Panthers sink claws into Chief's undefeated season

The 2-0 Chiefs traveled to the Applebowl friday night to take on a hungry 1-1 Wenatchee team. Moses Lake was confident coming into the week 3 competition having their offense firing on all cylinders after defeating Eisenhower in a dominating fashion the week prior. Also playing into the Chiefs confidence was the fact that Eisenhower had beat Wenatchee just prior to losing at Moses Lake. Confidence aside, both teams knew a lot was at stake during this game, and it was the Panthers of Wenatchee who jumped out to a fast start against the Chiefs.

"Every time we go to the Applebowl we know its going to be tough game, and with a 1-1 record, they came out fired up with an intensity level through the roof and we just didn't match their intensity to start the game. I think our kids were too excited to a certain degree and we didn't come out and play like we did the first two weeks." head coach Todd Griffith said.

With the student section chanting loud and the band banging on drums throughout the contest, there was not a seconds lapse of energy from the Panther's sideline and it translated onto the field of play. Wenatchee was able to run between the tackles and up the sidelines with ease during the first quarter. Wenatchee tailback Blake Agulair lead the rushing attack, but the offensive onslaught saw numerous Panther's gettinginvolved. Moses Lake defense clearly became frustrated and began to lose composure, while they were on the field for what seemed like the entire first half of play. The time of possesion battle was firmly being won by Wenatchee and it took its tole on the Chiefs defense. The successful run game of the Panthers also opened up their passing attack, allowing them to move the ball down the field at will during the first half and giving Wenatchee a commanding 49-0 lead going into halftime.

"The things we wanted to do offensively were there in both the first half and second half, but we just didn't execute in the first half and it really hurt us." Griffith said.

Chiefs quarterback Easton Castro threw an interception for a touchdown just before the half, but appeared to shrug it off and came out in the second half with a confidence that appeared absent in the first two quarters. Castro began completing passes and picking up decent gains off the read option that had been key in Moses Lake's previous victories. The Chiefs special teams got in on the action as well when a bad long snap from the Panthers created a much needed turnover and gave Moses Lake the ball near midfield. They would go on to march down the field and get on the board when Castro connected with Tyson Karstetter for a 25 yard passing touchdown. With the scoreboard showing just 35 seconds remaining in the third quarter and Wenatchee up 49 to 7, it was clear the game was now out of reach, but getting in the end-zone was undoubtedly a moral victory for the Chiefs.

"The second half is what it is; the running clock sped things up, but our defense played well and we had a good team effort in the second half. Brooks Middlebrand played especially well, never giving up and displaying 100% effort the entirety of the game." Griffith said.

The Chiefs would get one more big special teams play late in the game as a line drive punt hit a Panther player and was recovered by Moses Lake, setting them up with great field position once again. They would go on to score late in the fourth quarter to make the score 49-14 when the final buzzer sounded. The silver lining in a rough outing for the Chiefs is that they held a strong Wenatchee team scoreless in the final two quarters, got big plays from their special teams unit, and quarterback Easton Castro played, for the most part, a mistake free second half.

"It wasn't that our guys didn't come ready to play, they were up for the game we just simply didn't execute and guys may have been over-excited going into the game. For us right now we just need to take things one week at a time and focus on the game at hand." Griffith said.

Up next for the Chiefs, they will host Davis at Lions Field in Moses Lake. Davis will be coming into town with a chip on their shoulder and something to prove as they are coming off back to back loses to Wenatchee and Walla Walla, With a record of 1-2 this could be a make or break game for them if they have aspirations of playing postseason football this year. Similarly Moses Lake is in need of a win to get back on track after the disappointing performance at the Applebowl.

"Friday they were a better ball club, but after watching the film all weekend I want to get on to the next game. This was a bump in the road, that makes things a little more difficult, but this is a resilient team and I have no doubt our kids are gonna be ready to play come Friday." Griffith said.