If you grow up throwing a football in the Valley, there鈥檚 no better company to keep than Kellen Moore. And East Valley quarterback Jaxon Berg shares a notable slice of Valley history with the famed Mustang signal caller.
Berg tied one of Moore鈥檚 many longstanding records with an eight touchdown performance to punctuate one of the most productive prep careers in Valley history. The senior鈥檚 strong right arm, tremendous decision-making and leadership was instrumental to the Red Devils鈥 run to a 2A state semifinal and earned him the 黑料福利社鈥檚 Male Athlete of the Year Award at Wednesday鈥檚 黑料福利社 Sports Awards.
The all-state quarterback threw 44 touchdowns as East Valley won its first 12 games, beating Othello and securing a league championship for the first time since 2004, and finished his career fourth in the Valley in touchdowns (90) and fifth in yards (6,579).
鈥淟ooking back at that stuff, it鈥檚 pretty cool to see,鈥 the CWAC offensive MVP said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 nice to see your name up there with the greats from around here, but I鈥檓 just proud of what we did as a team and what we were able to accomplish.鈥
A three-year starter, Berg believes his understanding of the offense called by his dad Eric grew every year, especially with how play calls early in the game can serve to set up the offensive attack after halftime. 鈥淚ntent in everything we do,鈥 translated from the film room to the practice field, where Berg says East Valley won games before they were played thanks to years of dedication and a large group of upperclassmen who became 鈥渓ife-long brothers,鈥 bonded together by sweat.
East Valley鈥檚 Jaxon Berg throws a pass against Burlington-Edison Saturday, Nov. 15, 2025, in Yakima, Wash.
Berg delivered in the big moments, throwing a combined 25 touchdown passes in a four-game stretch to close the regular season and start the playoffs 鈥 including five all in the first 24 minutes of a 56-22 first-round romp over Burlington-Edison. It was East Valley鈥檚 first state win since the run to the 2004 title game, one year after Berg helped lead the Red Devils to the tournament for the first time since 2006.
Facing a powerhouse Lynden program that won titles in 2021 and 鈥22 and was in its sixth straight quarterfinal, East Valley fell behind 14-7 with 31 seconds left in the first half at West Valley鈥檚 Clasen Field. Berg could feel the urgency and moved EV to the opposing 31 in two plays to set up a scoring try.
鈥淲e just needed some momentum going into the half,鈥 Berg said of what he considers that most memorable of his 44 scores. 鈥淚 dropped back and one of their good d-ends got the edge on our tackle, but he kept riding him out. I stepped up in the pocket and threw a ball to Cody (Gasseling) on the run into the end zone.鈥
The future Eastern Washington tight end was sprung loose on a wheel route underneath a double post concept with Montana State signee Greyson Stevens going deep 鈥 a concept that Berg said was his favorite and resulted in more touchdowns than any other play last season.
In Stevens, Berg had a star wide receiver, one he leaned to turn short screen passes into long gains and one that could get loose in an opposing secondary. Stevens finished his career, which includes a freshman season at La Salle, fourth in Valley history with 3,554 yards and 10th with 60 total touchdowns. Along with Gasseling and running back Braden Albrecht, Stevens gave Berg numerous options of how to attack a defense when he dropped back in the pocket.
鈥淛ust get the ball out of my hands and they do the rest,鈥 said Berg, who will play collegiately at Pacific Northwest Christian 鈥 a Kennewick-based college that competes against other private Christian junior colleges in the West. 鈥淚t was fun throwing the deep ones, but this year more than ever my dad really shoved it into my brain. 鈥楪et your playmakers the ball and let them work. It was above and beyond the year I was hoping to have.
鈥淚鈥檓 just glad I was trusted with the rock.鈥
(0) comments
Welcome to the discussion.
Posting comments is now limited to subscribers only. or log in using the link below. For additional information on commenting click here.
Log in
Keep it Clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Don't Threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be Truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be Nice. No racism, sexism or any sort of -ism that is degrading to another person.
Be Proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
Share with Us. We'd love to hear eyewitness accounts, the history behind an article.