Mavs take Tigers

MOSES LAKE — The Moses Lake Mavericks lit up the scoreboard in Friday’s season-opening win over Ephrata, scoring multiple times both on offense and special teams in a 58-3 win against the Tigers.

“That’s a goal always, to execute in all three phases,” Moses Lake head coach Brett Jay said. “We did that tonight, it was a team win. Everyone on the field had an impact.”

The first score of the game came from senior Kyson Thomas, who returned an Ephrata punt 45 yards into the north end zone at Lions Field with nine-and-a-half minutes remaining in the first quarter.

“I kept having dreams about it,” Thomas said. “I told my coach, ‘As soon as I get the punt, first punt I’m taking to the crib.’”

After stopping the Tigers on fourth down, the Maverick offense returned to the field and scored on a deep strike from 36 yards out by sophomore quarterback Brady Jay to senior receiver Joel Middleton, which put Moses Lake up 16-0 after a two-point conversion.

“It was good,” Brady said of the win. “Good o-line, good receivers — they made it easy.”

The sophomore’s second touchdown pass of the night came on the ensuing Moses Lake drive, a throw into the flat to sophomore running back Carson Huberdeau who ran into the end zone from nine yards out and put the Mavs up 23-0.

The Tigers put together a long drive at the end of the first and beginning of the second quarter, highlighted by senior tight end Eric O’Neel taking a screen pass 30 yards down the field. Ephrata’s drive stalled in the red zone, but the Tigers added three points on a 35-yard field goal.

“We’ve just got to work on getting better and executing a little bit better,” Ephrata head coach Patrick Mitchell said. “There were times where we had opportunities to sustain some drives early on, and had a false start penalty or a holding call. We’ve got to get better at what we do, controlling the ball on offense.”

After the Ephrata field goal, Thomas got his second return score of the night on a 73-yard kickoff returned for a touchdown that put Moses Lake up 31-3 after a two-point conversion. The senior also caught a touchdown on the next Maverick drive, which was set off by an interception and return by sophomore linebacker Carter Anderson.

“I can’t explain the significance (Thomas) has and the impact he has on us — he’s a great young man, and his play is a byproduct of his character,” Brett said. “He shows up every day and works hard. Doesn’t want to come off the field, and it’s another great message to the program.”

Moses Lake took a 52-3 lead into the halftime locker room after receiving touchdowns from seniors Hayden Throneberry and Middleton, who scored from three and seven yards out, respectively. Middleton caught eight passes for 120 yards and three scores in the win.

“Joel Middleton is a great football player,” Brett said. “He’s really comfortable with the offense, and he’s starting to get in rhythm. He’s fun to watch, he’s a big play waiting to happen. You see him do this every single day at practice.”

Friday’s win was Brady’s first start under center for Moses Lake, and the sophomore completed 22 of 29 passes for 263 yards and six touchdowns.

“He’s just natural,” Thomas said. “It’s his home. He’s been on the field since he was a baby, and that’s just where he’s supposed to be at. He communicates great, he’s a leader too as a sophomore. He’s going to be great.”

Moses Lake will have a short week to prepare for Kamiakin, who the Mavs play at 7 p.m. Thursday. The two schools played last year at Lions Field, which ended in a 36-29 win for the Braves.

“Not only is it a Thursday game, it’s a Thursday game (after) Labor Day,” Brett said. “It’s pretty intense.”

Ephrata plays host to Quincy in the Battle of the Basin on Friday. Kickoff is at 7 p.m. The Tigers won last year’s matchup in Quincy 28-0.

“The biggest focus I think is speed of the game, focusing on getting ourselves in the right positions to be as successful as we can,” Mitchell said. “(Moses Lake’s) got a great team, they executed well in both facets of the game. They played fast and downhill; they are tough to defend.”

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

Box score

ML: 23-29-6-0 58

EPH: 0-3-0-0 3