Mustangs roll to first-round victory

PROSSER — Miguel Godinez almost waited too long. But with Prosser’s football program, there’s always more time, always another game.

In his first year of football as a senior, Godinez put in a season’s worth of hard work and enjoyed the reward Friday night, rushing for 103 yards and a touchdown in each half as the top-ranked Mustangs rolled to a 53-14 victory over Selah in the first round of the 2A state playoffs.

Godinez, who had only 10 previous carries for the season, took over in the second quarter and got the call 12 times. The 5-foot-11, 185-pound bruiser scored on runs of 18 and 15 yards.

“It was a shock. I never got to run the ball that much before,” said a wide-smiling Godinez. “I’ve been working hard and waiting for my chance. To get it here, in the playoffs, feels awesome. It’s hard to describe.”

How does a kid in Prosser with Godinez’s size and athletic talent wait this long to join the state’s premier football program?

“We’ve been working on him for a long time because we see him in school conditioning and weights,” said Prosser coach Tom Moore, who rarely has to sell his sport. “We knew he would be a hard worker and with a year left, we said, ‘Look, give it a shot. It would be a shame not to try it one year.’”

Godinez’s first score came during a 28-point second quarter that essentially broke Selah’s back. And his second touchdown came five plays after the Vikings fumbled the opening kickoff of the second half.

Prosser’s more well-established stars had stellar games as well as the Mustangs improved to 15-1 in first-round playoff games since 1991.

In his last home game, Kirby Moore put on a show, hauling in 12 passes for a career-high 264 yards and two touchdowns. His only catch of the second half went for a 77-yard touchdown and tied his state record of 29 in a single season. Moore also had one of Prosser’s three interceptions.

Quarterback Jordan Durbin completed 21 of 30 passes for 346 yards and four touchdowns to three different receivers. Selah’s defense committed to pressuring Durbin as much as possible in the first half and he kept his poise on the run.

While the offense was taking care of its business, Prosser’s defense was in lock-down mode, allowing only three first downs in the first half. And one of those came on a run that ended with a fumble, one of five turnovers for the Vikings.

“Prosser’s defensive line took us completely out of what we wanted to do,” said Selah coach Jeff Jamieson. “We wanted to run the ball more and they took that away.”

After playing the Mustangs fairly tough last month in a 33-13 conference loss, Selah’s chances for keeping it close this time were compromised by injuries. Travis Luke was out with a foot injury and Sheldon Lommers played but was hobbled as well.

“It’s a tough way to end,” said Jamieson, whose team finished 8-3, equaling the program’s most wins since 1983. “We had three losses — two were to the No. 1-ranked team in the state and the other was to No. 3 (Othello). The guys had a great season and they played hard for each other.”

Awaiting Prosser (11-0) in next week’s quarterfinals at Kennewick’s Lampson Stadium is possibly another CWAC team. Othello, which at 9-1 has lost only to Prosser, hosts Colville (7-3) today at 2 p.m.

“Looking back, I sure regret not coming out my first three years,” Godinez said in the post-game celebration. “But I’m here now and I see what it’s all about. It’s the best feeling ever.”