Quincy hoping to make noise in CWAC

QUINCY - A chance for Quincy to snap a two-year playoff drought is going to be a tough go.

The Jacks move up to the 2A CWAC where the team will match up against powerhouses Othello, Ellensburg and Prosser - all three of whom finished in the top eight in state.

However, head coach Stephen Wallace thinks his team will be better prepared for the CWAC gauntlet than most people think.

After all, Quincy just finished matching up with the likes of Cashmere and Okanogan.

"I don't think it has affected us as much as everyone seems to think it is going to affect us," Wallace said. "You look at the CTL is full of playoff perennial teams there. It's a tough, physical league."

Last season, Quincy dropped its first three games of the year before rallying to finish 4-6 overall.

Once the Jacks' offensive line became more comfortable the team reverted back to their traditional run-first mentality and saw more success later in the year.

Now, with an experienced o-line, the run-first trend will continue.

"We're probably not going to rely as much on the pass as we did last year," Wallace said. "This year we're going to probably rely more on the offensive line - we have a lot of experience back? there - and more on the running backs to carry the load of the offense."

That stable of backs will include Andy Vargas, Zack Hunt, Esteban Bastidas and Luis Camacho.

John Lindquist will also take over at quarterback in place of graduated Dallas Bassett.

"He's a three-year starter ... He doesn't get the jitters," Wallace said. "He's been out and been in the playoffs before ... It's not a huge jump to go from a running back to what we do as an option quarterback."

Lindquist thinks the team will transition well one they gain some confidence.

"We've got to build up our confidence," he said. "We are going up into a tougher league ... Our line's looking good. We're looking good, we're looking good. We can compete with them."

With the jump to the CWAC, crosstown rival Ephrata will become a league opponent.

But with a three-year losing streak hanging over their head, the Jacks aren't lacking any motivation.

"We just need to beat Ephrata - that's it," Lindquist said. "I hate losing to Ephrata."

Wallace doesn't think the Tigers being a league foe will affect his players, however, his coaching staff will take notice as the Battle of the Basin will have more than bragging rights on the line.

"League or not in league we've got to snap a losing streak," he said. "I think the kids see it as a league game no matter what, it's just a nice rivalry against Ephrata. Coaches, yeah we look at it 'cause now it definitely impacts potential playoff spots and stuff like that."

Quincy will open up with a non league game against former CTL rival Cascade before getting into its CWAC schedule.

"I think we'll stack up better than most people might think," Wallace said. "It's definitely a different challenge."