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Prosser Mustang recap |
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Prep Football —
Prosser beats Rainier Beach; will vie for title PASCO — For the second week in a row, Prosser's football team felt the heat of a spirited chase at its heels. But these Mustangs know how to keep a hot pace of their own. And they don't get caught. A week after outgunning Bellevue's vaunted ground attack, Prosser overcame Rainier Beach's potent fling-and-dash passing game for a 42-27 victory in a Class 3A state semifinal clash Saturday at Edgar Brown Stadium. Even a 410-yard school-record outburst by Rainier Beach quarterback Jermain Delgardo could not outshine the relentless Prosser offense, which produced a record day of its own. Kellen Moore pitched five touchdown passes, including three in the second half, to raise his season total to 64 and break the all-time state record. His season tally now ranks seventh on the all-time national list for season TDs. But none of that seemed to matter after the final seconds drained off the clock. All that mattered was that the Mustangs were moving on to the state championship next Friday night in the Tacoma Dome. "It's unbelievable. The best feeling ever," smiled senior receiver Danny Lochrie, who caught two of Moore's scoring throws in the second half. "I can remember all the way back to fourth grade when I started thinking about this. This is everything we've dreamed of." What made Moore's performance — 21 for 31 for 306 yards and no interceptions — even more impressive was that the Mustangs' receiving corps was without two of its best, Cody Bruns and Nick Boydston. Both suffered injuries in last week's 38-35 quarterfinal win over Bellevue and are out for the season. "It was time for the other guys to step up and I knew they would," said Moore, who completed seven passes for 113 yards and two touchdowns to his freshman brother Kirby. "I saw a lot of man coverage out there and Kellen (Crawford), Kirby, Danny and Serg (Torres), I knew they could make the plays." These were the players to whom Moore gave credit for the state record. "It's an exciting thing for me but it's really a compliment to our receivers," he said. "It's a team honor."
Balanced with Moore's passing was a bruising, hard-fought 119 yards on the ground by senior running back Ivan Merino. He carried the ball 26 times and often plowed his way through a row of Rainier's Beach's 300-pound defensive linemen.
Thanks to the joint efforts of an offense that rolled up nearly 500 yards, Prosser finally subdued the quick-strike dazzle of the Vikings, whose four touchdowns all came on big plays. Speedster Attrail Snipes returned a kickoff 95 yards for a score and caught seven passes for 182 yards and another TD, and Vonzell McDowell collected four passes for 127 yards and two scores. Delgardo's three scoring passes covered 41, 73 and 49 yards, the last to Snipes cut Prosser's lead to 35-27 with 11:04 to play. "Number 5 (Snipes) is the fastest kid on a field I've ever seen. He's amazing," said Prosser coach Tom Moore. "We had two guys covering over the top and he still ran by us. But other than the big plays we did a good job of tackling and we didn't let them put together long drives." After Delgardo's hook-up with Snipes early in the fourth quarter, the Vikings had plenty of time for a rally. All they needed was a defensive stop. Big problem, that. All the Mustangs did was march right down the field in eight plays, Moore lasering a shot to a wide-open Lochrie over the middle for an 11-yard TD and a 42-27 lead with 8:51 left. For all of Rainier Beach's big numbers — Delgardo finished 17 of 31 for 410 yards — the Vikings made too many crucial errors deep in Prosser's field. Three times RB drove inside Prosser's 10 only to come away empty, twice on fumbles and a final time on downs on their final possession. Prosser's only turnover was a fumble on the opening drive. "Our offensive line has been doing a great job, and it's allowed us to have a good balance," Tom Moore said. "We controlled the ball offensively, and everybody knew what they had to do." Under Moore's tenure Prosser is now 6-0 in semifinal games and the Mustangs will play for the state championship for the sixth time in 15 years. Prosser (13-1) will meet top-ranked Ferndale (13-0) in the 3A finale Friday at 7:30 p.m. in the Tacoma Dome. Ferndale, last year's state runner-up, thumped Kennedy 41-13 in the Tacoma Dome on Friday. The Golden Eagles are led by quarterback Jake Locker, a University of Washington recruit who rushed for 202 yards against Kennedy. "It'll be an exciting challenge to be on the same field with him," Kellen Moore said. "He's earned the respect and he's the senior. It'll be a great game."
