Ephrata, Othello to play for first place in CWAC North tonight

The preseason glance at the CWAC North schedule, Sept. 29 didn’t seem like a particularly important date.

The Ephrata Tigers went 1-6 in the Central Washington Athletic Conference the year before. Their only win came against Wapato, which couldn’t beat anybody. The Othello Huskies were 7-1 and ended up losing in a crossover game in their effort to advance to the 2A state tournament.

But what a difference a year makes.

Tonight’s matchup at Huskie Stadium has an almost playoff feel for two teams with ideas of representing the CWAC North in the postseason.

Unbeaten Ephrata (4-0, 1-0 CWAC North) goes in with the better record, having broken through with a big win over Ellensburg last week, beating the Bulldogs for the first time in 10 years. Othello (2-2, 1-0) is coming off a decisive win over Quincy, having scored with its offense, defense and special teams. Both teams are tied atop the CWAC North standings and something has to give.

The sports section in Monday’s Columbia Basin Herald gave a nice visual on where to start with the matchup analysis. Photographs showed 6-foot-3 Ephrata senior Chris Walker catching a ball over shorter Ellensburg defenders and Othello senior Kyler Villarreal using his 6-4 frame to his advantage against Quincy. The size at receiver could come up big for both teams.

Villarreal moved into the Huskies’ starting quarterback position two weeks ago, but shifting the senior to wide out remains an option to the Othello coaching staff.

Ephrata’s size has created mismatches throughout the first four games. Senior Jakob Oxos (6-2) goes into the game with 27 catches for 334 yards and five touchdowns. Walker (6-3) has caught just 11 balls, but is averaging 18.6 yards per catch and has four touchdown receptions. Tight end Hunter James (6-4) is the center on the Tigers’ basketball team. He’s another wide body and heads into Friday night with nine catches for 98 yards and a touchdown, averaging 9.8 yards per catch.

The Othello attack is traditionally power football on the ground, but by moving Villarreal to quarterback and Isaiah Perez from fullback to tight end, they have created a difficult mismatch for defenders in the passing game. Perez, a 6-3, 240-pound sophomore, is a wrestler and a discus thrower on the track team. He brings a variety of athletic capabilities. Perez has six catches for 61 yards and a touchdown and is averaging 10.2 yards a reception. Sophomore running back Isaac Barragan gives the Huskies a nice little burst of speed coming out of the backfield. He’s caught just five balls, but is averaging 5.8 yards a catch.

The quarterbacks in Friday’s game are both new this season, but could play a vital role in how this all shakes out. Ephrata senior Zac Berryman moved from running back to under center and represents a dual threat. Berryman is 57-of-90 for 826 yards and 12 touchdowns, taking full advantage of a receiving corps which averages over six feet. He’s also rushed for five touchdowns, averaging 8.0 yards per carry on 46 carries for 369 yards. Senior Leeland Burleson adds additional speed to the ground game. He’s averaging 5.2 yards per carry and rolls into the Othello matchup with 241 yards.

The Othello running game has been smash-mouth, power football for as long as coach Roger Hoell has been there. Trevor Hilmes has 277 yards on 36 carries with a 7.1-yard average. Barragan has 173 yards on 44 carries.

Even the place kicking is at a stand off. Ephrata junior Josh Benthem has not missed an extra point in 12 attempts. He’s also banged one through from 38 yards. Othello sophomore Patrick Azevedo is equally as impressive. Azevedo is 6-of-8 on PATs and 2-of-3 in field goals, including one from 48 yards.

Friday Night Lights at Huskie Stadium will determine the new leader in the CWAC where the top two teams advance to the postseason.

Rodney Harwood is a sports writer for the Columbia Basin Herald and can be reached at rharwood@columbiabasinherald.com