Eastmont shuts down Moses Lake to grab 4A CBBN championship: 2 takeaways
EAST WENATCHEE, Wash. — All indicators pointed toward eighth-ranked Eastmont staying grounded in Friday night’s 4A CBBN showdown with Moses Lake:
— A rushing attack that had churned for more than 285 yards a contest this season.
— Game-time temps dipping below 40 degrees.
— A 45-point-per-game opponent you’d want to play keep-away with.
Yeah, so much for the indicators.
WEEK 9 WASHINGTON FOOTBALL SCOREBOARD
Wildcats senior quarterback Luke Gale matched his season-best with three touchdown passes, plunged in for another score and Eastmont’s defense reined in the Mavericks’ high-flying offense en route to a 35-8 victory in a matchup of the No. 1 and 2 teams in the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association’s RPI rankings.
Gale hadn’t thrown for 200 yards in a game this season and had eclipsed the 100-yard mark just three times. He reached the latter mark on touchdown passes alone Friday night, hitting Adrien Ruffins on scoring strikes of 10, 27 and 71 yards.
The performance was needed given Moses Lake’s defensive scheme aimed at stopping Eastmont running back Gunnar Peterson, who had rushed for more than 1,300 yards and 11 scores before Friday night.
“Their game plan was to take away Gunnar and they stacked up the middle,” Wildcats coach Michael Don said.
That opened up the outside for Peterson’s cohorts – Peyton Guest and Landon Moore.
Moore set up Eastmont’s first score with a 70-yard run and Guest scored on a 35-yard jaunt early in the fourth and set up Gale’s TD dive with another long scamper.
Here are two takeaways from the game:
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MAVERICKS SLOWED
Moses Lake entered Friday night’s game racking up more than 415 yard per game with nearly 80 percent of that coming through the air.
The Wildcats, though, were up to the challenge, shutting out the Mavericks until midway through the final quarter with Eastmont well in control.
“Our kids played lights out, especially in the red zone,” Don said. Those stops included a first-half goal-line stand.
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BIG GAME IN THE BIG NINE
Friday’s tilt was the biggest CBBN matchup since the Wildcats hosted neighbor Wenatchee in 2019 with first place at stake.
“It was awesome,” said Don, noting a run on student tickets that went on sale at midnight Friday and a Moses Lake contingent that included three rooter busses. “We haven’t had two programs in this spot – undefeated in and ranked this late in the year.”
Eastmont (9-0 overall, 6-0 CBBN) next Saturday will host the winner of Richland and Central Valley’s Tuesday matchup.
Moses Lake (8-1, 5-1) will host Chiawana on Friday. The loss to the Wildcats notwithstanding, the Mavericks continue to build under third-year coach Brett Jay, who has guided Moses Lake to three straight winning seasons after the program totaled five wins in the three campaigns before his arrival.
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