Jacks to face Bridgeport in district semis

QUINCY – The Jacks, who closed the regular season with a 13-game winning streak, are now preparing for Wednesday’s District 6 1A semifinal against Bridgeport.

The Mustangs finished the regular season with a 13-3 record, where they began the season by winning their first 10 games.

“Looks like they've been doing pretty well in their league, and we just can’t underestimate them,” Quincy Head Coach Francisco Tafoya said. “At the same time, we can’t respect them too much when we go play them on Wednesday. We’ve got to do our job, play our game. Go into every game thinking it possibly could be our last.”

Quincy won the 2023 Caribou Trail League title with a 1-0 win over Cascade (Leavenworth) on April 25, then defeated Cashmere 6-2 and Omak 6-0 to close out the regular season. Tafoya said the Jacks attempted new tactics in Wednesday’s win over the Pioneers, preparing for the intense nature of postseason competition.

“I think (Wednesday’s) win just gave us a bit of confidence,” Tafoya said. “We tried something a little bit different, as in tactical, formation-wise, and it looked like it was working out pretty well. (We wanted to) have more than one idea of different game scenarios if it comes down to it – to try something else if what we’re doing isn’t working, that was the game plan for (Wednesday), to implement something new and see if it works.”

Having won the 2022 District 6 1A/2B tournament, the Jacks are using that experience in preparing for this year’s playoff run. The Jacks defeated Cascade 1-0 in last year’s championship game, earning a No. 3 seed in the 1A state tournament.

“You've got (Jorge Nunez), Isaac (Lopez) and a few other guys that have a little bit of experience on what it feels like to play for a final,” Tafoya said. “It’s not the state final that we want to be playing for, but a final is a final. You want to pick up that hardware and add it to your trophy case.”

The same group of seniors with experience from last year’s season is passing that along to the underclassmen on the team, Tafoya said.

“This group of seniors is really stepping up,” Tafoya said. “They’re very tight-knit and taking on that mentorship, leadership role where they’re guiding the younger guys.”

Quincy’s 13-game win streak to close the regular season spawned from the team’s loss to Wenatchee early in the season, Tafoya said.

“It went off of that Wenatchee game,” Tafoya said. “The boys, even though we lost 5-4, just how highly motivated they were after that loss. They put up a tough fight against a 4a Wenatchee team, a 4A school, that usually the last four years have handed us pretty good losses. That final stretch there in the final few minutes, it really showed them their capacity for what they’re capable of this year.”

Quincy faces Bridgeport at 6 p.m. at the Apple Bowl in Wenatchee. The winner faces the winner of Wednesday’s Brewster/Cascade match in the final and automatically qualifies for state.

Ian Bivona may be reached at ibivona@columbiabasinherald.com.