Red zone struggles cost Mavs in 35-8 loss to Eastmont

EAST WENATCHEE — Moses Lake was able to move the ball up and down the field on Friday night against Eastmont but went one-for-four in the red zone, resulting in a 35-8 loss to the Wildcats, the Maverick’s first loss of the season.

“Just didn’t finish drives,” Moses Lake coach Brett Jay said. “We got to down to the two once, got down to the six-inch line once and we didn’t punch it in. We got exposed a little bit.”

After an interception on the team’s opening drive that the Wildcats used to score their first touchdown of the night, Moses Lake got down to the Eastmont two-yard line after a 31-yard completion from sophomore quarterback to senior receiver Keston Roylance on fourth-and-five. The Mavs ran back-to-back running plays, and then two straight incompletions resulted in a turnover on downs deep in Wildcat territory.

Moses Lake turned the ball over on downs again on its first drive of the second quarter after a rushing play was stuffed inside the one-yard line. Eastmont chewed up most of the remaining clock in the second quarter on a 13-play, 99-yard touchdown drive to go up 14-0 just before halftime.

Eastmont intercepted a pass on the sideline on Moses Lake’s first play of the third quarter, throwing a 61-yard touchdown to Wildcat receiver Adrien Ruffins on a trick play on the next play — Ruffins’ third score of the game.

Following another Moses Lake interception, Maverick junior Carson Hightower picked off an Eastmont pass in the end zone and the Mavs once again drove down the field. Senior receiver Kyson Thomas got into the end zone on a 28-yard completion, but the play was called back due to a holding penalty. Moses Lake would turn the ball over on downs five plays later on the Eastmont five-yard line.

“It was tough,” Brett Jay said. “We got the ball back and their guy made a great play. It just takes it out of you a little bit. You start coming back again and you throw one in the end zone, they call it back. It just felt like one of those nights nothing was going to go right.”

Before Thomas’ called-back touchdown, Moses Lake was finding some success in the run game; sophomore Carson Huberdeau and junior Tommy Ranson Jr. combined for 52 yards on six carries to set Moses Lake up just outside the red zone.

With most of the Wildcat secondary spread out to cover the Maverick receivers, it allowed for the run game to get going.

“They were so spread out, we’ve started seeing boxes I’ve never seen before,” Jay said. “They’ve got three down linemen, but those d-ends were so far out. We run it inside and get a little bit here or there, but I thought we needed to stay more patient with it. That’s on me.”

Eastmont scored two more touchdowns over the final 12 minutes, and the Mavs finally got in the end zone on a three-yard pass to Ransom Jr. with 6:35 remaining. With the win, the Wildcats clinched the Columbia Basin Big 9 title.

Jay said he believes the Mavericks will host Chiawana in the Week 10 Crossover. The Riverhawks have won their last eight games after falling to Kamiakin 20-13 in the season opener.

“It’s really all we can do,” Jay said of overcoming the loss. “You come this far, you’re 8-0, and every one of us feels like you make a couple different plays there and this is a different game. It is emotional because of everything you put into it. The best part about this is we get to live for another day. We get another game next week; win and go on, lose and go home. We’re going to be right back at it.”

Ian Bivona may be reached at ibivona@columbiabasinherald.com.

Box Score

Moses Lake: 0-0-0-8 8

Eastmont: 7-7-7-14 35

    Eastmont defensive back Matthew Bender (5) jumps up to break up a pass intended for Moses Lake senior Caleb Jones, in white.
  

    Moses Lake junior Tommy Ransom Jr. fights for extra yards in the first quarter against Eastmont.
  

    A strong contingent of the Moses Lake faithful traveled to Eats Wenatchee for Friday’s game against Eastmont.