Greyhounds can't find their stride

PULLMAN - A strong defensive effort and two touchdown passes from senior quarterback Falani Jennings propelled Fife to a 30-20 victory over Pullman on Friday in a nonleague matchup.

"I'm pretty proud of these guys, they hung in there and kept battling," Pullman coach Dan Lucier said. "I'm pretty encouraged by what I saw tonight. They fought a pretty darn good team."

The Fife offense struck in the opening minute of the game. Jennings connected with senior running back Wes Nixon for a 63-yard touchdown pass on the third play from scrimmage to give the Trojans a 7-0 lead.

Pullman (0-1) answered midway through the quarter when senior quarterback Jake Cillay hurled a 32-yard touchdown pass to senior wide receiver Trey Lopes to cut the deficit to 7-6.

"There was an opening between the safety and the corner, and I just threaded the needle," Cillay said.

The two teams traded defensive stops until Nixon broke off a 38-yard run for the Trojans, placing Fife inside the red zone. The running back then hauled in an 8-yard touchdown pass from Jennings two plays later to stretch the lead to eight points.

Nixon also made a defensive impact for the Trojans, intercepting Cillay late in the second quarter to give Fife possession inside Pullman territory. With 1:22 before the half, Xavier Preston barreled his way through the defensive line for a 1-yard touchdown run, extending the lead to 20-7.

"They were running it outside on us a lot, so we needed to make sure our defensive ends were staying home and keeping things contained," Pullman defensive captain Ben Moos said.

The Trojan offense extended the lead to 23-6 midway through the third quarter when senior kicker Jacob Nist booted a 26-yard field goal from the left hash mark.

Cillay rallied the Greyhounds early in the fourth quarter, finding senior running back Cameron Lang for a 25-yard touchdown pass to cut the deficit to 23-12.

"Our no-huddle offense was in pretty great shape, and that gave us a bit of an edge," Lucier said.

On the following possession, several members of the Pullman defense hit Jennings as he attempted to release a pass, resulting in a fumble recovery. Lang found the end zone for the second time with a 12-yard touchdown rush, and a successful two-point conversion cut the Fife lead to 23-20.

"I think that rally showed great character, and that's exactly what we're working for," Lucier said. "We want to fight through that adversity, and not let that adversity take the momentum from us, which is what it did early."

The Trojans answered with an 80-yard drive that burned nine minutes off the clock and culminated in a 1-yard touchdown rush from Preston to secure the road victory.

"If we could have stopped that last drive they had somewhere and got the ball back, I think we would have been in great shape," Lucier said.

Cillay finished with 154 yards passing on 16 completions. The senior quarterback recorded two touchdowns and four interceptions.

Junior running back Jed Byers led the Greyhounds with 64 yards rushing on 10 carries.

Pullman returns to the gridiron Friday at 7 p.m. to take on Rogers High.

"We're going to come out and work as hard as we can, and hopefully that will bring in our first win," Cillay said.

Fife 7 13 3 7-30

Pullman 6 0 0 14-20

Fife - Wes Nixon 63 pass from Falani Jennings (Jacob Nist kick)

Pullman - Trey Lopes 28 pass from Jake Cillay (kick failed)

Fife - Nixon 8 pass from Jennings (Nist kick)

Fife - Xavier Preston 1 rush (kick failed)

Fife - Nist 26 field goal

Pullman - Cameron Lang 25 pass from Cillay (kick failed)

Pullman - Lang 12 rush (Ben Moos pass from Cillay)

Fife - Preston 1 rush (Nist kick)