Local squads clash at preseason jamboree

MOSES LAKE – With the start of the 2024 football season just a week away, local squads from Moses Lake, Ephrata and Royal gathered at Lions Field on Friday for a preseason jamboree, allowing players to face competition before the scoreboard gets turned on. 

“These jamborees, they’re optional, but they’re the closest thing to a game rep,” Moses Lake head coach Brett Jay said. “It’s nice to see how guys respond in this moment, and it gives us an idea for next week.” 

Both the offensive and defensive units of a team took the field for sets of 10 plays on Friday night, matching up against another team’s offense or defense. Each possession began on the opposing 40-yard line, as teams attempted to get first downs and reach the end zone. 

“It’s a lot of fun for the kids,” Royal Head Coach Wiley Allred said. “They get hyped up just enough, they get excited. When you’re going against teams that don’t know each other, there’s no cheating as far as figuring out different sets and what to do. You come in blindly and get to play football, it’s awesome.” 

Plus, after putting on the pads less than a week ago, it allows players to participate in a full-contact, game-like environment against a team other than their own. 

“Our practice field, it’s a brotherhood out there – you've got a bunch of brothers going against each other out there every single play; it just feels so good to see a different colored jersey,” Jay said. “You get to take out those emotions into a different team rather than each other all the time.” 

Each of the three teams in attendance are looking to build off of successful 2023 campaigns; the Mavericks posted an 8-2 record and a second-place finish in the Columbia Basin Big 9, Ephrata took the Central Washington Athletic Conference crown and reached the 2A State Tournament while the Knights claimed yet another 1A state championship, finishing with a 13-0 record last season. 

“To go against good teams in our area that are close (allows you) to really test yourself and where you’re at, and what you need to do to get to where you want to be,” Ephrata Head Coach Patrick Mitchell said. “It’s early, but I’d rather have that good competition than the other way around.” 

Each coach shared a positive takeaway from their team’s performances in Friday night’s jamboree. 

For Moses Lake, there were strong showings in the trenches. 

“We had a couple young guys step in there that haven’t gotten varsity reps yet, and I thought they did very well,” Jay said. “I was very pleased with our offensive line, and our defensive line, which is always good.” 

Allred noted defensive highlights as well as chunk plays made by the Knight skill positions. 

“I thought we ran to the ball pretty well on defense, and offensively, we’ve got some dynamic kids,” Allred said. “They’re fun to watch.” 

Mitchell highlighted performances by the youth in the Ephrata program. 

“We’ve got some youth on the team where we wanted to see, ‘Hey, how are you going to handle the pressure of two really good offense and defenses coming at you?’” Mitchell said. “It gives you a chance to evaluate them against that varsity-level competition.” 

The 2024 football season begins Friday for teams across the Basin; Moses Lake takes on Rigby (Idaho) at Rocky Mountain High School in Boise, Idaho, Royal travels to Kiona-Benton and Ephrata hosts Prosser. 

“I think the Columbia Basin has great football at all levels; Royal’s 1A, Ephrata’s 2A, we're 4A,” Jay said. “It’s nice to get us all together and represent something bigger than just our community. It’s the whole Basin.” 

Want more Basin football coverage? Check out the 2024 Gridiron Guide in the August 30 edition of the Columbia Basin Herald for previews on all 11 teams in the area, complete with player and coach interviews, photos from practices and team schedules. 

    The Ephrata offense moves up the field on a run play against the Moses Lake defense on Friday.
  

    Royal quarterback Lance Allred (11) powers through tackles on a touchdown run against the Maverick defense.
  

    Royal junior Shea Stevenson hauls in a pass during a session of plays against the Ephrata defense on Friday.