Jr Mavs find successes through action packed Saturday
CALEB PEREZ | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 1 month, 1 week AGO
MOSES LAKE — The Jr Mavericks delivered a full day of exciting football last Saturday where the players had impressive individual performances, strong defensive efforts and a pair of decisive victories.
Moses Lake will play at home Saturday with fourth grade playing the Jr Lobos at 11 a.m., sixth grade playing the Jr Braves at 1 p.m., fifth grade playing the Jr Lions at 4 p.m. and eighth grade plays the Jr Panthers at 7 p.m.
Check out how each grade did last week ahead of their home games this week.
Fourth Grade
The fourth-grade Jr Mavericks showed grit against the Jr Prosser Mustangs Saturday afternoon before falling 19-6, according to a statement from Jr Mavs President, Tyson Olson. Despite the loss, the Jr Mavs finished strong as they held Prosser scoreless in the fourth quarter.
Josiah Llewellyn earned the game's Sportsmanship Award after making several key plays. His highlights included defending a pass in the endzone to force a turnover on downs and a 70-yard kickoff return for a touchdown in the second quarter.
Buckley Brumet also made a major impact, recording a crucial sack on the Prosser quarterback in the third quarter.
Fifth Grade
The fifth-grade Jr Mavs defense continued their dominant season with a shutout 34-0 victory against the Jr Lobos Saturday morning.
Jack Smith received the Sportsmanship Award for his "relentless hustle" throughout the game.
Kyson Bever was named Team MVP after turning in an exceptional performance on both sides of the ball. Bever made multiple diving catches, including one for a touchdown, and added a long interception return for a touchdown.
"His effort, athleticism and nonstop energy helped spark the Jr Mavericks throughout the game," said Olson.
Easton Supan also earned an honorable mention after stepping into the starting center position for the first time and delivering an outstanding performance.
The fifth-grade defense was also recognized in their efforts to not allow a single first down in the last two games.
Sixth Grade
The sixth-grade Jr Mavs overcame a difficult start to defeat the Suns 36-16 Saturday evening.
A key turning point came when quarterback Blain Hines connected with Cade Templeton on a long pass to set up the offense. Jordan Garza then finished the drive with a touchdown run up the middle.
Later in the game, Garza added a 25-yard field goal to help seal the decisive victory.
Luka Sirek received the Sportsmanship Award, while Big Dawg honors went to Sirek, Garza and Tate Palmer.
Eighth Grade
The eighth-grade Jr Mavs faced a difficult challenge against the Kamiakin Jr Braves, falling 44-0.
Moses Lake struggled to find a rhythm as broken plays and penalties stalled several promising drives. Despite moving inside the red zone multiple times, the team could not find a way to finish against a tough Kamiakin defense.
Quarterback Blake Hines connected with Arthur Ceja on several long passes as well as numerous completions over the middle. Running backs Marcus Pavese and Hunter Cox ran hard and showed flashes of success, but Kamiakin ultimately kept the Jr Mavs out of the endzone.
Hines was awarded the game's Sportsmanship Award for his leadership and effort.
The Jr Mavs will be playing on Lions Field Saturday with games slated throughout the afternoon.ARTICLES BY CALEB PEREZ
Mavs claim District 5 swim and dive title
MOSES LAKE — The series of successful meets this season fully paid off for the Moses Lake Mavericks girls swim team over the weekend as the girls claimed the District 5 title. By the end of Saturday, the Mavs won the district meet with a score of 466 to Wenatchee's 449. "Just as we expected with Wenatchee, it was close all the way to the end. Could have gone either way, but it went our way," said Mavs Head Coach Tony Preston. "The girls were super excited to get their district championship."
Tigers qualify both boys and girls teams to state
EPHRATA — The Ephrata Tigers Cross Country team continued their successful season in the District 5 and 6 Championships Saturday afternoon. Both the boys and girls had strong races to qualify for state with the boys taking third and the girls taking second. Tigers Head Coach Lyndsy Roberts said because of their high ranking all season the girls team set their sights high on the district meet. Heading into Saturday, they knew their toughest challenge would be against Ellensburg, who has been ranked second in the state all season.
Knights battle into district championships
ROYAL CITY — The second seeded Royal Knights (16-2-1) battled in a tight matchup against the third seeded Naches Valley Saturday afternoon in the district semifinals. Both teams put forward a strong effort, with the Knights securing a 1-0 victory. "We were all putting our heart out in this game and trying our best because we have a really good team this year," said Knights junior Sofia Villafana. "We were just giving it our all." The tone of the game was set from the very start as Royal and Naches Valley went back and forth on their attack. While the Knights controlled the ball for most of the first half, Naches Valley's defense kept things in check.