Othello downs previously unbeaten Lakeside, loses to Ephrata
Rodney Harwood/Columbia Basin HeraldOthello's Chris Alfaro (7) reacts after scoring in the first half of Friday's non-league match with Lakeside.
Rodney Harwood/Columbia Basin HeraldJose Andrade (18) of Othello controls the ball during the second half of Friday's non-league match against Lakeside from Nine Mile Falls.
OTHELLO — Reese Jones smiled for a minute as he thought about whether or not thrower-inner was actually a word. Close enough.
“I've been the best thrower-inner on the team since I was a freshman,” he said. “Sometimes I hurts my back I throw it so hard, but I'm just trying to throw it right in the goal.”
The Huskies (5-0) scored twice on Jones throw-ins Friday night, handing previously unbeaten Lakeside (3-1) its first loss of the season with a 3-2 non-league victory at Huskie Stadium.
Jones was spot on with an arching ball into the goaltender's box that Luis Gomez toe poked the loose ball into the net for the first score of the night. Jones made another 20-yard throw to the mouth of the goal allowing Chris Alfaro to make it a 2-1 match with four minutes remaining in the first half.
“Reese can throw it in from anywhere. We make different runs at it, sometimes he puts it on the near post or far post,” Huskies coach Bernie Garza said. “It's a real weapon because you can't stop it.”
Lakeside tied it up when Lukas Ousley broke free and put it to the far post at the midway point in the first half. But for the most part, the Huskies controlled the match from start to finish against the 3A program from the Greater Spokane League, which came in having scored 21 goals in its last two matches.
Huskies captain Frankie Ramos made it a 3-1 lead when he beat Eagles goalkeeper Micah Tenney on a penalty kick in the 51st minute. The Eagles did make it a one-goal difference with Ousley's second goal of the night at 78:20, but it was irrelevant at that point.
Othello is finding its success on the offensive end, and the big thing on Friday night was the big throws that led to two goals.
“You have to look for the ball. It's about timing and precision,” Alfaro said of the second goal. “I was able to catch it with my left knee and I shot it with my left foot. It was amazing.”
Moving Jones off the defensive line to forward has proved to dial up different scoring angles so far this season with the speed Ramos and Juan Tapia and Jones ability to drive inside the box.
“We're playing a little more aggressive this year since we moved people around,” Jones said. “I went up top. Juan didn't play with us last year, he has all that speed. Tonight, the second half we were stopping everything defensively.
The Huskies fell from the unbeaten ranks on Saturday with a 2-0 loss to Ephrata.
Score by halves
| Lakeside | 1 | 1 | 2 | Othello | 2 | 1 | 3 |
Scoring summary
- O - Luis Gomez (Reese Jones), 16:35
- L - Lukas Ousley (unassisted), 19:09
- O - Chris Alfaro (Jones), 36:01
- O - Frankie Ramos (penalty kick), 41:20
- L - Lukas Ousley, 78:20
Ephrata 2, Othello 0
EPHRATA — Ephrata ended the non-league portion of its schedule on a high note, handing previously unbeaten Othello its first loss 2-0.
It was the first win for the Tigers against the Huskies in at least a decade.
“I feel we were the more energetic team,” Ephrata head coach Ivan Garay said. “We came out and put pressure on them.”
Luis Rodriguez scored in the 28th minute and Caleb Dwyer converted a penalty kick in the 79th minute.
“Our defense couldn't clear the ball,” Othello head coach Bernie Garza said.
Already down two starters in the back, Othello defender Chris Melo re-aggravated a collarbone injury sustained during wrestling season.
Ephrata (2-1-2) hosts Ellensburg Tuesday, 6 p.m., for the first game three straight at home. Othello travels to Toppenish on Tuesday.
“I feel the CWAC is a tough league so any time you beat a league opponent it's a little extra,” Garay said.