Drought is over for Tigers

Ephrata football advances to state playoffs for first time since 1992

EPHRATA - The nickname's already taken, but Ephrata football fans might start calling Eric Tinnell "Magic."

Tinnell, the Tigers' backup quarterback, had a star-studded performance on Oct. 5 against East Valley-Yakima, relieving injured quarterback Kory Frank and leading Ephrata to a 10-7 win. That win propelled the Tigers into prominence and fueled their run to Tuesday's state play-in game with the West Valley-Spokane Eagles.

Tinnell got another shot at glory on Tuesday after Frank struggled, throwing a pair of first-half interceptions. Tinnell took command of the offense and rushed for 131 yards on 15 carries as the Tigers qualified for their first state playoff appearance since 1992 with a 28-20 triumph over West Valley at Kiwanis Field.

With the Eagles leading 14-0 and just over three minutes left before halftime, Ephrata head coach Jay Mills decided enough was enough - it was Magic time.

"We'd had two turnovers in the red zone," Mills said. "It's do or die. Kory's played well all year - we wouldn't be in this position without him - but in a game like this we had to make a change."

Tinnell stepped under center for the first time with 3:08 left in the second quarter and directed a 62-yard drive to cut West Valley's lead in half. The junior hit Ryan Burck for 11 yards, then handed the ball to senior tailback Tryston Mann, who zipped through a gaping hole and raced 40 yards to the end zone.

It was the first of several key runs for Mann, who tore up the Eagles' defense for 131 yards on 16 carries and three touchdowns.

Ephrata's momentum carried over into the second half. Kip Swem's 25-yard kickoff return gave the Tigers good field position, and Tinnell finished the four-play, 55-yard drive with an option keeper off right tackle for a 35-yard score.

West Valley's Bryan Peterson picked off Tinnell to thwart an Ephrata threat later in the quarter, but the Tigers weren't to be denied. They finally took the lead with a determined 66-yard march. Mann raced 20 yards for the score, giving Ephrata a 21-14 edge just 45 seconds into the fourth quarter.

Mills said Ephrata's game plan was to run on West Valley, something the Tigers got away from early in the game.

"We threw it a little too much in the first half and took a few too many chances," he said. "We got back to what we wanted to get to, which was running the ball and controlling the clock. We had some big plays out of the run, so that helped quite a bit."

Mann's second score put Ephrata ahead for the first time, and the hosts added to it less than three minutes later. West Valley fumbled on a running play, and Tiger lineman Blake Jensen pounced on it at the Eagle 20-yard line. Four plays later, Mann barreled off left tackle for a 5-yard TD and a 28-14 Ephrata lead.

"Those turnovers in the playoffs are costly, so it was nice to be able to take advantage of it," Mills said.

Bryan Peterson, who completed 20 of 26 throws for 296 yards, nearly led the Eagles back into contention. He drove West Valley all the way to Ephrata's 7 on the ensuing series, but Ephrata's Ryan Fleenor and Mike Castillo combined on a crucial sack. Peterson's third- and fourth-down throws fell incomplete, and Ephrata had snuffed out the Eagles' last threat with just over three minutes to play.

West Valley's Parker Flynn, who finished with four catches for 138 yards, caught his second TD pass of the game as time expired for the final margin.

Bryan Peterson and Flynn hooked up on the evening's first big play midway through the first quarter. Frank was intercepted on a throw to the end zone and West Valley took just one play to capitalize. Peterson lofted a deep post pattern to Flynn, who outran a couple defenders for an 80-yard TD.

The Peterson-to-Flynn duo struck again in the second period with a 45-yard play to Ephrata's 27. Peterson found Murphy McIntyre for 17 yards to set up first-and-goal, and Tommy Peterson rumbled in from 10 yards out on the next play.

Ephrata's adjustments to West Valley's deep passing game were a key to the comeback, Mills noted, as was a renewed focused on tackling.

"We mixed up some coverages in the second half," he said. "We didn't tackle very well; we didn't execute. We had some guys there, and we were bouncing off and not making plays.

"We weren't worried about them driving the ball down the field with their short passing game," Mills added. "We were going to give that up. The big play is what we really worried about."

The Tigers (9-2 overall) had just four days of rest after their regular-season finale with Prosser, and they'll get just three before opening the state playoffs on Saturday at 1 p.m. against the Pullman Greyhounds. Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m.

It's really tough," Mills said of the short rest. "We're going to play three games in 10 days. The big thing is we've got to make sure we're physically ready to go.

"We're excited to be in the state playoffs and this is the only way we could get in, so we'll take it."

Pullman went undefeated on its way to the Great Northern League championship, and Mills expects a stern test for his players.

"They're a tough running team, they're fast and they're an option-oriented team," he said. "That poses a lot of problems for us on the short turnaround."