ADNA — On the first snap against Rainier, Adna’s Luke Mohney burst through a hole for a 12-yard gain. One play later, Beau Miller burst through another gap and went all the way to the end zone.
It was that kind of night for the Adna offense, which pitched a perfect game in Adna’s 69-12 win over Rainier in a 2B crossover on Friday.
The Pirates took the field nine times, and they scored touchdowns on all nine drives. It often looked like the first drive of the game, where Mohney and Miller took turns gaining chunks of yardage on the ground.
More often than not, both backs weren’t touched until they were already downfield, as the Adna offensive line did an excellent job dominating the line of scrimmage.
“Our offensive line has continued to get better,” Adna coach Aaron Cochran said. “They’re the backbone of our team, and I’m very proud of them … And then you have Beau and Luke. They take care of business and do a good job too.”
After Miller and Mohney scored the first four touchdowns of the game, the Pirates began to take advantage of a Rainier defense that was expecting the run.
After an Isaac Garman interception set the Pirates up on the Rainier side of the field, quarterback Layden York sold the play-action fake beautifully and lobbed it to a wide open Gavan Muller for a 40-yard touchdown.
York found Muller again for another passing touchdown on the next drive of the game, and he found Grayson Humphrey in the corner of the end zone before halftime.
By half, the Pirates were up 44, and the clock was running the entire second half. That didn’t stop the younger guys from scoring, as Carter Duncan capped both second half drives with touchdown runs.
Adna finished with 479 yards of offense, including 398 yards on the ground. Miller led the way with 192 yards on 12 carries, while Mohney added 106 on nine. In the second half, Duncan tallied 56 yards on seven touches. They each had two touchdowns.
Jake Meldrum, Hunter Howell, and Jayden Alegarbes were able to keep Rainier in it early. On the Mountaineers first drive, they went 13 yards and Meldrum found Howell for a short touchdown, and Alegarbes returned a kickoff 75 yards for a touchdown at the end of the first quarter.
As the game went on, the Adna defensive line started to have success, consistently getting to Meldrum in the backfield. The Pirates went on to finish the game with six sacks and forced two turnovers.
“We just needed to adjust to it,” Cochran said. “I think that once we started to bring a little pressure in different spots, that it was helpful.”
For Rainier coach Andy Bartell, the difference in the trenches is what led to the final outcome.
“We knew that we had to try to match that physicality, and we didn’t,” Bartell said. “We gotta build upon that … You can scheme all you want, but at the end of the day you gotta be one-on-one and be physical.”
Alegarbes finished with 60 receiving yards, and Howell added 38. Meldrum, in his final game as the Rainier starter, tallied 147 total yards.
Despite the final outcome, Bartell is proud of the season that Rainier put together. The Mountaineers end the year with a 6-4 record and will graduate just four seniors: Meldrum, Howell, Kieler Jackson, and Brayden Walker.
“We’re getting to where we want to be, we’re just not there yet,” Bartell said. “We’re just gonna build upon it.”
As for the Pirates, they’re off to the state tournament for the first time since 2019. They sit at 7-3 after five wins in a row.
“I think they’re just starting to understand the scheme and believe in each other,” Cochran said. “We’re gonna enjoy this tonight … And we’ll get to work Sunday. Just excited to still be playing football.”
The Pirates will learn its seeding and first-round opponent in the 2B State Tournament on Sunday.
