Mavs defeat Davis 42-8, look on to Sunnyside
MOSES LAKE – After a home win against Wenatchee in Week 4, the Moses Lake Mavericks returned to the road for a trip to Davis, coming away with a 42-8 win over the Pirates.
With the win, the Mavericks improved to 5-1 and 3-0 in league play, setting up a clash of the top two teams in the Columbia Basin Big 9 conference on Friday against Sunnyside.
“The expectation is to come out there and be successful every Friday night, and that’s what we’ve done,” Moses Lake Head Coach Brett Jay said. “Now, we’re thinking of Sunnyside; they’re coming to town and we know how the program that they’ve built over there is fantastic.”
Jay said the Mavericks were able to prepare more for the game against Davis because there wasn’t a freshman game, which gave them an extra day of practice. Through the week new starters came onto the offensive line, a big component toward the win on Friday.
“(It was) just based on guys earning it,” Jay said of the changes to the new-look offensive line. “Some guys are starting to develop right now, and we’re seeing it. The competition for us up front is fantastic.”
With starting quarterback Brock Clark out with what Jay said is a knee injury, junior receiver and defensive back Joel Middleton started his second game in as many weeks last Friday.
“Joel, our third-string quarterback, has come in and gone 2-0,” Jay said. “I can’t tell you how proud of him we are for that. He hasn’t gotten a ton of reps, he came in, he didn't blink, didn’t hesitate. It just shows the character that he’s got and the faith our team has in him.”
The Maverick defense has allowed a combined 7.5 points per game over the past two games after allowing an average of 21.2 points per game in the first four games.
“(It’s) fantastic,” Jay said of the defense’s play over the last two weeks. “It gives you confidence.”
Both Moses Lake and Sunnyside are 3-0 in league play, making Friday’s game a matchup for first place in the league. The Grizzlies lost their first three games of the year before winning their last three for a 3-3 record.
The Mavericks take on the Grizzlies at home on Friday, with kickoff at 7 p.m.
“I love the fact that we get to play a big game in front of our fans and our community,” Jay said.
Ian Bivona may be reached at ibivona@columbiabasinherald.com.
