Homecoming victory: Tigers improve to 5-2 with win over Greyhounds

EPHRATA — The Tigers lit up the scoreboard in Friday night’s 48-14 win over the Grandview Greyhounds, amassing nearly 400 yards of offense while finding success in both the pass and run game during the Homecoming match.

“It’s always nice when they complement each other, and that’s what we’ve always tried to do,” Ephrata coach Patrick Mitchell said. “Especially with bringing along our younger quarterback, it’s nice when we're having some success running the ball; it helps open up the passing game.”

Ephrata came out of the gate swinging against the Greyhounds, putting up 14 points in the first quarter on touchdowns scored by senior Hans Roberts, a 33-yard reception, and junior Coltyn Klingenberg, a 39-yard run.

In the second quarter, Roberts caught a 20-yard touchdown pass, senior Macsimiliano Placido Barajas returned an interception 29 yards for a touchdown and junior Elijah Chavez-Mabry scored on an eight-yard run. Ephrata was up 34-0 at halftime.

Mitchell said the objective against Grandview was to start fast.

“That was a point of emphasis that we had going into this week,” Mitchell said. “I challenged the kids to get a great start, set the tone early with how we wanted to move the ball offensively. We haven’t, to this point, been great starting off games. We wanted to make sure that (Friday night) was going to be a little bit different.”

While the offense was putting points on the board throughout the night, the Ephrata defense held the Greyhounds to just 44 yards of total offense Friday. Grandview didn't reach the end zone until the fourth quarter, and one of their touchdowns came off of a kickoff return.

“They keep getting better; we’ve got a lot of guys that are putting in a lot of extra work in our film room, during their lunch breaks and things like that, with the coaches that are on our staff. Finding those extra little pieces to find an edge has helped, especially with some of our younger kids on the defense.”

While the Tigers stand atop the Central Washington Athletic Conference with a 4-0 mark in league games – along with a head-to-head win over second-place Othello – Mitchell said Ephrata remains focused on the task at hand; taking things one game at a time.

“We can’t get too caught up in what’s happening elsewhere – we’ve got to be singularly focused on Prosser this week,” Mitchell said. “It’s going to be a tough game down there, and we’ve got to make real sure that we’re prepared and ready to go. Just take things one game at a time.”

Adding a wrinkle into the preparation for the game is that the Tigers take on the Mustangs on Thursday night, rather than Friday night.

“We told the kids (Friday) night, that we’re going to find ways to make it happen and make sure we’re real comfortable with our game plan,” Mitchell said. “They’re in the same boat as we are with the short week.”

The Tigers improved to 5-2 overall with Friday night’s win, locking up the victory on homecoming week.

“It’s always a good one; you always have a bigger crowd, it’s always special. Homecoming is such a great tradition we have here. It’s so fun for the kids all week, and it’s nice to put an exclamation point on the week with a W on your homecoming night,” Mitchell said.

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

Box Score

Grandview: 0-0-0-14 14

Ephrata: 14-20-7-7 48