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Prosser Mustang recap |
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Published on Sunday, November 20, 2005
KENNEWICK — And to think when people saw this monster matchup looming in the state football bracket months ago, most of them felt sorry for Prosser. Well save your sympathy for Bellevue's football juggernaut, which saw its dynasty run of Class 3A state championships end two weeks short of a fifth crown Saturday afternoon at Lampson Stadium. The Wolverines, who spent much of the season ranked among the nation's best, had the offensive firepower to match Prosser but not the defense as the resilient Mustangs came away with a thrilling 38-35 quarterfinal victory before a crowd of 5,500 mostly red-clad fans. "This was the game we waited all season for, all our lives for," junior linebacker-running back Bubba Hancock said. "All we wanted was a chance to get on the same field with them to see how we matchup. We could see this coming a long time ago and we weren't going to waste the chance." Quarterback sensation Kellen Moore pitched six touchdown passes — three to his brother Kirby — and Ivan Merino rushed for 118 yards to lead an offense that seemed to score at will against the four-time state champs. But ultimately the shootout was decided by which defense could manage the most stops and that was clearly Prosser, which held Bellevue's vaunted Wing-T scoreless during a crucial second quarter and then held onto its victory by stopping the Wolverines near midfield as the clock expired. "We were just trying to survive on defense and, other than giving up a long touchdown the one time we blitzed, I thought we played real well," Prosser coach Tom Moore said. "We've got a bunch of small, quick kids who rally to the football. It was true team defense." When Kellen Moore fired his sixth touchdown pass, lifting his season total to 59, the Mustangs had a seemingly comfortable 38-21 lead with 2:46 left in the third quarter. At that point, Prosser had scored on five of its last six possessions. But Prosser tried to drain the clock on its final three possessions, calling 15 running plays with just three pass attempts. While the Mustangs did pick up three first downs in the final quarter, each drive ended with a punt. And that gave the explosive Wolverines a chance. We didn't do that well in the second half and that was my fault," Tom Moore said. "You have to keep attacking a team like this. You can't sit on the ball because they're just too good on offense." Bellevue answered quickly, scoring on its first pass play of the game — a 55-yard connection with 1:09 left in the third period to draw within 38-28. The Wolverines got the ball back with 10:24 to play, but Prosser's Kody Frank made a huge special-team play by downing Merino's punt on Bellevue's 1-yard line. When the Kingco champs finally did shave the margin to 38-35 on Thomas Zaffino's second touchdown run, more than eight minutes had run off the clock. Moreover, Bellevue used its final timeout on Prosser's ensuing possession. The Wolverines, nonetheless, got one final chance with 52 seconds left and they reached midfield with two first downs. But with 18 seconds remaining Anthony McQueen was tackled inbounds on a sweep play and time expired. "We watched film all week and we kept telling each other they're beatable," Merino said. "We came out and scored on our first drive and we knew right there we could do it. I'm amazed how much everybody stepped up for this game." As a testament to Prosser's offensive depth, neither of the team's top scorers — Merino or receiver Cody Bruns — scored a touchdown. Kellen Moore connected on 24 of 33 passes for 275 yards and all six of his touchdowns were to underclassmen — three to his freshman brother, two to sophomore Kellen Crawford and the game-opener to Hancock. Even though he didn't score, Bruns was virtually unstoppable, rolling up 10 catches for 125 yards while repeatedly burning Bellevue's zone defense with underneath routes and short out patterns. The sophomore standout, however, left the game early in the fourth quarter with an ankle injury and his status is questionable for next Saturday's semifinal. Prosser (12-1) will face Rainier Beach (11-1), a 20-7 winner over Lakes on Friday, at 6 p.m. at Pasco's Edgar Brown Stadium. Bellevue, which finished 9-2 with a victory against national powerhouse Long Beach Poly, gained nearly 300 yards on the ground and a surprising 118 in the air. But the Wolverines hurt