Tigers earn homecoming victory over Toppenish

EPHRATA — The Ephrata Tigers (3-4) got back in the win column Friday on their homecoming night with a victory over the Toppenish Wildcats. The Tigers were strong on all sides of the ball throughout and the community brought energy and excitement while watching the 20-7 win. 

“Great crowd for homecoming and awesome to see all of the great community support,” said Tigers Head Coach Patrick Mitchell. “The community did a great job of the buildup to the game all week, the downtown businesses were all black and orange, and we had some great student support with the pep rallies and it was just all around a great atmosphere for the kids playing. It just makes you feel really lucky to be in a great place and to be able to coach football on a Friday night.” 

Mitchell said in preparation for Friday’s game the Tigers mindset was to try and work through their struggles they’ve had at home. While the Tigers had found success on the road this season, they had not been able to win a game on their own turf. 

“I told the kids, ‘Tonight is about protecting the farm,’ to use some terms that maybe resonate with the kids around here in farm country,” said the coach. “I thought that they did a great job of leaning into that and going out there to get the win.”  

The Tigers utilized pregame energy and homecoming excitement to fuel the first half. Ephrata got on the board in its opening drive with a 25-yard touchdown pass from junior quarterback Cooper Vasquez to sophomore wide receiver Caleb Newton. 

Neither side scored again in the first quarter as both defenses held strong to keep the game at 7-0 in favor of the Tigers.  

In the second quarter, Ephrata forced a turnover twice, the first being a strip fumble recovered by Newton. Despite the recovery being deep in Wildcats territory, the Tigers were unable to score on that drive. 

With just under 43 seconds left in the half, Toppenish was on its way to make a deep drive into Tigers territory when Newton once again came through and made an interception. Newton ran the ball deep into Toppenish territory where this time Vasquez punched the ball into the endzone to extend the lead 14-0 by halftime. 

“I thought that we came out pretty inspired in the first half,” said Mitchell.  

The Wildcats found some strength in the third quarter as they gained the opportunity for their first touchdown of the night. After marching down field Toppenish punched in for a six-yard run to put the game at 14-7. 

During the third quarter, Toppenish also held Ephrata scoreless for the first time in the game. 

The fourth quarter saw the return of the Tigers firing on all cylinders as the defense held Toppenish scoreless for the remainder of the game and the offense made another deep push into Wildcats territory.  Ephrata junior running back Chance Lee scored the final points of the game on a two-yard rushing touchdown, and after a missed two-point conversion, put the score at 20-7. 

This Ephrata victory was brought about by the combined efforts of many players throughout the roster.

“It was a good team win,” said Mitchell. “A lot of contributors in a lot of different places.” 

Vasquez went 17/26 on completions, for a total of 213 yards, which was his highest of the season, and one touchdown. 

Newton showed strength on all sides of the ball as he scored a touchdown, had two takeaways on defense and made a good punt return for the Tigers during Friday’s game, said Mitchell. Lee led the team in rushing with 110 yards, his longest rush being a 26-yard carry. 

Senior wide receiver Mitchell Morford had a strong showing with 106 receiving yards, which the coach said was his third game in a row breaking 100 yards in receiving.  

Ez Chavez-Mabry also had a successful game with 52 yards on four receptions offensively and an interception on defense. 

Other defensive highlights came from seniors Cooper Kriete and Owen Fitch and junior Tucker Simmons who each made multiple key tackles. 

“Our defense has been playing really well as of late,” said Mitchell. 

With just a few weeks left for the regular season, he said this solid team victory is integral for the Tigers to build some momentum for the final stretch.  

“We’ve got some pretty big tests coming up and we definitely want to meet those challenges and we feel like we're not done yet,” said the coach. “We’re going to do everything that we can as the season winds down to show to ourselves that we can really put together some complete games.” 

As Ephrata prepares for their next matchup, that focus on continuing to put together complete games will be on the forefront of their minds and he said, the more consistent they are in completing their games the better their chances will be. 

“We are a pretty good team and these guys are a lot of fun to coach and fun to be around,” said Mitchell. 

The Tigers head on the road this Friday to face Ellensburg at 7 p.m.  

BOX SCORE:  

TOPP: 0-0-7-0: 7 

EPHT: 7-7-0-6: 20

    Ephrata’s Lance James Melum (22) and Will Fitch (51) congratulate Caleb Newton (4) on the sideline after his interception Friday against Toppenish.
  

    Kai Kaleohano (19) and Caleb Newton (4) work to bring down the Toppenish runner during Friday’s home victory.
  

    The Tigers defense lines up against Toppenish’s offense during Friday’s homecoming game in Ephrata.
  

    Yahizee Alvarado from the Tigers gets ready to kick the ball after an Ephrata touchdown during Friday’s homecoming game.