Triumphant Tigers

EPHRATA – The Ephrata School District announced eight individuals and one team that will be inducted into the Athletic Hall of Fame, the fourth class of Hall of Fame inductees. The new inductees were announced Friday.

Ephrata’s Athletic Hall of Fame is a collaboration between Ephrata High School and the Tigers Boosters club, and has inducted 23 individuals and three teams in the three previous classes.

“Excellence is at the core of Ephrata’s athletic programs,” Ephrata Athletic Director Bryan Johnson said in the release. “The individuals and teams recognized in our Hall of Fame have attained extraordinary achievements. We are extremely proud to call them Tigers.”

The 2023 Athletic Hall of Fame class is composed of graduates from as far back as 1944. See below for a full list of 2023 inductees.

George B. Waltho, Sr. - 1944 graduate of EHS, competed in football, basketball, baseball, track and tennis, earning 16 varsity letters in the process. The football team went undefeated in three of the four years he played, earned All-County and All-District honors in basketball and was the only freshman named to the varsity baseball team.

Debbie (Agranoff) McDonnell - 1973 graduate of EHS, competed in track all four years. Tied for the school record in the 100-meter dash (12.5 seconds), competed in Washington’s first Girls State Invitational where she took home titles in the 100-yard dash and 4x4 relay, and a second-place finish in the 70-yard dash. Coached track and field at Ephrata from 2007-2011.

Bryan DeHoog - 1984 graduate of EHS, competed in football, basketball and baseball. Received All-Conference and All-State honors in football, and was a significant player in Ephrata’s 1982 and 1983 state baseball champion teams.

Scott Smith - 1986 graduate of EHS, earned eight varsity letters in football, basketball and baseball. Received all-conference honors in football, was a member of Ephrata’s third-place basketball team in 1983 and was an all-league third baseman for three-straight years. Set the previous school record in home runs for a single season (seven) and was a member of the 1985 state baseball championship team.

Dale Hagy - 1988 graduate of EHS, competed in football, basketball and baseball. Earned all-conference and All-State honors in all three sports, winning two state championships in both football and baseball.

Jonnie Green - 2014 graduate of EHS, competed in football and track and field. Earned all-conference marks in track and field and won district titles in 10 different events over a three-year span. Green won five state titles and was a key member of Ephrata’s boys 2A state championship in 2012.

Tyrus Kemp - 2014 graduate of EHS, competed in wrestling, football and track and field. Kemp is the only two-time state champion wrestler at Ephrata, having won district, regional and state titles in 2013 and 2014 in the 195-pound class. During his high school career, Kemp earned all-conference honors in both football and wrestling.

Rock Witte - a 1975 graduate of EHS, Witte is being recognized as an Honorary Ephrata Athletic Hall of Fame Member for his 33 years of service to both the Ephrata School District and Ephrata Athletics. Working in the maintenance department from 1988 to 2021, Witte was known as an innovative repair person and provided thoughtful and creative solutions when problems arose in the way of events.

1986 Football Team - The 1986 Ephrata Football Team was the first in school history to go 13-0 and end the season with a state championship, defeating Lynden Christian 32-15 in the 1A state title game. The Tigers had a strong defense on the gridiron that season, holding opponents to just 4.5 points per game during the regular season and shutting out opponents in five of nine regular season games. Over the 13 games, Ephrata outscored its opponents 543-82.

In order to be considered for the Athletic Hall of Fame, student-athletes must have graduated from Ephrata High School at least five years before being inducted and played a varsity sport for at least two years while also achieving one of the following accomplishments; first-team all-conference, first-team all-state, earned a top three state medal in an individual sport, been a district champion in an individual sport, received a prestigious award or have had exceptional performances in sport or in contribution to athletics.