their cause with 14 penalties for 103 yards. "This was one of our goals for the season," Tom Moore said. "When the brackets came out we were thrilled. It's fun to play such a great program." Prosser 12 12 14 0 — 38 Bellevue 14 0 14 7 — 35 Pro — Bubba Hancock 4 pass from Kellen Moore (kick failed) Bell — Keith Rosenberg 83 run (Justin Kaye kick) Bell — Eric Block 60 interception (Kaye kick) Pro — Kellen Crawford 7 pass from Ke. Moore (pass failed) Pro — Crawford 6 pass from Ke. Moore (pass failed) Pro — Kirby Moore 20 pass from Ke. Moore (kick failed) Pro — Ki. Moore 6 pass from Ke. Moore (Trevor Fox kick) Bell — Thomas Zaffino 1 run (Kaye kick) Pro — Ki. Moore 13 pass from Ke. Moore (Fox kick) Bell — Rosenberg 55 pass from Block (Kaye kick) Bell — Zaffino 4 run (Kaye kick) INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS RUSHING — Prosser, Ivan Merino 30-118, Ke. Moore 4-12, Cody Bruns 3-6, Hancock 2-6. Bellevue, Anthony McQueen 15-91, Block 9-72, Rosenberg 7-72, Zaffino 15-64, Michael Strong 1-minus 1. PASSING — Prosser, Ke. Moore 24-33-1 275. Bellevue, Block 4-8-0 118. RECEIVING — Prosser, Bruns 10-125, Nick Boydston 6-84, Ki. Moore 3-39, Crawford 2-13, Hancock 2-4, Danny Lochrie 1-10. Bellevue, Rosenberg 3-112, Zaffino 1-6. Mustangs take high road to dethrone Wolverines By ROGER UNDERWOOD SPORTS COLUMNIST KENNEWICK — They are as different as night and day, black and white, east and west. And Prosser and Bellevue's football teams are rather disparate, too. The stark contrast, between both competitors and communities, figured heavily in what was one of the most keenly anticipated playoff games in recent state history, and what made Saturday's events at Lampson Stadium so deliciously compelling. The Mustangs' 38-35 victory was pretty good, too. This time Bellevue didn't need to fly in a high-profile, nationally ranked California team to spark interest. This time the Wolverines played a big game (a class 3A state quarterfinal) in front of a big crowd (5,000-plus) with a twist — the loser is done.
So it's basketball season in Bellevue. "This," Prosser quarterback Kellen Moore said afterward, with beads of sweat and/or tears on his face, "is why you play." And why ESPN's Game Day ensemble would have been stationed in the Lampson parking lot had this been a college clash. Like Moore, who passed for 275 yards and six touchdowns, the game was as good as advertised, even if it appeared for much of the afternoon that it would provide everything except late-game drama. But this one would offer that, too, with Bellevue, having used its last time-out, watching the clock expire with the ball at midfield. No wonder Prosser coach Tom Moore's response to a query as to his defensive game plan was, "To survive." That the Mustangs had a top-flight air attack and the Wolverines a
gung-ho ground game was evident throughout. It was Bellevue's Wing-T
wizardry versus Air Moore (quarterback Kellen, coach Tom and freshman
receiver Kirby, who caught three of his brother's scoring strikes), and
two defenses that were hanging on for dear life. Think a running team is
always three yards and a cloud of dust? Not Bellevue, which displayed the
quick-strike ability of halfback But just as the City of Bellevue had clear advantages over Prosser in population and pavement, the Mustangs seemed more — well, grounded. Sure, Prosser had sought out the Wolverines, enough so that playing Bellevue in the postseason was a publicly stated goal. But the Mustangs hadn't called them out, and afterward expressed the respect befitting a four-time state champion. "Those guys," Kellen Moore said, "left everything they had out on the field." Said Kirby Moore, "They didn't win four state championships by accident." Bottom line, though, is the Wolverines won't win a fifth. Not this year, at least. And while Prosser's win won't rate the national notice of Bellevue's 2004 conquest of De la Salle, which snapped the California school's 151-game winning streak, it was the Mustangs' biggest win excluding their own three state title triumphs. The difference? Simply stated, Prosser was more consistent passing the ball than Bellevue was running it. And the Mustangs, with senior Ivan Merino totaling a game-high 118 yards, were clearly more comfortable running the ball than the Wolverines were passing it. It all made for great theater Saturday, on an otherwise dark and drizzly afternoon. Great football game, too, one which lived up to its billing and scored a victory, this time, for a small town in a big game.