Rainier Beach 7 6 6 8 — 27 Prosser 13 7 8 14 — 42 Pro — Kirby Moore 25 pass from Kellen Moore (Trevor Fox kick) Pro — Bubba Hancock 22 run (kick failed) RB — Attrail Snipes 95 kickoff return (James Williams kick) RB — Vonzell McDowell 41 pass from Jermain Delgardo (kick failed) Pro — Kellen Crawford 2 pass from Ke. Moore (Fox kick) Pro — Danny Lochrie 26 pass from Ke. Moore (Merino run) RB — McDowell 73 pass from Delgardo (pass failed) Pro — Ki. Moore 31 pass from Ke. Moore (Fox kick) RB — Snipes 49 pass from Delgardo (McDowell pass from Delgardo) Pro — Lochrie 11 pass from Ke. Moore (Fox kick) INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS RUSHING — RB, Kevin Sampson 15-66, Jonathan Amosa 1-4, James Williams 1-minus 2, McDowell 1-minus 2, Snipes 1-minus 3, Delgardo 5-minus 4. Pro, Merino 26-119, Hancock 10-55, Ke. Moore 1-minus 2. PASSING — RB, Delgardo 17-31-0-410. Pro, Ke. Moore 21-31-0-306. RECEIVING — RB, Snipes 7-182, McDowell 4-127, Gary Kilcup 2-56, Deandre Scott 2-31, Amosa 1-12, Sampson 1-2. Pro, Ki. Moore 7-113, Serg Torres 6-80, Lochrie 4-85, Hancock 2-11, Tylan Watkins 1-15, Crawford 1-2. Prep Football — Little
Mustangs fill Bruns' big shoes
PASCO — Cody Bruns' eye-popping statistics notwithstanding, Prosser's vaunted passing attack has typically been a share-the-wealth, throw-to-whoever-is-open deal.
So while coach Tom Moore termed Bruns' season-ending ankle injury sustained a week earlier against Bellevue "tragic," he also said Saturday night that if there was a position the Mustangs could afford to lose a player at, even a player as dynamic as Bruns, it would be wide receiver. After all, he had just been proven right. With Bruns watching on crutches, Serge Torres, Danny Lochrie and Kirby Moore — Tom Moore's son and record-setting quarter-back Kellen Moore's younger brother — acquitted themselves nicely in Prosser's 42-27 Class 3A state semifinal conquest of Rainier Beach. On a frosty night at Edgar Brown Stadium, the aforementioned threesome warmed to the task impressively. Any notion that Bruns' absence would lead to Prosser's demise was decisively dismissed. Torres, a 5-foot-8, 155-pound junior, caught six passes for 80 yards. Lochrie, a 5-9, 160-pound senior, caught four for 85 yards and two touchdowns and Kirby Moore, a 6-3, 190-pound freshman, had seven receptions for 113 yards and two scores. "Cody," Kirby Moore said, "is really good. We know that. But we have other guys who can get open and other guys who can catch." An efficient offensive line and Kirby Moore's older brother, meanwhile, do the rest. Much of it is classic take-what-the-defense-gives-you stuff, routes beneath the coverage. And just when an opponent tries to clamp down, one of the Mustangs will run right by him. Bruns could do that, or he could turn an eight-yard pass play into an 80-yard gain with his speed and elusiveness. Perhaps it's that big-play, make-a-lot-out-of-a-little ability that Prosser must do without against Ferndale in Friday night's state title game in the Tacoma Dome. But the Mustangs did just fine against Rainier Beach, a team featuring huge linemen (three each listed at 310 pounds) and electric, big-play athletes in Attrail Snipes and Vonzell McDowell. But the Vikings could not match Prosser's precision. Can Ferndale? Impressive though the unbeaten Golden Eagles have been, their defensive task will be tougher than any they've yet seen. "We knew we'd all have to pick it up with Cody out," Torres said. "But we were ready to play and we just came out and did what we had to do tonight, one play at a time." And if ever a single play defined the Prosser's resourcefulness, it came early in the fourth quarter when the normally disciplined Mustangs shot themselves in the foot with penalties — on four successive occasions, no less. But after illegal procedure violations and a rare incompletion had turned a third-and-goal from the 11 yard line into fourth-and-goal from the 31, Kellen Moore calmly took a five-step drop and found his brother, Kirby, with a step on Snipes down his right sideline. The perfect spiral hit Kirby Moore in the hands and in stride, leaving Snipes defenseless, Rainier Beach with a 35-19 deficit and Kellen Moore with his 63rd TD pass this season, tying the state record.
