Decubber throws six touchdowns as Mavs dominate at home

MOSES LAKE — The Moses Lake Mavericks (2-1) rebounded from their week two loss to Coeur d’Alene with a dominant 57-7 win at home over the West Valley Rams on Friday. Head coach Kyler Haneberg was elated with how his team responded in week three.  

“This week was all about how you're going to come out this week with what happened, and we got punched in the face quite a bit last week, so it was our turn to throw our punches,” Haneberg said. “The guys came out ready, not much to complain about when I'm able to pull my (starters) out in the middle of the second quarter. They reacted and did what they were supposed to this week.” 

The Mavericks came out of the gate firing on all cylinders, outscoring the Rams 35-0 in the first quarter alone. West Valley managed to find the endzone in the second quarter while Moses Lake added 22 points to their lead to make it 57-7 at halftime. From there, the game remained scoreless as the Mavs depth took over the rest of the way and sealed their second win of the season.  

“We expected our defense to do well, and our defense did way better than what we thought they would against their offense,” the coach said. “They have a really good offense and really good quarterback, and so we thought they'd be able to move the ball a little bit more. Our average starting field position was their 32-yard line, and so there was a span there where we scored five touchdowns on eight plays, and so our guys just went in there, executed the plays that were called to the best of their ability. I'm proud of those guys for going out there and forcing their will.” 

Nolan Decubber finished the game completing 12 of 14 passes for 148 yards, six touchdowns and zero turnovers. Decubber was responsible for four of five touchdowns in the first quarter, finding Case Anderson, Elijah Burns (twice) and Caden Barney for the scoring passes.  

Adding to the Mavericks lead in the first quarter was River Hutchinson, who returned a punt 40-yards to the house.  

In the second quarter, Decubber got back to work. He logged two more touchdown passes that were completed to Anderson and Kage Miller to extend their lead to 50-0. From there, West Valley pulled off a long kick return that ultimately helped them find the endzone from two yards out.  

Backup quarterback Jacoby Deleon got some reps and took full advantage of the opportunity, finding Malakai Merono-Jackson, increasing the lead to 57-7 by halftime. With a scoreless second half, the Mavs defended Lions Field while getting back into the win column and their first league win.  

Haneberg said he was pleased with the step Decubber took over the course of the week and into their game against the Rams. Last week, he was pulled from their game against Coeur d’Alene after getting dinged up, the coach said. However, he returned to the game and led a scoring drive, which Haneberg feels helped build momentum coming into this week. 

“He had a really good week of practice, and he felt good about how he did all week, and he had his little mojo going, and so that carried over into the game,” Haneberg said. “He's a pretty poised kid; doesn't get too emotional, and that's just how he is personality-wise outside of football. It's great to have a guy back there that can be unbothered by some things.” 

Even with a shorter field on average, the Mavericks run game also put together a strong outing. Xzavier Rodriguez carried the ball seven times for 39 yards and averaged just over 5-yards per carry. Burns was right behind him with 34 yards on five carries and averaged over 6-yards per carry. Though there was no score on the ground, the run crew kept the chains moving. 

With the early adversity this team has faced, Haneberg feels his team has gained some valuable experience that will help shape their mentality the rest of the fall.  

“It's one of those where you lose a game like how we did, and you kind of lose some respect across the state from people who you know don't really watch or just see the final outcome,” he said. “And that's fine by us, we don't really care, but I think it gave our guys that reality check that they needed, and now they're locked in more than ever, and they're preparing each week better than they did the week before.” 

Haneberg praised his team for the togetherness they approach the game with, no matter what obstacles they run into the team does their best to pick each other up rather than become divided in the locker room.  

“Our captains do a great job of it, especially Reese Porter (and) Cristian Ramos, those two are preaching it every day,” Haneberg said. “Those are our big leaders, vocal guys up front. (Taggart Rathbun) pretty good at it as well, and so when you have a good captain group that keeps everyone together rather than rips them apart – it makes it a lot easier for us.” 

The Mavericks hit the road again next week when they travel to Wenatchee to face the Panthers at 7 p.m. Haneberg emphasized the teams bond as a key component to lean on going forward as they get into Big 9 play with teams like Davis, Sunnyside, Eastmont and Eisenhower still on the horizon.  

“Wenatchee is a really good team,” he said. “They have some good receivers and a good quarterback. They're going to be a threat against our secondary, and so our secondary's got to get prepared for that, and we're going against a defense that's given us troubles in the past, but (we're) making sure our guys are still confident in their abilities and letting them know that we believe in them and that we trust them more than anything else.” 

BOX SCORE: 

WSVL: 0-7-0-0: 7 

MLHS: 35-22-0-0: 57 

    The Mavericks defensive line gets lined up ahead of West Valleys next offensive play at Lions Field on Friday.
  

    River Hutchinson (37) carries the ball upfield against West Valley on Friday.
  

    Case Anderson (5) boots the ball through the field goal posts after the Mavericks scored a touchdown against West Valley on Friday.
  

    Ryder Gonzalez (29) attempts to get in the backfield as West Valley hands the ball off.
  

    The West Valley Rams and Moses Lake Mavericks meet at centerfield for the pregame coin toss on Friday.