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Prosser ends Bellevue's 'dynasty'This story was published Sunday, November 20th, 2005 By Ben Reynolds, Herald staff writer The players rushed the field. Some overjoyed, others in disbelief, none quite sure how to react or what to say. Prosser had just conquered the Goliath of Washington high school football and became just the second team in more than three seasons to defeat a Bellevue team that was in search of an unprecedented fifth straight state title. The Mustangs gave a Herculean effort for four quarters, shutting down the vaunted big-play running game of Bellevue just enough to pull off a 38-35 upset Saturday at Lampson Stadium and end the Wolverines' four-year reign atop the 3A ranks, and at the same time kept their state championship hopes alive. The Prosser players promptly went over to the bleachers for their customary chant after a victory, just this time the cheering rang through the stadium. "We just ended what some call a dynasty," Prosser junior Bubba Hancock said after the game. "This feels so good." The Mustangs (12-1) are rewarded with a showdown against Rainier Beach (11-1), which beat Lakes 20-7 on Friday in another quarterfinal game, at 6 p.m. next Saturday at Edgar Brown Stadium. "I am going to enjoy this one for a while," said Mustangs coach Tom Moore, who ranked this as one of the top victories in his 20-year tenure at Prosser. Meanwhile, for a team that had lost just once prior to Saturday in 31 games and had garnered national recognition the past two seasons, the loss was hard on some of the Wolverines afterwards. Some threw their helmets in disgust, while others walked around shocked as they moped off the field. Despite Prosser leading 38-21 late in the third quarter, no one was convinced that the game would turn into a runaway. Bellevue was not going to bow out that easily, and it didn't. The Wolverines cut the margin to 38-35 with their little-used passing attack and had the ball with less than a minute left on the clock. That alone was enough to create some unrest on the Prosser sideline. The Wolverines had three runs longer than 30 yards and two passing plays for over 45 yards already in the game. "Their offense is lethal," said Prosser quarterback Kellen Moore. "I was worried and nervous." But when Anthony McQueen was tripped up in front of the Wolverines sideline as the clock hit triple-zeroes, the streak officially was put to rest. "A lot has been put on these kids' shoulders over the years," said Bellevue coach Butch Goncharoff. "We were up against it at halftime, and my guys came back and fought." The game turned out as expected. Bellevue had its big-play running attack, while Prosser rode the arm of its junior quarterback. The Wolverines rushed the ball 45 times for 296 yards. Moore threw the ball 36 times, completing 24 of those for 273 yards and six touchdowns. "This was just a great game," said Prosser junior Kellen Crawford. Moore struck first on Prosser's first possession, driving the Mustangs 54 yards on eight plays that ended with a 4-yard TD pass to Hancock. Bellevue was not to be outdone. On its ensuing possession, Keith Rosenberg -- committed to play for Washington State next season -- broke through the Prosser line on its only blitz of the day for 83 yards and a score, as a hush fell over the stadium. Prosser appeared to have regained the momentum after McQueen was stripped of the ball at the Prosser 30-yard line on Bellevue's next possession. But Moore gave it right back with his only mistake of the day, as Eric Block jumped in front of a pass and returned it 58 yards for a score as the Wolverines took their first and only lead at 14-6. Kellen Moore shook off just his 12th interception of the year, driving the Mustangs back into the end zone on their next possession, hitting Crawford for a 7-yard score. That started a string of 25 straight points by the Mustangs. Kellen Moore threw two more scores in the first half, the final coming on a fourth-and-9 with 14 seconds left that netted 20 yards to Kirby Moore. "We were definitely shook at halftime," Goncharoff said. Moore continued to pick apart the Bellevue secondary in the second half and gave the Mustangs a 31-14 lead after he hit Kirby Moore for his second of three touchdowns on the day. Despite being hampered again by penalties -- 13 for 105 yards -- Bellevue climbed back in the game in the fourth quarter with a passing game that was non-existent for the first 35 minutes. The first pass Block threw was a 56-yard strike to Rosenberg. The two would hook up again later for 45 yards to set up a 4-yard TD run by Thomas Zaffino to cut the gap to 38-35 with 2:11 left in the game. Bellevue regained possession with 52 seconds remaining and no timeouts at its 19-yard line. But its final drive stalled out at the Bellevue 48 as time expired. "They got us when it counted," Goncharoff said. "Give the credit to them." Cody Bruns, who caught 10 passes for 121 yards, left the game with a left ankle sprain in the fourth quarter. He is questionable for next week's game.
