Hometown Player Directs East’s Victory

Now that Jayson Melcher has the ball, everyone else can go home.

The interception on the final play of the game didn’t mean much, except the hometown player provided the perfect ending as the East beat the West 23-6 before a crowd of about 1,100 in the fourth B-8 All-Star football game here Friday night.

“It would have been better if I would have got some blocking,” Melcher joked, surrounded by a host of Odessa friends. “Just kidding, but it would have been better if I could have ran it back.”

East players could afford a little joking after their defense dominated the game and their offense was just efficient enough to get the job done.

The East opened the game with quarterback Brian Maley of Rosalia getting the ball to Joe Gering of St. John-Endicott, who got it back to Maley, who threw it to Melcher for a 26-yard gain.

The scoring was completed in the third quarter on the halfback-to-quarterback pass, Gering hitting Maley for the 33-yard touchdown.

“It was a blast,” said Maley, who plans to walk on at Idaho. “This was the best week of football in my life. The guys were great, the caliber of player is so good.”

It helped that the East was a little bigger and quicker, but the West struggled because it had no true quarterback. The best quarterback in B-8 history, Patrick Hunter of Pateros, missed the game because he had shoulder surgery after basketball season. Jeff Corey of Quilcene didn’t make it to the game.

John Neuneker of state-champion Pateros started at quarterback and put the West on the board first with a 29-yard pass to Billygoats teammate Shaun Moore. Neuneker is listed at about every position - running back, end, linebacker and defensive back - except quarterback. He was spelled by Wishkah Valley fullback-linebacker Tim Berge.

On the other side, Maley shared duties with Mike Adams of Touchet, who threw a 16-yard touchdown pass to Mike Finely of Inchelium three plays after the West scored.

When Cusick’s Duke Birchall recovered a fumble at the 21 on the kickoff, Adams threw 17 yards to Kevin Pennel of Lind before Tom Ewing of Touchet bulled into the end zone. Adams hit Pennel for the PAT and a 14-6 lead.

That was enough for a defense that only allowed six first downs, 89 yards passing, 95 yards rushing (31 coming on a busted play) and forced four turnovers.

Most valuable players for the East, which has won all four of these games, were Adams, who threw for 95 yards in the first half, on offense and classmate A.J. Trejo on defense.

For the West, Neuneker was the offensive MVP and Dan Lisherness of Lake Quinault was the defensive MVP.

East 23, West 6

West 0 6 0 0 -6

East 0 17 6 0 -23

W - Moore (Pateros) 17 pass from Neuneker (Pateros), (run failed) E - Finley (Inchelium) 16 pass from Adams (Touchet), (run failed) E - Ewing (Touchet) 4 run (Pennell (Lind) pass from Adams) E - Espinoza (Touchet) 25 field goal E - Maley (Rosalia) 33 pass from Gering (St. John-Endicott), (pass failed)

, DataTimes