PROSSER -- Everybody around the state knows Prosser has several dangerous weapons on offense.

But the Mustangs made even the threat of danger a valuable weapon in a 40-21 victory over Clarkston on Friday in the first round of the 2A state football tournament.

Mustangs quarterback Jordan Durbin took advantage of Clarkston's constant attention to receiver Cody Bruns, connecting with Kirby Moore in single coverage for eight catches, 136 yards and three touchdowns.

"They've got a really good player in (Dale Entel). They put him on Cody and that opened things up for Kirby," said Prosser coach Tom Moore. "That first-half (55-yard) touchdown pass, you have to spread some of the credit to Cody on that. Three guys came up to cover him."

Prosser (10-0) will face the winner between Mark Morris (8-2) and Bellingham (5-4) in the 2A state quarterfinals either next Friday or Saturday.

For the first time in a long, while, though, the Mustangs (11-0) were tested by a stingy Clarkston defense that had a knack for batting down passes and making some key defensive stops on an offense not used to being stopped.

Prosser scored on its first two drives, but slowed down after that, allowing the Bantams to scrape back into the game on a 43-yard touchdown pass from Isaac Woodbury to Jaron Jenkins with 2:19 left in the first half.

"We got put to a good test, and we needed that," said Durbin, who was 22 of 36 for 227 yards and three touchdowns. "They brought a lot of blitzes and keeping the pressure on us. There's some things we need to build on."

But the Mustangs scored a much-needed touchdown just before the first half, with Durbin completing a five-play drive with a 55-yard TD pass to Moore with 1:10 left to to make it 20-7.

"That was a big one for us," Kirby Moore said. "We usually line up in that formation and throw the screen out to Cody."

Bruns caught nine passes for 53 yards.

That score helped Prosser maintain a big enough cushion to keep a steady rotation of players coming in and out of the game, eventually wearing the Clarkston players out.

The Bantams scored on their first drive of the second half to cut the lead to 20-14, but that was the beginning of the end for Clarkston.

"We started running the ball more in the third quarter. We really pounded it at them," Tom Moore said. "It's always a little more deflating when you run the ball effectively."

Prosser scored on three straight drives -- two of them capped by Steve Natho touchdown runs -- in the second half to open up a 40-14 lead.

Meanwhile, the Keegan Pilot came up big on defense, intercepting Woodbury twice and making nine tackles.

But the win didn't come without some cost to the Mustangs, who lost two starting defensive backs for the remainder of the playoffs. Daniel Gannon broke his arm and Aaron Galvan broke his collarbone.

But Tom Moore said that his team is capable of recovering from those losses and thinks they will be ready for its next opponent.

"We have to be," he said. "When we won the state title in 1999 we were down four guys. We didn't have many options."

NOTE: Archbishop Murphy High School in Everett must forfeit its football season -- and vacate its berth in the state playoffs -- after the Class 2A power reported itself for using a player who did not undergo a proper physical examination.

Clarkston 0 7 7 7 -- 21

Prosser 12 8 6 14 -- 40

SCORING PLAYS

P--Drake Washington 1 run (kick failed)

P--Kirby Moore 26 pass from Jordan Durbin (run failed)

C--Jaron Jenkins 43 pass from Isaac Woodbury (Jordan Semanko kick)

P--Moore 55 pass from Durbin (Moore pass from Durbin)

C--Brian O'Kelley 10 run (Semanko kick)

P--Steve Natho 9 run (run failed)

P--Moore 5 pass from Durbin (Natho run)

P--Natho 1 run (run failed)

C--Kyle Fox 16 pass from Woodbury (Semanko kick)

STATISTICS

RUSHING--C, O'Kelley 16-54, Zach Meyers 4-5, Woodbury 1-(minus 11) P, Washington 30-123, Natho 7-39, Durbin 4-28, Cody Bruns 2-23.

PASSING--C, Woodbury 12-22-2-173. P, Durbin 22-36-0-227, Bruns 1-1-0-25.

RECEIVING--C, Dale Entel 5-67, Jenkins 4-84, Kyle Fox 2-26. P, Bruns 9-53, Kirby Moore 8-136, Cade Wandling 2-29, Spencer Bagge 1-25.

FIRST DOWNS--C 13, P 25. FUMBLES-LOST--C 2-0, P 2-0. PENALTIES-YARDS--C 6-30, P 12-102.