Tigers roar past Ellensburg

EPHRATA – The Ephrata Tigers’ football team earned a strong 43-20 home victory over Ellensburg Friday night to improve their record to 2-1. 

“We started off kind of shaky, we made a few mistakes, but we tied it together, and then we came out and did what we needed to do to win,” said Tigers junior Ty Plaisted.  

Plaisted said the Tigers started the game getting multiple penalties called on them, but were quickly able to turn around and use their run game to their advantage. The team went into halftime, earning 15 points in the first and 14 in the second, only allowing Ellensburg to score 6. 

The Tigers continued their run in the third quarter with an additional 14 points stacked onto their lead. At the same time, Ellensburg added on two touchdowns as well, but it wasn’t enough as they went scoreless in the fourth quarter, giving the Tigers the 43-20 victory. 

“To their credit, I thought they came out with a good game plan to get some stops early on and frustrate us a little bit,” said Tigers head coach Patrick Mitchell. “We kind of went back to just what we’ve found with our success, which is just moving the ball as fast as we can, and I thought that got us back in our rhythm.” 

The coach said the Tigers had a great game on both sides of the ball, with their quarterback Brady Hendrick making great pass plays when his receivers were covered and scrambling around until they could get open. The team also maintained a strong run throughout the game with the help of the offensive line opening up holes for the running backs. 

The Tigers’ defense created a lot of turnovers and held the opposition thoroughly as the game went on. While the defense had a couple of miscues and penalties at first, the coach said he was impressed with their performance. 

Mitchell said the Tigers are still looking to put together a full four-quarter game where they limit the number of mistakes made each quarter. Hendrick said this is something he also would like to see the team strive for. 

“I think that (complete game) is coming soon, and I think it’s going to come next week against East Valley,” said the quarterback. 

Hendrick said the Tigers have some tricks up their sleeve that they are ready to use against East Valley, but overall, they are preparing for this game like they do every week. One thing that the team will put some focus on as they prepare for their next game is reducing their penalties. 

“We can’t be getting that many flags and then we’re definitely going to work on some defense, pursuit and getting hats to the ball,” said Plaisted. 

The Tigers’ next game will be at home this Friday at 7 p.m. 

BOX SCORE:  

EPHR: 15-14-14-0: 43
ELLN: 6-0-14-0: 20 

    The Tigers’ offensive linemen get ready to hike the ball against Ellensburg. Head coach Patrick Mitchell said the offensive line played a major role in the team's success as they opened holes for the running backs to make huge plays.
  

    Tigers kicker Caleb Moberg makes an extra point after the team scored a touchdown against Ellensburg. Tigers head coach Patrick Mitchell said Ellensburg got into their heads a little bit during the first quarter, but the team quickly recovered.
  

    The Tigers’ Alex Belino runs downfield with the ball with his teammate Hunter Smith close behind. The Tigers coach and players agreed that one goal they are pushing towards is to be able to play a complete game without mistakes this season.