Tigers turn Battle of the Basin into blowout
File photoEphrata's Kip Swem, carrying the ball against East Valley on Oct. 5, had a huge game against Quincy on Friday, rushing for 116 yards and four touchdowns in Ephrata's 63-0 rout.
EPHRATA - The Ephrata Tigers used four first-half touchdown runs from Kip Swem to build a 43-0 halftime lead as they cruised to a 63-0 victory over the Quincy Jackrabbits in the annual Battle of the Basin on Friday at Kiwanis Field.
It was a big win in a season full of big wins for the Tigers, who improved to 7-1 on the season with Friday's victory.
"Anytime you can win homecoming and your rivalry game, it's exciting," Ephrata head coach Jay Mills said.
While defeating its biggest rivals on homecoming night was something Ephrata should be proud of, this game was about more than pride for the Tigers.
With the win over Quincy, Ephrata secured themselves a top-four finish in the Central Washington Athletic Conference and at minimum a chance to face off with a foe from the Great Northern League for their first state tournament appearance since 1992.
Should the Tigers manage to take care of business against the 3-5 Grandview Greyhounds this Friday, they will host Prosser on Thursday, Nov. 1 with the CWAC title hanging in the balance.
"That would be exciting," said Mills of a potential home game with a league title on the line.
"The most important thing is we have to go down to Grandview and do what we have to do," Mills said. "Our destiny is in our hands."
Friday, Ephrata made sure the history of the Battle of the Basin rivalry didn't get in the way of that destiny.
The annual rivalry game between the two neighboring towns, which has been a low-scoring, competitive affair the past two seasons, was nothing like the 2005 and 2006 renditions of the Battle.
In 2005, the Tigers won 20-14 after an interception in the end zone killed a late Quincy drive. In 2006, Ephrata didn't reach the 20-point mark until overtime of their dramatic 24-18 victory. This year, the Tigers eclipsed the 20-point barrier in the first quarter.
Ephrata struck early and often, as Tigers' quarterback Eric Tinnell hooked up with wide receiver Ryan Burck on a 45-yard touchdown pass to put the home team up 7-0 early in the game.
Tinnell, who took over at quarterback after starter Kory Frank went down with an injury a few games ago, has done well at the helm of the Ephrata offense.
"We were really able to move the ball through the air," said Mills of one of the keys to Ephrata's big win.
Frank is working his way back from injury and saw limited action in the second half against Quincy. This week, Mills will evaluate both quarterbacks in practice to determine how he will deploy his two signal callers against Grandview.
"I think it is to our advantage to have two quarterbacks that can execute," Mills said. "It's a nice situation to be in."
The Tigers went up 9-0 in the first quarter after a safety, then Swem went to work on the ground. The Ephrata senior ran it in from 5 yards out to give his squad a 15-0 lead, and finished out the first quarter with a 15-yard touchdown scamper that made the score 22-0.
Swem finished the game with 116 yards on just eight carries, averaging 14.5 yards and three points each time he ran the ball.
"He looked as sharp as he's looked all season," Mills said of his star running back. "He seems to be getting stronger as the season goes on."
Swem had touchdown runs of 6 and 39 yards in the second quarter, and Trystan Mann scored the first of his two touchdowns on a 6-yard run in the second quarter to put the Tigers ahead 43-0 at the half.
Mann's second touchdown score, a Nathan Llewellyn interception return for a touchdown and a pair of Eric Hensley field goals in the third quarter, completed the scoring for Ephrata in the game.
Ephrata's defense was also dominant, holding the Jacks to just 84 yards of total offense for the game, including a net of minus two yards rushing.
"That has been the key to all of our success this year," Mills said of the Ephrata defense. "I think it starts with our run defense."
The Tigers are currently second in the CWAC in scoring defense, allowing just 13.6 points per game. The Tigers have deployed their new 3-4 defense effectively, using it to get their speedy athletes on the field where they have made plays all season long.
"Our overall team speed is the best we've had since I've been here," the Ephrata coach added.
Ephrata squares off with Grandview this Friday in Grandview, while the Jacks return home to host the Othello Huskies. Kickoff for both contests is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.