Othello defeats Prosser 28-17

OTHELLO — With about nine minutes left in the third quarter and the Othello Huskies leading 21-10, Prosser quarterback Kory McClure rolled to his right and threw the football downfield. Between the Prosser receiver and the ball was Othello linebacker Ezra Gonzalez.

It’s a play the Huskie defense has practiced all season long, Gonzalez said after the game.

“You kind of see it coming toward you and you think ‘I can get that,’” Gonzalez said. “If you see it and you think you can get it, go for it.”

It’s a matter of timing, he said, getting the ball at what he called the high point. Gonzalez had the timing down. He leaped high into the air, coming down with the interception and returning the ball 35 yards to the Prosser 28-yard line.

“I’ve been coaching 20 years and that’s one of the best plays I’ve ever seen,” said defensive coach Kevin Hale.

Two plays later Othello running back Alex Mendez scored on a 35-yard run to push the Huskie lead to 28-10, en route to a 28-17 victory over No. 3 Prosser Friday at Huskie Field. Othello athletic director Jenny McCourtie said it was the first victory for Othello over Prosser since 2017.

On his run, Mendez was met by a swarm of Prosser defenders at the line of scrimmage, but kept pushing and pushing and then broke free. It was one of his two touchdowns in the game.

The key, he said, was to keep working.

“My team fights for me, I’m going to fight for them. I’m not going to go down easy,” Mendez said.

“He doesn’t quit,” Hale said. “That’s emblematic of the whole team.”

For his part, Mendez said he sees room for improvement in his game.

“I did all right,” he said. “I can always do better.”

The victory pushes Othello’s record to 5-1 and puts them in first place in the Central Washington Athletic Conference. The Huskies never trailed in the game.

Othello scored its first touchdown with 1:52 left in the first quarter on a run of about 40 yards by Sonny Asu, after a fumble recovery by Julian Alegria at the Prosser 38. Othello led 7-0 at the end of the first quarter.

Prosser came back to score with 10:57 left in the second quarter, moving the ball downfield and threatening to tie, but the Huskie defense held and forced the Mustangs to settle for a field goal. After the Prosser defense forced a punt, the Mustangs drove downfield to the Huskie 3-yard line. But a determined Othello defense kept them out of the end zone.

Othello took over on downs, and Mendez broke off a 58-yard run to the Prosser 10. He scored from eight yards out with 1:32 left in the second quarter, and Othello led 14-3 at the half.

Prosser cut the lead to 14-10 with a touchdown about halfway through the third quarter, when Chris Veloz ran the ball in from four yards out. The Mustangs got the ball back and were driving down the field when Gonzalez intercepted McClure’s pass.

Othello took a 28-10 lead with 7:06 left in the game, on a score by Alegria. Prosser came right back down the field and scored on a pass from McClure to Josiah Campos; the Mustangs got the ball again, but the Huskies stopped them on four downs and the game ended 28-17.

“We felt like we came in pretty prepared,” Hale said after the game.

The Othello defense gave up some substantial yards on pass plays and some big runs but mostly kept Prosser out of the end zone.

“I think we just wore them out at the end,” Hale said.

The Huskies will play Ellensburg (3-3 overall, 2-1 in CWAC play) Friday in Ellensburg.

Hale said that while there are still parts of Othello’s game that need work, it was a good performance.

“I felt we looked pretty darn good at times,” he said. “This is what we can be.”

Cheryl Schweizer may be reached at cschweizer@columbiabasinherald.com. For more sports and news, download the Columbia Basin Herald app - available for iOS and Android devices.