get to 3-0 pretty bad."

What didn't help the Chiefs' cause was their inability to avoid giving up the big play.

Wagner scored on a 66-yard touchdown run in the second quarter while Roberto Rodriguez scored on a 55-yard jaunt in the third quarter for Davis.

"We just allowed too many big plays and gave up a lot of 40, 50-yard plays," Griffith said. "We also fumbled and didn't catch some balls when it was open for us. We had the opportunities to score but we didn't capitalize."

Davis finished with 358 yards on the group, averaging just over eight yards an effort.

Wagner led the way with 184 yards on 15 carries and three touchdowns while Rodriguez added 92 yards on six carries.

"Basically they had good running backs," Griffith said. "We had them but we just missed some tackles. They had a good scheme going against us but we had a scheme for them and we just didn't tackle. We made some good plays defensively but for the most part we had them and we just didn't tackle."

Moses Lake got n the board on quarterback Kyle Moats' 45-yard run in the second quarter to cut the deficit to 18-7.

But David Trimble caught a 40-yard strike from Deion Wright to put Davis up 24-7 at halftime.

After Wagner's four-yard touchdown run at the beginning of the third quarter, Moats hooked up on an 11-yard touchdown pass to Matt Franz to cut the deficit back to 31-14.

Davis would respond with 13 straight points before Franz caught his second touchdown pass of the night off of a 14-yard strike from Justin Simmons.

Stephen Cline led the Chiefs in rushing with 75 yards on 16 carries while Moats chipped in with 74 yards rushing on 19 carries, and Bryce Perez added 69 yards on 11 carries.

Moats finished 5-for-12 passing and 52 yards with two interceptions while Simmons went 4-for-6 with 32 yards.

Franz ended up with five receptions for 65 yards.

"We're capable of playing with every team we've played so far," Griffith said. "Early on it was being young and not understanding the game but now we have played three games so its not a lack of experience. Now it's just about catching a break to get ourselves back on top. We can play with everybody we just haven't been able to capitalize and execute."