Cheney Free Press
CHENEY — Eastern Washington football wrapped up the penultimate week of their 2023 spring schedule with an energetic 70-plus play scrimmage on Saturday morning at Roos Field in Cheney. Both sides made an impact on the day, with the shorthanded defense catching eyes with several stops in or near the red zone.
Despite only listing 33 rostered players with several of those unavailable entering the scrimmage, the defense stepped up with a strong performance, forcing three field goal attempts and securing two turnovers. Unofficially, they finished with 4 sacks, an interception and a forced fumble.
“They bent at times but didn’t break at others,” said head coach Aaron Best. “Twenty to 20 is great, you can move the football and have all the stats you want, but when you get into that red zone area, the field condenses to advantage any defense… all in all, it was a little bit back-and-forth, but from a points standpoint, certainly the jerseys in red probably won the day.”
Linebacker Bishop Blakely led with 2 sacks while defensive linemen Sandrey Mitberg and Justis La’ulu — the latter of whom switched to the defensive side of the ball this spring — each had 1.
“It’s just contagious from the get-go, from warmups,” said defensive back Cage Schenck when asked about the energy from the defense. “One person makes a play, makes some noise, then the next person’s like, ‘now it’s my turn to make a play and have some fun, too.’ I think we feed off each other really well.”
On offense, quarterback Kekoa Visperas started with the first unit and marshaled four drives, marching down the field in each of the first three before the defense stepped up to force field goal attempts. He finished the day with 10 completions on 19 attempts for 97 yards, getting sacked once.
Also taking snaps were transfer products Michael Wortham and Jared Taylor, with each leading three series. After a quick stop by the defense on the second drive of the day (Taylor) and a field goal miss on the third (Visperas), Wortham found the endzone in the offense’s fourth attempt — his first — scampering in on a 14-yard keep up the right hash.
Wortham’s run was a trend for the scrimmage, with each quarterback finding space on the ground. Visperas rushed three times for 15 yards and Taylor once for 22, while Wortham piled up 62 yards on 8 carries.
“All three of those guys are fun to watch,” Best noted about the quarterbacks. “The pocket could be considered anywhere on the field. (They) extend plays, they make at least the first, if not the second guy miss, which is an offensive lineman’s dream. That position, probably more than most, has been fun to watch the consistency, even with two guys getting on campus in January. They have worked really hard off the field and it’s showing.”
Wortham even saw some looks as a punt returner, highlighting the athleticism he has brings to Cheney.
“We’re toying with some things. He’s got some wiggle. Special teams-wise, we’ve got to be more dynamic. If he is going to make us better, whoever ‘he’ is, in this case Mike, we’re going to look,” said Best.
The offense found success on the ground as a whole, picking up 171 yards on 209 yards on 30 carries. After Wortham’s 62, other rushing leaders included running backs Tuna Altahir (6-19), Justice Jackson (4-22) and Talon Betts (3-39).
Wide receiver Malaki Roberson led all pass catchers with 4 for 21 yards. Eagle signal callers spread the ball around as a handful of others caught two balls, including Betts (24 yards), WR Anthony Stell Jr. (27), WR Nolan Ulm (27), WR Jakobie James (23) TE Blake Gobel (20) and TE Jett Carpenter (6).
“Every single day, the count is zero,” added Ulm. “It doesn’t matter what you’ve done before, last year, or we’re not thinking about the future. We’re thinking about, right now, what we can do to win the day. That’s our motto.”
Scoring Plays
Jackson Cleaver, 38-yard field goal
Michael Wortham, 14-yard rush TD
Jackson Cleaver, 35-yard field goal
Turnovers
Zane Thornton, interception
Fumble (no live recovery, play whistled dead)
Unofficial Offensive Statistics*
Passing: Kekoa Visperas 10-19, 97 yards, 0 TD, 0 INT; Jared Taylor 4-7, 24 yards, 0 TD, 1 INT; Michael Wortham 5-10, 50 yards, 0 TD, 0 INT.
Rushing: Michael Wortham 8-62, 1 TD; Tuna Altahir 6-19; Justice Jackson 4-22; Talon Betts 3-39; Kekoa Visperas 3-15; Nick Adimora 2-20; Jared Taylor 1-22; Anthony Stell Jr. 1-6; Micah Smith 1-3; Davante Smith 1-1.
Receiving: Malaki Roberson 4-21; Anthony Stell Jr. 2-27; Talon Betts 2-24; Jakobie James 2-23; Nolan Ulm 2-21; Blake Gobel 2-20; Jett Carpenter 2-6; Austin York 1-12; Wesley Garrett 1-11;
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