Lions defeat Eagles to extend win streak to five

MOSES LAKE — On Friday, the Moses Lake Christian Academy/Covenant Christian Lions (7-2) defeated the Soap Lake Eagles (2-6) 53-8 at home. Lions head coach Josh Kast said while the offense started hot, he was pleased with how the defense played as well.  

“A fast start offensively, defense, I feel, is really starting to turn the corner on the year and make some drastic improvements from where we were the first three to four weeks of the season,” Kast said.  

The Lions jumped out to a 26-0 lead in the first quarter. Their hot start came behind Swiss Army knife and quarterback Johnny Ferguson. He led the Lions on multiple scoring drives through the air and on the ground with his feet. He also picked off the Eagles quarterback, Chris Heaps for a pick six.  

Kast called Ferguson a dynamic player for them. He said Ferguson is a threat anywhere he lines up on the field.  

“Majority of the time he's playing quarterback, but we like to try and hand the ball off to him at times, maybe throw him a pass or two, because he's just that type of athlete where if you got a mismatch, you can utilize them in different ways,” Kast said.  

Eagles head coach Garrett Devine gave credit to Ferguson and what he accomplished Friday night on the gridiron. He went so far as to say he gives his MVP vote to him as well.  

“He's a solid player. He made a lot of plays with his arm and with his feet, and we bit on some double moves, and they hit some explosive plays on us, and we got behind early, and just kind of dug ourselves a hole that we couldn't get out of,” Devine said.  

The Lions added two more scores in the second quarter to take a 40-0 lead at halftime. By that point, the Eagles did have bright moments as Heaps also recorded a couple of interceptions in the first half.  

“We created a couple of turnovers, which I was proud of the guys for that, and then I thought we ran the ball pretty well, considering what we were facing,” Devine said.

The Lions put up another score in the third quarter and held the Eagles scoreless. In the fourth quarter, the Eagles finally got on the board. The Lions added six more points to seal the 53-8 win over the Eagles.  

Despite the loss, Devine said he was happy with the fight his players showed against the Lions on Friday.  

“I thought they fought (hard), just didn't go our way, and we've had a lot of injuries this year. We're kind of a totally different team than when we started. We've had a lot of kids starting in different positions. Our starting lineup looks totally different than what it did at the beginning of the year, and that's always tough,” he said.  

The Eagles have their last game Nov. 6 at home against Oroville. In addition to honoring their seniors, Devine just hopes his players leave it all out on the field and finish the season on a positive note.  

“I want our seniors to leave on a good note,” Devine said. “I just hope that we can end (the season) on a good note for those guys, so I think just going into it with some gratitude that you get to play the game and just try to have fun and get better.” 

For the Lions, Ferguson finished 8 for 15 in passing with 164 yards and three touchdowns. On the ground, he carried the ball three times for 112 yards and two more touchdowns. Treyson Kast finished with four receptions and 103 yards and a pair of touchdowns. James Robertson had three receptions for 64 yards and a touchdown of his own. Andrew Moskvich had a 26-yard receiving touchdown to aid them in their win.  

Josh said the Lions have come a long way since dropping two games earlier this season. Ever since their loss to Entiat, they have been on a five-game win streak. As they prepare for their last game Nov. 6 at Waterville at 7 p.m. and the postseason, Josh said the Lions just need to keep improving.  

“We've got to keep on improving throughout the year. When it comes time to be playoff time, that we are fully healthy and clicking on all cylinders and ready to hopefully make a pretty big playoff run,” he said.  

BOX SCORE: 

SPLK: 0-0-0-8: 8
MLCA: 26-14-7-6: 53 

    MLCA/CCS’s Johnny Ferguson (5) prepares for the next snap as the Eagles defense looms. Ferguson had 164 yards passing and 112 yards rushing on Friday.
  

    The Lions’ Johnny Ferguson (5) looks to the sideline for the next playcall on offense against the Eagles on Friday. Fergurson also recorded two pick sixes on defense against the Eagles.
  

    Johnny Ferguson (5) intercepts the ball on defense before returning it for a touchdown against the Eagles on Friday.
  

    The Eagles’ Chris Heaps (21) carries the ball on a designed run play against the Lions.