A series later, his 11-yarder to Lochrie broke it. "We felt like we could score then," Kirby Moore said. "But we usually feel like we can score. I'm not saying no one can stop us, but ... when we're rolling, we feel pretty good about our chances." That particular play, Tom Moore said, was an example of Kellen Moore reading man-to-man coverage and liking the chances of his "little" brother against the 6-1 Snipes. "You have to remember," Tom Moore said, "Kellen and Kirby have been playing catch out in the yard since they were 6." And now, having reached the state title game, they and the rest of the Mustangs will get a chance to perform on Washington prep football's grandest stage for the first time since 1999. Kirby Moore was a fourth-grader then. "I watched the semifinal game from that year on film today," he said, smiling. "I've watched the championship game (victory over Sammamish) a bunch of times. "Maybe someday people will want to watch film of our games." No doubt. And thanks in part to Kirby Moore, Serg Torres and Danny Lochrie, Cody Bruns will probably enjoy the show, too.
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Moore's record TD propels Prosser to state finalThis story was published Sunday, November 27th, 2005 By Ben Reynolds, Herald staff writer On a record-breaking night for Kellen Moore, Prosser kept a more important streak alive. The Mustangs remained unbeaten in the 3A state semifinals in six appearances as they eluded the speedsters of Rainier Beach just long enough for a 42-27 win Saturday at Edgar Brown Stadium in Pasco. Moore had another memorable game, throwing five touchdown passes on his way to 309 yards on 21-of-31 passing to set the all-time single-season record with 64 TDs. He surpasses the record of DeSales' Brian Lindgren, who threw 63 in 1998. But afterwards, Moore was more satisfied with the win than his individual accomplishment. "That's priority No. 1," he said. "The record is great. It's sort of an honor for the entire offense." Prosser (13-1) will play in its sixth state championship game -- but first since capturing the 1999 title -- at 7:30 p.m. Friday against top-ranked Fernale (13-0), which beat Kennedy 41-13 on Friday night in the other semifinal game at the Tacoma Dome. "This is the best feeling ever," said senior wide receiver Danny Lochrie, who had four catches for 84 yards and two TDs. "We have worked for this since the fourth grade." Moore, who upped his season total in yardage to 4,329 -- No. 3 on the all-time list, 81 behind Pat Graham's 4,410 yards in 1991 for DeSales -- did it on a night when he was without two of his starting receivers. Prosser's leading receiver Cody Bruns missed the game after suffering torn ligaments in his left ankle in last week's victory over Bellevue and will miss the rest of the season. Nick Boydston also suffered a season-ending injury last week when he ruptured his spleen against the Wolverines. But still Moore found a way to beat yet another defensive scheme. He spread the ball around to six different receivers and fittingly broke the record on a slant route across the middle. Moore hit Lochrie for 11 yards with 8:51 left in the game to make the score 42-27. "It's a whole team effort for us out there," said Serg Torres, who caught six passes for 81 yards. "When someone goes down, we have someone to step in." However, the biggest pass of the night came early in the fourth quarter when Moore hit his brother Kirby for a 31-yard touchdown on fourth-and-goal. The touchdown, which put Prosser up 35-19, came after the Mustangs committed four straight penalties. Prosser finished the error-filled game with 14 penalties for 105 yards. Rainier Beach was flagged 18 times for 130 yards. Moore again was aided by another solid effort from Ivan Merino, who rushed 27 times for 123 yards, and an offensive line that did not allow a sack. The Prosser defense, which has been overshadowed by the offense most of the season, managed to make just enough plays in the secondary to slow the Vikings down, but not before a huge night from quarterback Jermain Delgardo. Delgardo completed 17 of 31 passes for 414 yards and four touchdowns, with five plays longer than 40 yards. Despite his big effort, he shouldered some of the blame for his team's loss. "I feel if I am at quarterback, I should lead my team to victory," the junior said. "And I didn't." Prior to the game, Prosser coach Tom Moore said that he was concerned about the speed of the Vikings, mainly Attrail Snipes. It was apparent why the first time Snipes touched the ball. The Metro League South Division Offensive MVP, who caught six passes for 147 yards, broke free in front of the Prosser sideline for a 94-yard kickoff return in the first quarter that cut the Mustangs' lead to 13-7. "They have so much talent, they can score at any time," Kellen Moore said. But Rainier Beach was hurt by two fumbles inside the Prosser 20, the first coming late in the first half when Delgardo lost the snap and Bubba Hancock recovered at the 5. "One of our mottos is, 'Setback, comeback,' " Tom Moore said. "These kids deserved it. They put in the effort."
