Despite playoff losses, Tigers and Huskies gain experience from 2023

MOSES LAKE — Both Ephrata and Othello entered 2023 after successful seasons on the field the year prior, having qualified for the 2A state playoffs, but graduated numerous starters that helped the teams win games. 

The Tigers and Huskies found success with young teams and new faces again this year, making it back to the playoffs before falling last weekend to North Kitsap and Enumclaw, respectively.

“We said, ‘We’ve got a huge challenge –- yes, we lost a great group of kids, but here’s the challenge; how do we get back there after losing all these good kids?’” Ephrata Head Coach Patrick Mitchell said. “And the kids took it to heart and accepted the challenge.”

Ephrata lost 23 seniors off its 2022 roster, seven of which received all-league honors, while the Huskies lost 22 seniors, including Central Washington Athletic Conference Offensive Player of the Year Sonny Asu and four other all-league talents.

“There (were) a lot of unknowns,” Othello Defensive Coordinator Kevin Hale said. “We didn’t just replace a few different players; we replaced a lot of really, really good players. We knew we were going to be young, we weren’t really sure what we were going to get. We knew there was potential, there’s talent, but we didn’t know exactly how that was going to be.”

Othello faced added adversity in the opening game of the year when starting quarterback Maddox Martinez was injured against Connell. By the time the playoffs came around sophomore Quade Gonzalez was starting under center, who entered the year third on the depth chart behind two seniors.

The Huskies began the year 1-2 with losses to Royal and Ephrata, but won its remaining games to finish the regular season 7-2. Hale said Othello’s 45-43 win over Prosser and 17-10 win over Ellensburg were turning points, showing the team could capture wins in different ways.

“That’s when we realized this is really something, our kids were growing up right in front of us,” Hale said. “It was really that two-game stretch.”

    Othello senior Alex Mendez (4) runs past the Kelso defense during an Oct. 20 game. Mendez was named the Central Washington Athletic Conference’s Offensive Player of the Year.
  

During the six-game winning streak that closed out the regular season, Othello averaged 38.3 points per game.

“Outside of that Ellensburg game, we were scoring a lot of points — scoring over 40 points per game,” Hale said. “Our Offensive Player of the Year, Alex Mendez, running behind Mason Perez and that offensive line; the offense was really, really rolling. That took a lot of pressure off the defense, to not have to be perfect.”

Mendez, who ran the ball for more than 350 yards and five touchdowns in the regular season finale against East Valley, was named the CWAC’s Offensive Player of the Year. The senior ran for 1,738 yards and 20 touchdowns on 198 carries this fall.

“He was fearless, and seeing that, the other guys wanted to match it,” Hale said. “Having players like that, it goes without saying that it obviously helps.”

Perez was named the CWAC’s Defensive Player of the Year.

“His drive on the field is unreal, and it doesn’t matter what’s happening in the game, Mason (Perez) doesn’t change,” Hale said. “He comes after you, and having somebody that talented with that kind of drive is something the other guys can follow, but they can have confidence in.”

Ephrata lost its opening game on the road against Moses Lake but defeated Quincy, Othello and East Valley (Yakima) to rebound at 3-1. The next week saw a road non-league loss to Cashmere, which dropped the Tigers to 3-2 overall, but Ephrata responded by winning three of their next four to close the regular season at 6-3.

    Ephrata sophomore Calvin Lybbert makes a tackle against East Valley (Yakima) on Sept. 22.
  

Mitchell credited the tight-knit locker room for remaining steady, despite the early-season losses.

“I think the last two years, one of the proudest things I have as a coach is even in the tough times, even in the losses, (the players) stay together and we don’t see a whole lot of infighting or pointing fingers,” Mitchell said. “I think that matters a whole lot, because there’s always going to be tough times in a season or in a game, and we’ve got to stay together as a unit in order to succeed.”

Othello and Ephrata ended the regular season tied atop the CWAC with 5-1 records, sharing the league title; the Huskies won the league last year, but it’s the first time the Tigers have won the CWAC since 1992.

“I was super proud of the kids,” Mitchell said. “It’s not an easy thing to do, especially in a tough league. In the last few years, there’s four or five teams that are always in the mix, that could have won a league title. There’s a lot of good teams, and things kind of have to go your way a little bit.”

    Othello junior Mason Perez was named the Central Washington Athletic Conference’s Defensive Player of the Year.
  

While the playoff matchups led to losses for both teams — No. 13 Ephrata lost 49-0 to No. 4 North Kitsap and No. 14 Othello lost 49-12 to No. 3 Enumclaw — this season has brought many valuable lessons for players in the coming years.

“Just the experience, the feeling of what it’s like, the intensity and the level that you have to play at in order to be successful on a high level,” Hale said. “To be able to see a team like that and think, ‘We have to get through that talented of a team if we want to get closer to being state champions.’ The experience matters. We’ve got a lot of talent, and the next few years are going to be really good.”

“We want to build up the Ephrata football community, and get everybody excited about what we're trying to do,” Mitchell said. “I think we’ve built upon a lot of those great things that have been around here, and win or lose, that’s one of the things when I got this job that I wanted to bring about, was that football community.”

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