Mavs win Big 9

MOSES LAKE – Playing complimentary football is key for any team to put together a playoff run; for the Moses Lake Mavericks, all three facets of the game have been playing well over the past month.  

That was present in Friday’s win over Davis, which sealed a perfect record against league opponents this season on top of a Columbia Basin Big 9 league title. 

“It’s always one of the goals; first goal is to win the conference,” head coach Brett Jay said. “We did that a couple years ago and got back on track this year. We’re excited about that.” 

The Mavericks scored on offense, defense and special teams in the win; junior Brady Jay completed 17-of-18 passes for 222 yards and six touchdowns, freshman John Rainey scored on a fumble returned for a touchdown and senior Isaiah Moreno-Jackson scored on a 52-yard punt returned for a touchdown. 

“We want all three facets of our game to be on point,” Jay said. “As of lately, we've gotten a lot stronger play from our defense and our special teams is taking the ball away as well. We’re starting to get some special teams returns for touchdowns, so the biggest thing is playing all three phases the right way.” 

Since Moses Lake’s Sept. 27 home win against Wenatchee, the Maverick defense had been out in force; in wins over Eisenhower, Post Falls (Idaho), Eastmont, West Valley (Yakima) and Davis, Moses Lake’s defense has only surrendered 26 points. Three of the wins were shutouts. 

“There’s buy-in from every defensive coach, which is fun as well,” Jay said. “Getting our players to understand the game plan and playing confidently is crucial; right now, they can pretty much call the game from the field. There’s not a lot of calls from the sideline because of all the hard work players and coaches have put in during the week.” 

Brett Jay noted defensive standouts this season include freshman John Rainey, senior Cylar Meseberg, sophomore Petrah Mackenzie and junior Carter Anderson. 

“It’s a group effort with us,” Jay said. “We play for each other, we play for the man next to us. That’s what’s allowed us to take that next step.” 

Meseberg credited leaders on the team for guiding Moses Lake’s defense. 

“A lot of the captains here have been really pushing us, all the players have been pushing us,” Meseberg said. “... Days we don’t have school we’re in here early in the morning, and then we’re down at the field right after.” 

Of course, Moses Lake’s offense has lit up the scoreboard nearly all season — since a season-opening loss to Rigby (Idaho), the Mavericks have averaged just over 48 points per game. 

Leading the offense is quarterback Brady Jay, who has completed 240-of-336 passes for 2,925 yards, 43 touchdowns and one interception this season. 

“Just my o-line and receivers all making plays,” Brady Jay attributed his success to in the pass game. “Everyone’s giving me time to block, the receivers get open. And, I’ve been able to run it a little bit.  

The junior quarterback has rushed for five touchdowns this season. He credited spending his spring running track to help with his speed. 

Leading the Mavericks at receiver is junior Grant Smith, who has caught 57 passes for 868 yards and 13 touchdowns. Sophomore running back Elijah Burns has been a feature in the pass game as well, catching 70 passes for 695 yards and seven scores on top of 500 yards and three touchdowns on 71 carries.  

“We find the zones and take what the defense gives us,” Smith said. “Just doing the best we can with what the defense gives us.” 

As the league champion, Moses Lake was one of three Big 9 teams that received a berth into the state’s Week 10 crossover, which features 16 winner-to-state matchups this Friday and Saturday.  

Moses Lake played in a winner-to-state matchup last season but lost 49-32 to Chiawana. Last year’s loss served as a learning point for this year’s team. 

“This year, in the playoffs, we’re not settling,” Brady Jay said. “We want to finish Week 10 — we know Week 10 is when we’re really starting to get going.” 

In the loss to the Riverhawks, Moses Lake found itself in a 21-0 hole early in the second quarter in large part due to turnovers; Jay threw four interceptions in the loss, two of which were returned for touchdowns by Chiawana. 

“Last year we lost the takeaway battle against Chiawana; our ball security’s better this year,” Jay said. “We’re starting to really get takeaways, whether it’s interceptions or fumble recoveries. That’s the most important piece.” 

Moses Lake has won eight straight games, with its lone loss coming in the season opener against Rigby. The Mavericks lost 47-12, playing in Boise, Idaho. 

“That was as important as anything we could do, was come out of the gate and play — Rigby could potentially win a 6A state championship in Idaho — it was painful, but we needed it,” Jay said. “It allowed us to put our best foot forward and go from there.” 

Moses Lake takes on Kamiakin on Saturday at 1 p.m. at Lions Field. The Braves defeated Lewis and Clark 48-13 on Tuesday. 

“You get in the tournament, and you start playing teams you don’t really know,” Jay said. “It’s a great time — after practice, we’re all going to huddle around a TV and see who we play.” 

Five local teams play winner-to-state games this week; along with the Mavericks, ACH hosts Dayton on Friday at 7 p.m., Othello hosts Rogers (Spokane) on Saturday at 2 p.m., Royal hosts Klahowya on Friday at 5:30 p.m. and Warden travels to Okanogan on Friday at 7 p.m. MLCA/CCS locked up a state berth last week with its win over Soap Lake. 

    Moses Lake junior Grant Smith (13) leads the Mavericks with 868 receiving yards and 13 touchdowns this season.
  

    Moses Lake junior Brady Jay throws on the run during an Oct. 18 game against Eastmont. Jay has thrown for nearly 3,000 yards this season, throwing 43 touchdowns to just one interception.
  

    Moses Lake players celebrate after defeating Eastmont 40-0 on Oct. 18. The Mavericks won the Columbia Basin Big 9 league title this season, becoming league champions for the first time since 2021.