Football Rainier Beach loses passing duel to Prosser in Class 3ASpecial to The Seattle Times
PASCO — Rainier Beach's big-play offense worked big time against
Prosser in the Class 3A state semifinals Saturday night, but the
Vikings were unable to overcome the record-setting consistency of
Mustangs quarterback Kellen Moore in a 42-27 loss at Edgar Brown
Stadium.
While Rainier Beach's quarterback, Jermain Delgardo, threw for 410 yards and three touchdowns, Moore passed for 306 yards and five TDs which gave him the state's season record at 64. "Their quarterback is good," Rainier Beach coach Mark Haley said of Prosser's junior star. "He throws a nice ball and he gets rid of it quick. We couldn't really handle him." But Haley was hardly distraught, given his team's 10-2 season with losses only to O'Dea and Prosser. "We had a great year, especially since no one expected us to get here," said Haley of his team from Seattle's Rainier Valley. "You look at the kids we had back from last year, and this was quite an accomplishment." Prosser (13-1), which only lost Class 2A Pullman, reached the final for the first time since 1999, when it won the most recent of its three championships under coach Tom Moore, Kellen Moore's father. The Mustangs will face Ferndale on Friday night at 7:30 at the Tacoma Dome for the title. While Delgardo was launching scoring passes of 41 and 73 yards to Vonzell McDowell and 49 yards to Attrail Snipes, Moore threw two TD passes to Danny Lochrie, two to younger brother Kirby Moore and one to Kellen Crawford. Delgardo finished 17 for 31, and Kellen Moore was 21 for 31. Neither quarterback was intercepted. Snipes, who had seven catches for 182 yards, also had a 95-yard kickoff return for a touchdown. McDowell had four receptions for 127 yards. The Vikings, however, missed several scoring chances and watched as Prosser converted on fourth-and-goal from the 31-yard line after four successive illegal-procedure penalties. Kellen Moore hit Kirby Moore down the right sideline for a touchdown. That score left Rainier Beach down 35-19, and the Vikings were unable to rally. Rainier Beach found itself in a 13-0 first-quarter hole after a 25-yard touchdown pass from Kellen Moore to Kirby Moore, and Bubba Hancock's 22-yard scoring scamper with 2:35 to go in the period. The touchdown pass was the 60th this season for Kellen Moore, a junior, and the 100th of his career. But after Hancock's score, Snipes returned the kickoff 95 yards for a touchdown. The explosive senior found a seam through the middle, veered to his right and outran the pursuit down the sideline. Rainier Beach tied it with 10:30 left in the second period when Delgardo found McDowell with a 41-yard pass down the left sideline. Prosser, however, responded with a 14-play, 66-yard scoring march that culminated in a 2-yard TD pass from Kellen Moore to tight end Kellen Crawford. The Vikings missed a chance to tie or take the lead with 2:28 left in the first half when, on first-and-goal from the 5, they fumbled and Prosser recovered.
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