Tigers claw out a W in Battle of the Basin

EPHRATA — The Ephrata Tigers pulled away in the second half to take the 2023 Battle of the Basin over the Quincy Jackrabbits 35-12 on Friday night in Ephrata.

Quincy led the game 12-7 at the half, but Ephrata coach Patrick Mitchell said he told his team there was still a half to go.

“I told the kids we needed to calm down and keep playing our style of football, and we were going to be all right,” Mitchell said. “We were going to get back in it.

“The kids responded. I couldn’t be more proud of the way the defense played in the second half, with getting the stops that they did there,” he said.

Quincy scored first on a 5-yard touchdown run by quarterback Ethan Gregg but missed the try for two points. Ephrata came back to score on a 24-yard reception by receiver Hans Roberts, kicking the extra point to go up 7-6.

The Jacks came back in turn and scored on a play by running back Jayden Richards, but the try for two points was unsuccessful.

“Quincy was doing a great job of being methodical and driving the ball and kind of taking it to us in the first half,” Mitchell said.

The game was still 12-7 about halfway through the third quarter, and Quincy was driving downfield when the Jacks faced a fourth down with about one yard to go. The Tigers stopped the running play, and Ephrata took back the ball. Quincy coach Russ Elliott said he considered that the turning point in the game.

“After we failed to convert that fourth down, we didn’t have a lot left in the tank,” Elliott wrote in response to an email from the Herald. “Starting at that point Ephrata just overpowered us.”

The Tigers went ahead for good on a 10-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Brady Hendrick to Roberts. Ephrata went up 21-12 on a touchdown by Llandon Ahmann.

“I’ve just got to thank my teammates for that,” Ahmann said. “I couldn’t have done it without the blocks - they left me an open lane. I took what I was given.”

Roberts scored three touchdowns in the game, after scoring one touchdown during the entire 2022 season. He too said good blocking was crucial.

“We just had a good scheme,” he said. “We knew we could block the corners well.”

“We got excellent blocking from our offensive line up front on those pass plays, giving us time to get the ball down the field and mixing it up with our run game,” Mitchell said.

Ephrata scored twice more, with the last touchdown coming on a 26-yard run from Ahmann.

Elliott said he was encouraged by the way his team kept working.

“I liked the way our guys competed as long as they did. I feel like our guys overachieved for most of the game, which is a testament to their heart and toughness,” he wrote.

Ephrata starts Central Washington Athletic League conference play Friday, traveling to Othello. The game starts at 7 p.m. Quincy will play Tonasket at Quincy High School Field; game time is 7 p.m.

Cheryl Schweizer may be reached via email at cschweizer@columbiabasinherald.com.