YAKIMA – East Valley senior lineman Zeliah Wade said last season’s 36-35 loss to Prosser served as fuel for this season’s matchup with the Mustangs.

If Friday night is any indication, the rest of the CWAC better hope the 6-foot-5, 255-pound wrecking ball doesn’t have more receipts.

Wade led the Red Devils’ defensive effort when their high-powered offense wasn’t its usual self, spending much of the game in the Prosser backfield in the 13-7 East Valley victory at Earl Barden Field.

“He’s special, we love him, glad he’s on our side,” East Valley coach Eric Berg said. “I always tell them that I have a shirt that I had in high school that says, ‘offense scores, defense wins.’”

That definitely was the case Friday.

Although they started the game by marching downfield for a touchdown, the going was never easy for the Red Devils. Their own miscues and a Prosser squad that was up to the challenge limited East Valley’s output.

That’s where the Red Devils’ swarming defense came in. While linebacker Cody Gasseling and lineman Logan Jones were prominent, it was Wade who was the lynchpin.

Already having notched several tackles for loss, he recorded a sack and induced a facemask penalty on Prosser’s final possession that ended with Jayden Buckalew’s interception with 1:13 left in the game.

“We put it on our defense,” Berg said. “The entire coaching staff on the defensive side of the ball did a great job preparing the kids, and the kids executed and never wavered.”

For his part, Wade entered the game in a foul mood that belied his postgame giddiness.

“I was coming in with not hatred but I disliked them, I never wanted to have that feeling again,” Wade said of the 2024 loss. “I knew our whole defense – our d-line, linebackers, corners, safeties – I knew our defense was ready.”

East Valley running back Braden Albrecht provided enough offensive punch, scoring on a 9-yard jaunt early in the first quarter, and adding a 7-yard over-the-shoulder touchdown catch late in the third.

Those touchdowns sandwiched Daniel Diaz’s scoring pass to Xzander Espino on a fourth and goal from the 12-yard line in the final seconds of the first half. The two had connected for a 60-yard play earlier in the drive.

East Valley would threaten a couple more times, but were unable to take advantage of great field position.

“We did enough, but we tripped ourselves up,” Berg said. “We’ll go back and watch film and get better from it.”

Next up for the Red Devils (3-0) is a trip to Ephrata, which handled Ellensburg to improve to 2-1.

Prosser (2-1) hosts neighbor Grandview next Friday.

“This was a playoff-like atmosphere, it’s going to make us better long term if we’re willing to get in the lab and work and not sulk about it,” Prosser coach Corey Ingvalson said. “This is a special class for them, they got it done and they’re going to be a bear for the remainder of the league.”