Wolverines dominate Melba, beat Mustangs 61-22

 Weiser showed little mercy Friday, hammering 3A Melba 61-22 in front of a full crowd at Roy Dickerson Memorial Field.

 The Wolverines, coming off a two-game skid, were primed for the game, throwing everything they had at the Mustangs.

 “It’s nice to have a win like that,” Weiser head coach Tom Harrison told the Signal American after the game. “We got a lot of kids in the game and got our seniors out after the first half, with the exception of Karsten Walker at center. He played the whole game.”

 Harrison said his team needed a boost after a close 9-6 loss to Buhl followed by a 41-20 loss to 5A Lakeland to start off the season.

 “It went better for us,” he said of Friday’s matchup. “The kids are feeling better about themselves. It’s a good Homecoming win for us and gives us a bit of confidence for next week, so it’s back to the drawing board, but we are just going to celebrate right now.”

 Harrison credited his defense for giving the offensive unit the opportunity to put points on the board.

 “We had some great defensive plays,” he said.

 The Wolverines won the coin toss and elected to receive, ultimately scoring on their first possession. 

 Senior quarterback Kolin Cook missed on his first two passes, but completed his third attempt to senior Luke Sarich for a 15-yard pick up and a first down. Senior Weston Black followed up with a 12-yard run for another first down.

 Cook then connected with senior receiver Xander Gray who turned a short pass into a 50-yard gain to Melba’s 13-yard line. Black took it from there, scoring on a 13-yard run. Senior Diego Delgadillo missed the extra point, leaving the score 6-0 Weiser.

 The Mustangs turned the ball over on downs on their first possession of the game.

 Senior running back Kash Cobb fueled the next four Weiser plays, notching runs of 30, 12, 10 and 5 yards. 

 A penalty stalled the drive temporarily, but a 14-yard Cook keeper put the Wolverines back in business at Melba’s 29-yard line. Cook then connected with sophomore Garrett Walker who caught the ball at the 26 and ran it the rest of the way for the touchdown. The extra-point attempt failed, leaving the score 12-0 Weiser.

 Melba’s second possession didn’t go any better than the first, with junior Kaiden Peck and sophomore Keegan Willet sacking Mustang quarterback Rylan Frank for a 3-yard loss. Frank was picked off on the next play by safety Diego Delgadillo who returned the ball to Melba’s 15-yard line. Four plays later, Cobb found the endzone for a 3-yard touchdown. Delgadillo hit the extra point this time, giving Weiser the 19-0 lead.

 Melba was forced to punt on its next possession, Cook following up with a 68-yard touchdown pass to Sarich. Delgadillo’s extra point was good, making it 26-0 Weiser.

 Melba continued to struggle, with Sarich recovering a fumble by running back Dylan Fahey at the 50. Walker ran for a 25-yard touchdown just three plays later. Delgadillo’s successful point-after made it 33-0 near the end of the first quarter.

 Senior Josh Mizar would later record a 47-yard pick-six. Gray and Sarich also had interceptions.

 Melba wouldn’t score until the third quarter when Frank completed a short pass to receiver Elias Shoemaker who ran 64 yards for a touchdown against Weiser’s second team defense. 

 The two-point conversion was successful, making it 54-8 Weiser.

 The Wolverines scored their final points of the game in the third quarter when sophomore back-up quarterback Klete Cook completed a pass to senior tight end Austin Ashley for a 15-yard touchdown. Delgadillo’s extra point made it 61-8.

 The Mustang offense would score two more touchdowns, the game ending 61-22 Weiser.

 Senior Luke Sarich led the Wolverines in receiving, catching three passes for 113 yards, followed by senior Josh Mizar who had two receptions for 92 yards. Xander Gray had one reception for 50 yards and Garrett Walker had two for 40 yards.

 Cook went 8 of 10 for 301 yards and four touchdowns. Klete Cook was 4 for 4, throwing for 34 yards and 1 touchdown. Kash Cobb rushed for 93 yards.

 The Wolverines generated 598 yards of total offense.

 Weiser’s next game is Friday, Sept. 20 at Pendleton. The Buckaroos are classified 5A Special District 1 East League in Oregon’s high school classification system.