3A state football: Bellevue's drive for five stalls2005-11-20 KENNEWICK - The tears in senior Steve Schilling's eyes and the anguish on his face said it all: Bellevue's drive for five is over. Prosser dethroned the four-time defending state champion Wolverines Saturday at Lampson Stadium, where quarterback Kellen Moore threw six touchdown passes and the Mustangs held on for a 38-35 quarterfinal victory. The Mustangs (12-1), who last won a state title in 1999, move on to the state semifinals, where they will face Rainier Beach next weekend. Bellevue finished 9-2. ``It's hard to sum up what I feel right now,'' Schilling said, before breaking down and waving off further comments. Bellevue coach Butch Goncharoff, who suffered just his seventh career loss and his first-ever defeat in the state playoffs, said he tried to remind his players after the game of all they'd accomplished during the season - a victory against Long Beach Poly and another 3A Kingco regular-season championship, but then said he understood that they could not immediately take much consolation in those achievements. ``It's going to take them a while to deal with this,'' Goncharoff said. ``When you've had the success we've had, you expect to get it done. When it doesn't happen, it stings for a while. ``It was not our year. It happens. Today was (Prosser's) day.'' It was definitely Moore's day. The junior left-hander completed 24 of his 36 passes for 273 yards. His six touchdowns to three different receivers, including three to his younger brother Kirby, give him 59 for the season. He has thrown for 4,020 yards this season. ``We were hoping to play Bellevue at some point, and we finally got the chance,'' Moore said. ``There are not many bigger wins than this one. But it was nerve-wracking right up to the end. They've got a lot of guys on that team who can score.'' The Mustangs were able to keep Bellevue's defense off-balance much of the afternoon by mixing their precision passing with the strong running of senior Ivan Merino, who finished with 107 yards on 29 carries. Prosser coach Tom Moore said he spent a lot of time during the week cautioning his players not to worry about Bellevue's mystique. ``This game was about now, not about the past,'' the coach said. ``It was our 2005 team against their 2005 team. Nothing else mattered.'' The Mustangs heeded their coach's advice, particularly on defense. Bellevue took an early 14-6 lead on senior running back Keith Rosenberg's 83-yard run and junior safety Eric Block's 58-yard interception return in the first quarter, but Prosser's defense bottled up the Wolverines' high-powered running game for most of the first half. Bellevue finished with 308 yards rushing, led by Anthony McQueen's 97 yards, Rosenberg's 79 yards and Thomas Zaffino's 59 yards. Block completed four of his seven passes for 117 yards and a touchdown. But the Wolverines, who led 3A Kingco in penalties this season, hurt their chances with 13 penalties for 101 yards. They also fumbled three times, losing one of them. ``Our mistakes finally got to us,'' Goncharoff said. ``We'd been able to overcome a lot of that during the season, but the mistakes and penalties came at a time today that we couldn't overcome.'' Still, after facing two 17-point deficits in the second half, the Wolverines nearly found a way to win. Moore threw his last touchdown pass - a 13-yarder to his brother - to give Prosser a 38-21 lead with 2:46 remaining in the third quarter. But the Mustangs, who'd move the ball consistently through the air up to that point, kept the ball on the ground in the fourth quarter, giving the explosive Wolverines a chance to turn the game into a nail-biter. Block, who'd attempted just 11 passes all season, got the late rally started when his first pass against Prosser went for a 55-yard touchdown to Rosenberg just before the end of the third quarter. Two series later, Block and Rosenberg hooked up on a 45-yard completion that set up a 4-yard touchdown run by Zaffino with two minutes remaining in the game. The Wolverines got one last crack, taking over at their 19-yard line with 52 seconds remaining, but the drive ran out of time at midfield. ``We were up against it today, but we fought back and we kept fighting right up until the last play,'' Goncharoff said. ``There's no disgrace in that.'' Class 3A playoffs: Bellevue's dominant run endsSeattle Times staff reporter
KENNEWICK — The clock expired, the last drive of the season died at
midfield and, just like that, the Bellevue football mystique began to
dissipate into the cold, swirling mist at Lampson Stadium. "When you're
playing your heart out," said Bellevue coach Butch Goncharoff, "and you
expect to get it done and it doesn't happen, it's going to sting for a
long time."
Prosser junior quarterback Kellen Moore dissected the four-time defending Class 3A football champions Saturday, passing for 277 yards and six touchdowns to lead the Mustangs to a tense 38-35 win in the state quarterfinals. With a diamond-cutter's precision, the left-handed Moore zipped passes to the sidelines and bullets down the seams, inflating his mind-boggling season totals to 4,024 yards passing and 59 touchdowns. "That quarterback's going to be a great quarterback someday in college," marveled Bellevue tackle Stephen Schilling, a Parade All-American nominee. Three of Moore's scoring throws Saturday went to his younger brother Kirby, a 6-foot-3, 190-pound freshman. Both are sons of Prosser coach Tom Moore. Prosser (12-1), which won three state championships in the 1990s, plays Rainier Beach of Seattle in a semifinal at 6 p.m. Saturday at Edgar Brown Stadium in Pasco. "This is the greatest feeling," Kellen Moore said. "This is the best game I've ever played in." Goncharoff said before the game that he wanted his team to dictate the tempo. But it was just the opposite. Prosser's offense moved the ball fearlessly down the field. In addition to a lethal passing attack, running back Ivan Merino totaled 119 hard-earned yards on 30 carries for the Mustangs from the Yakima Valley.
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