Prosser Mustang recap
Prosser vs. Hanford

Tri-City Herald

This story was published Saturday, October 1st, 2005

By Ben Reynolds, Herald staff writer

Now Prosser can shift its focus to West Valley.

The Mustangs tuned up for a Mid-Valley League showdown with the Rams with a workmanlike 51-7 win against Hanford on Friday at a soggy, slippery Fran Rish Stadium.

"It's one game at a time," said Prosser senior running back Ivan Merino, who scored four touchdowns in the win. "That's how you get to the playoffs."

Prosser, the two-time defending league champion, plays host to West Valley, in a matchup of teams that battled for the league title last season next Friday.

West Valley kept its record unblemished with a convincing 34-6 win against Sunnyside. West Valley and Prosser go into the game with 2-0 records in the MVL.

Prosser (4-1) defeated West Valley 17-14 last season.

"Oh yeah, of course (we're excited)," Merino said. "It's at home; No. 1 vs. No. 2."

But Prosser did not get caught up in what was awaiting. The fifth-ranked Mustangs, who committed four turnovers, moved the ball with ease in the first quarter and raced out to a 23-0 lead.

"We were just taking care of tonight," said Prosser coach Tom Moore.

For Hanford (1-4, 0-2), the prospects of an upset bid took a blow on the opening kickoff as Travis Barnes mishandled the ball and was tackled in the end zone by Anthony Winkleman for a safety.

"To be honest with you, that was a difficult beginning," said Hanford coach Rob Oram. "And as the game progressed, I think they went for the knockout punch and tried to crush our spirit immediately."

Prosser did exactly that in the first 12 minutes. After the safety, Merino scored the first of his four scores on a 3-yard plunge to make it 9-0. Kellen Moore then went to the air, hitting Cody Bruns on back-to-back possessions to push the lead to 23-0.

Moore, the league's leading passer, finished 12 of 18 for 209 yards with three touchdowns and three interceptions.

Hanford managed to settle down in the second quarter and benefited from two Moore interceptions to stay competitive.

But the second half started with a similar twist to the first. Merino weaved his way through the Hanford kickoff team 92 yards for a score and all but putting the game out of reach.

"It wasn't me running the ball," said Merino, who finished with 107 yards on 17 carries. "Everybody had to block somebody and that's when the holes opened."

Merino scored his second rushing touchdown on a 23-yard run and then caught an 11-yard pass from Moore with 1:32 remaining the third quarter as the lead ballooned to 44-0.

Hanford, which has now been outscored 93-17 in its first two league games, got in the board with 9:54 left in the game on a 1-yard run by quarterback Tyler Dobush.

"I think our kids continued to compete," Oram said. "I think unfortunately, they have some really skilled players."

With the game out of reach, Hanford continued to pound the ball on the ground with Barnes. The senior running back had a key 17-yard run in the Falcons' lone scoring drive and finished with 96 yards on 23 carries.

Despite the rough start to the league season, Oram said that his team, which finished just 2-8 last season, has shown signs of improvement. And now with Prosser and West Valley behind them, it's time to continue to build.

"We're very happy with their effort and commitment to the program," Oram said. "It's just a slow and difficult process to help the understand how you have to play the game to be successful. But it's not for the lack of effort."

Prosser 51, Hanford 7

SCORING PLAYS

P - Safety, Travis Barnes tackled in end zone

P - Ivan Merino 3 run (Merino kick)

P - Cody Bruns 49 pass from Kellen Moore (Merino kick)

P - Bruns 29 pass from Moore (Merino kick)

P - Merino 92 kick return (Merino kick)

P - Merino 23 run (kick blocked)

P - Merino 11 pass from Moore (Merino run)

H - Tyler Dobush 1 run (Kyle Pierce kick)

P - Drake Washington 1 run (Ricardo Sanchez kick)

STATISTICS

RUSHING-P, Merino 17-107, Moore 2-13, Jarod Leighty 1-4, Cody Meeske 1-4, Washington 1-1, Bruns 2-13. H, Barnes 23-96, Dobush 7-9, Jacob Clary 2-12.

PASSING-P, Moore 12-18-3-209, Burns 2-3-0-34. H, Dobush 9-23-0-101.

RECEIVING-P, Merino 1-11, Chad Don 1-14, Josh Beck 1-20, Bruns 6-130, Serg Torres 3-34, Nick Boydston 1-7, Kirby Moore 1-16, Danny Lochrie 1-19. H, Tristan Wallace 2-25, James Rogers 1-8, Ty Berven 1-7, Thomas Kasza 1-12, Pierce 2-25, Doug Leedy 2-24.

FIRST DOWNS-P 19, H 15. FUMBLES-LOST-P 1-1, H 4-1. PENALTIES-YARDS-P 7-45, H 6-67.