Moses Lake defeats Eisenhower

MOSES LAKE - The Chiefs came out in their second game with an energy and intensity that head coach Todd Griffith hopes will carry this years team into the playoffs. The Eisenhower Wildcat's game plan was clear from the first whistle; to prevent Moses Lake from getting to the outside and creating big run plays outside of the tackles. The Chiefs relying on speed and their run game has been successful when they are able to break big gains on the outside and set up their passing attack. The Chiefs expected a high scoring affair and prepared during the week for an Eisenhower team that would put points on the board and keep pressure on Moses Lake's defense throughout the contest. Instead of the offensive battle that most were expecting, the first half proved to be a game of field position and limiting mistakes. With just 19 seconds left in the second quarter, Rehn Reiley hit a 42 yard field goal to give the Cheifs a 10-0 lead over the Wildcats.

"It was a really great effort from our defense; we prepared well and our guys knew what to do. We wanted to get pressure on the quarterback and we did what we wanted to do." Griffith said.

Both teams came out in the second half having made adjustments to their game, creating an offensive flurry for both squads. The games' change of pace was drastic on both sides and it was almost as if the fans were seeing two completely different teams in the last two quarters.

"At the half we just cleared some stuff up and we came out with a tight-end set to start the third quarter and that forced them to stop moving front around so much." Griffith said.

By limiting the Wildcats' defensive pressure by adding the extra blocker, the Chiefs went to work running the ball and keeping their uptempo offense on the field. Moses Lake didn't try to force anything, but rather adjusted to the flow of the game, pushing hard and relying on interior running, short passes and keeping pressure on the Eisenhower defense with a relentless pace. To give a better example of the speed that the Chiefs were playing with, In their fist game moses lake ran 58 total plays, compared to Friday's tilt with Eisenhower where they ran 84 plays. The Chiefs main adjustments in the second half were switching up their offensive play selection to attack Wildcats defensive schemes.

"They threw some different stuff at us. They overloaded one side a lot in the first half and we figured out their schemes and started capitalizing on them." Griffith said.

The Chiefs started running the ball between the tackles and were able to get the offense moving and additionally were able to control the game clock. More importantly they were able to keep the Eisenhower defense on the field for extended periods of time and really test their endurance and stamina. The combination of moving the ball with the run and keeping the clock running proved to be a formula for success in the second half for Moses Lake. With the run game going strong, the passing lanes opened up for junior Easton Castro to throw the ball and gave the Chiefs a well rounded attack during the second half.

"This game was a total team effort, there wasn't any one guy who took over, but every guy was involved and the whole team played an all around good football game. We didn't lose any fumbles and not turning the ball over was huge for us." Griffith said.

The Wildcats wouldn't go down without a fight as they also came out of in the second half having made adjustments that got their offense in motion. They got the ball out of the quarterback's hands quicker and were able to move the chains through the air, despite constant pressure from the Moses Lake defense. After being held scoreless in the first two quarters Eisenhower came out in the second half and put up 14 points. While the Wildcats were still playing with all their effort until the final whistle sounded, their two scores in the second half came up short and Moses Lake won the game 31-14.

If you would have told me before the game that our defense would hold them to just 14 points, I would have said no way. Both our offensive and defensive lines played awesome. Coming into the game we knew what we wanted to do and we accomplished that." Griffith said.

Next up for the undefeated Moses Lake squad is their first away game as they will take on Wenatchee, Friday Sept. 20, at 7 p.m. The Panthers are 1-1 entering next weeks game, but are coming off a 53-13 victory over Davis.