Moses Lake edges out Eastmont 49-42

The Chiefs hit the road last Friday to take on the Eastmont Wildcats in a big 9 battle. Moses Lake coming off an impressive win against Davis last week, was looking to keep their momentum going and improve to 4-1. The Chiefs have looked sharp in every game this season, playing smart, mistake free football for the most part; with the exception being their blowout loss at Wenatchee.

If the Chiefs want to be a contender come playoff time, they need to win on the road and show consistency and this past Friday gave them the opportunity to do just that. Out of the gate it appeared the road woes were continuing for the Chiefs, as they got down 20-7 in the first quarter. Facing adversity, Moses Lake rallied and came back to steal a win on the road 49-42, but it was a bumpy road en route to the win.

"Our defense never quit," said Moses Lake head coach, Todd Griffith. "Sometimes when the other team puts up big points, the defense hangs their heads and its easier to give up, but our guys didn't do that Friday. It wasn't our best game defensively, but they battled and got the key stops when we needed them most and got the ball back to our offense to make big plays."

The defense held strong for the Chiefs, just long enough to allow the offense to get moving and get them back in the game. Easton Castro lead the team to a second quarter rally, connecting with Kevin Cosper for his first touchdown of the year and got the Chiefs offense some momentum to build on; and build they would. Moses Lake took to the ground game, rushing outside of the tackles with success after a dismal first quarter.

Nathan Ball lead the team in rushing with 70 yards on 7 carries and two touchdowns, but it was the play of Brett Moser, who was barely involved last week, stepping up that gave the Chiefs an edge on offense. Moser carried nine times for 63 yards and also caught six passes for 92 yards and a touchdown.

"A bunch of guys stepped up for us and Brett Moser had a big game; catching a touchdown pass and getting some key first downs when we really needed them." Griffith said.

With the defense making stops and the rushing attack moving the ball for the Chiefs, they were able to comeback in the second quarter and knot things up at 28-28 going into the half. Moses Lake came out in the second half with the simple game plan of continuing what worked for them in the second quarter and capitalizing on their strengths to come back and win the game. The speed option, sweeps, and short passes to the slot were keeping the Chief offense moving the ball at a fast pace and wore out the Wildcats' defense.

Nick Sutherland and Tyson Karstetter both played well rounded games, catching key passes and, more importantly, landing big blocks on the outside to spring runs and short passes for long gains. With the game in motion quarterback Easton Castro led the Chiefs to their first lead of the game in the third quarter as they went ahead on the home team 42-35.

"Easton had another solid game with no turnovers and big plays when it counted," Griffith said. He did his job, got the right guys the football and played mistake free football. I don't think were hitting on all cylinders yet on offense, but once we re we will be a really tough team to beat."

With Moses Lake up 49-35 late in the fourth quarter, Eastmont drove down the field and scored a touchdown to make it a one-score game. With just minutes remaining on the clock, the Wildcats attempted an onside kick to get the ball back, but were unsuccessful. The Chiefs needed to move the chains for a first down just once to ice the game and ensure that the Eastmont offense wouldn't get another shot.

After moving the ball just four yards on the first two plays, Moses Lake was facing a third down and six play with major implications on the game. Castro pitched the ball out to Brett Moser who was met by multiple defenders, but powered his way through the crowd to get just past the marker. The seven yard gain allowed the Chiefs to run the clock out and win the game 49-42 and improve to 4-1 on the season.