MOSES LAKE – Moses Lake opponents will see a wrinkle in the Mavericks’ offense this fall.

And it could be quite a scary sight.

First-year Mavs coach Kyler Haneberg, a 2018 Moses Lake graduate, has already started mixing it up offensively.

With Brady Jay having graduated after rewriting the record book helming the Mavericks' pass-happy offense under coach and father Brett Jay, and do-it-all back Elijah Burns dinged up in the spring, Haneberg called on all-CBBN linebackers John Rainey, the conference defensive MVP, and Petra Mackenzie to take handoffs.

“It gave these guys an opportunity,” the coach said. “We were resting them on O, and now it’s like, ‘we kinda need you; let’s see what you got.’ Those guys killed it at camp.”

The Mavericks showed off their new look, winning the Battle of the Basin goal-line competition.

The 5-foot-9, 220-pound Mackenzie set up the victory against Hanford by stopping the Falcons’ fourth-down attempt, before barreling his way into the end zone on the Mavs’ first play.

As if getting away from Mackenzie and Rainey wasn’t tough enough. Now, defenses will have to stop them.

Good luck with that.

“You put five senior O-linemen up front who bench press 300 pounds and squat over 500 and you put Petrah Mackenzie and John Rainey behind it – I don’t want to get in the way of that,” Haneberg said. “If I’m a linebacker, I’m cramping up, I’m finding something to get off the field that’s for sure.”

Mackenzie and Rainey, along with standout defensive lineman Taggart Rathbun, led a defense that did plenty of its own damage while the offense ruled the air.

Moses Lake shutout three opponents, and held three more to seven points or less.

“It was good knowing that we could keep bringing it consistently.” Mackenzie said. “There was no drop-off, that was the fire that kept burning.”

They needed that drive with offense often scoring in just a few plays, and sending the offense back onto the field.

“It was tiring, very tiring, not gonna lie,” the 6-foot, 205-pound Rainey said. “But I didn’t really care, we were winning. I was happy.”

There was usually a respite for the defense. With the offense scoring more than 40 points in all but one of its first 10 games, many of the Mavs’ 11 wins were blowouts, allowing the starters to rest and depth to be built.

“Our starters were only getting 20 or 30 reps on defense a game,” Haneberg said. “It gave all these backups who are now starting an opportunity to see the field on Friday. So that’s why we are not seeing the dropoff from the seniors that are gone.”

The sixth-ranked Mavericks will get to show how well they’ve replaced six all-conference selections who graduated from last year’s state quarterfinalist when they host No. 10 Richland at Lions Field to begin the season Friday.

Playing the Bombers is motivation enough for Rainey, a starter from the get-go, even earning first-team all-CBBN recognition as a freshman.

“I used to play with a lot of them so if we could smoke them that would be nice,” said Rainey, who set a program record with 26 tackles in last fall's conference showdown at Eastmont.

To meet the season’s goals, which for Mackenzie include earning all-state honors alongside Rainey, maintaining routines is key, much like the work the two do in the weight room.

“When you first start it just takes discipline and then you have to build momentum and then – boom – you want to do it,” Mackenzie said.

It’s paid off so far, with the linebacking pair – and Rathbun – aiming for a third straight first-team all-conference honor.

And it’s allowed Haneberg to ease into the job, leaning on his defensive staff and the players they’re directing.

“The defense never bows down to anyone,” he said. “They do a really, really good job of taking care of business.”