Ephrata rolls past Wapato

EPHRATA - The Tigers won in dominating fashion Friday, defeating Wapato 78-8 and improved to 3-1 on the season. Ephrata's rushing attack got back on track in a big way against the Wolves, gaining 335 yards and 10 touchdowns on the ground, while spreading the ball around to multiple backs and showcasing their depth at the position. Since suffering a 37-7 loss at the hands of Ellensburg in week two, the Tigers have outscored their opponents 108-14 and played aggressive football on offense, defense and special teams. While this years group of Tigers have shown versatility, their strong suit has unquestionably been their run game, and Friday proved to be their best rushing effort of the season thus far.

"It all depends on how the game is going, but we have three effective backs and we can get all three guys the ball. If one guy isn't getting it going we have have other options that we are confident in. Dalton (Balentine) is our workhorse and I am a much better coach when we hand it off to him." Head coach Jay Mills said.

Balentine added another stellar performance on Friday night, carrying the ball just five times, but averaging 14 yards per carry, totaling 68 yards on the ground with two touchdowns. With Ephrata putting up a whole lot of points early in the contest, Dalton didn't have to be the Tigers workhorse on Friday as strong rushing efforts were turned in by Bryce Unruh, Tyler Lutz, Sheldon Kosa, Chance Flannigan and Drew Clark who all recorded at least one touchdown. Unruh lead the team in rushing with four carries for 100 yards and two scores, while Lutz, a sophomore, added two more touchdowns and Kosa, Flannigan, and Clark all added scores of their own.

At the 10:37 mark in the first quarter the Tigers put the first points on the board when Kosa ran in an 11 yard touchdown. Just four minutes later, quarterback Evan Brooks completed a 70 yard pass for the teams second touchdown and just over a minute later Ephrata recorded their first safety of the season to go up 15-0 at the five minute mark in the first quarter. The Tigers would continue their offensive onslaught ending the first quarter with a 36-0 lead. The second quarter began with Chance Flannigan breaking a 32 yard touchdown run and the rest of the quarter would prove to be much of the same, with commanding play on defense and an offense that the Wolves had no answer for. The Tigers kept their foot on the accelerator throughout the half and headed into the locker room riding the high of Unruh's 65 yard touchdown run with just 27 seconds on the clock, stretching their lead to 71-0.

"Bryce (Unruh) played really well all around, running the ball and on defense. They had a couple turnovers early and we played the short field, so field position had a big role in that first half and helped us start fast and have some explosive plays." Mills said.

The Tigers, with a decisive lead, dug deep into their depth chart in the second half and got some of the younger players significant varsity minutes against a struggling Wapato team. Although Ephrata was playing a less experienced line-up, they played with just as much intensity as the first unit and kept pace with Wapato throughout the contest. The Wolves scored their first and only touchdown at the 7:39 mark in the third quarter on a 50 yard breakaway touchdown run. The Tigers would answer right back as Drew Clark broke a 43 yard run for a touchdown at the 4:36 mark in the third quarter. Neither team would score in the fourth quarter and the final buzzer would sound with Ephrata winning 78-8.

"The offensive line did a great job, especially some of the younger guys, playing some varsity minutes and playing well. The big test is coming up this week when we go down to Othello. If you want to be in the playoffs you have to go through Othello. They are very disciplined and well coached and we look forward to the challenge." Mills said.

The showdown between the Huskies and Tigers will have the attention of football fans across the basin as both squads enter the game 3-1, with offenses firing on all cylinders and defensive play that has stifled their competition. While the matchup will break a tie for second place in the Central Washington 2A league standings and more importantly move the winning team closer to a playoff berth. It is not very often that a week five matchup carries this many implications, but this Friday's tilt will be a make or break game for Ephrata and Othello. Kickoff is at 7 p.m. from Othello.

"What we have to do is have a great, physical week of practice. Our kids have prepared all summer and been in the weight room before and after practice getting ready for this game, because they know how physical this team is. We want to work hard, each day to eliminate errors and go down there and play our best football." Mills said.