Ephrata, Othello, Quincy gear up for district soccer

MOSES LAKE — The Ephrata Tigers, Othello Huskies and Quincy Jacks will be beginning their journey in the postseason with the opening round of the district tournament in the Central Washington Athletic Conference.  

The Huskies and Jacks will be hosting a win-or-go-home game while the Tigers will travel to play East Valley. While the Tigers game isn't a loser-out game, advancing with a win is still at the forefront of Ephrata Head Coach Gary Klepec's approach.  

Ephrata Tigers (5-8-2) at East Valley 

Despite a slow start to the season that saw the injury-riddled Tigers with an initial 0-5-1 record, they have slowly clawed their way back into the mix – going 5-3-1 in the final stretch of the season. Key players like Brooklyn Sieverkropp, Alexis St. Mary, Skarlett Sanchez-Medina, McKinnley Graaff and Kaitlyn Wolther were slowly working themselves back into the lineup despite injuries initially limiting their impact. 

Since their return, they have all strengthened the Tigers, the coach said.  

"When they do come back, you still have to take care of that injury," Klepec said. "We still have Skarlett Sanchez – she had a broken wrist. She came back (and) she's got a brace on that now, and it's nice to have them back (while) taking care of themselves to make sure they don't re-injure things." 

Klepec praised the team chemistry and their mentality for not allowing 2026 to become a lost season for the Tigers, as well.  

"This is probably the closest team in the 10 years I've been coaching high school girls," said the coach. "They just do everything together. We have Friday dinners where the whole team is involved, but this varsity team has at least one dinner a week, and they're doing things together, and oftentimes you have little conflicts. We've seen none of that, and it makes a big difference mentally. The mental game is a huge part of the game, and to mentally work together and on and off the field has made a big difference." 

The Tigers have faced East Valley once already, coming just short at 3-2. Klepec emphasized his team's belief in themselves to compete with the Red Devils. It will be important to bring intensity to the pitch from the opening whistle, he said.  

"We have to play from the minute we step on the field until the minute we step off," he said. "We've got a style of play, hopefully, that will help us to really challenge East Valley and maybe put them back on their heels a little bit." 

Othello Huskies (6-7) vs Prosser 

If the Huskies lose, they're out. More importantly, they have not been able to get past the first round in the last four seasons, according to Head Coach Victor Quiroz. Three of those matchups saw them fall to the Mustangs. 

"They're excited for this opportunity," he said. "We were here last year. The last couple of years we had play-in games, and the last couple of years we've lost, so I don't want to say nervous, but optimistic because (it's) a new season, and they feel very confident too." 

With Brooklyn Hillman and Alyiah Ruelas as the only two seniors in the starting lineup, the Huskies are a relatively young team but have shown a lot of growth throughout the season, Quiroz said. Each of their seven losses was by one point. As they've navigated a challenging league schedule, the Huskies have focused on finishing games. 

"The girls believe they're probably one of the best in the CWAC, and every day it's like, 'Hey this is where you guys can be at but it's going to take a lot more effort on your part,'" he said. "Just having them realize like, 'Hey you guys can compete. If you look at all the games, even the top teams in the CWAC, you have competed with them so that should speak volumes on who you guys are as a team.'" 

The Huskies were victorious 5-4 after going to overtime earlier this season. In that game, the Mustangs played a lot of high press, which Quiroz said challenged his players. Finding a way to finish that game and others proved crucial to the Huskies success this season.  

With an opportunity to advance past the first round, getting it done against the Mustangs would make it more special, the coach said.  

"I was like, 'Hey, it's got to change this weekend,' and that's what I've been preaching to the girls the last couple days," he said. "You have the opportunity to make history. Othello hasn't gone past the first round of playoffs in the last 10-12 years. They haven't made it to state since 1998. It's all like, 'Hey, it's your guys' year. You guys can make that difference if you guys just play your game and believe in yourselves.'" 

Quincy Jacks (11-5) vs Grandview 

After a 9-0 start to the season, the Jacks have come across some obstacles in the final stretch of their slate. Despite the rocky 2-5 finish, Head Coach Javier Diaz and the Jacks know the stakes are high this weekend when they host Grandview at noon.  

"It's my first postseason, so I'm excited," Diaz said. "I'm just looking forward to the competition. We met Grandview in the beginning of the league season. They were tough. We scraped away with the 1-0 victory. Hopefully we can be better prepared and do some stuff to have a better outcome this Saturday." 

The Greyhounds are 3-11 on the season, but that does not mean the Jacks are overlooking them, Diaz said.  

"They've had some really close games too. They've just been on the other end, unfortunately for them," he said. 

Now that it's the postseason, the Jacks are treating every team as if they're 0-0 as they take it one game at a time. Like the Huskies, the Jacks are in a win-or-go-home scenario. Quincy closed the regular season with 2-1 losses to the Tigers and Selah Vikings.  

Both were similar in how the Jacks were dangerous in their attack but they were unable to start as fast as they would like, Diaz said. 

"We have to have that sense of urgency, not at the end of the game when we're losing. We have to start the game with urgency because now we know that a loss means we were done," he said. We know we're capable of playing; it's just how do we get that from the very beginning? As coaches, we've been looking at different options, things like that. Our training is going to emphasize that these next couple of days, and then hopefully be ready to go on Saturday." 

Stay tuned for a full recap of the Huskies and Jacks games in the Monday edition of the Columbia Basin Herald. The Tigers recap will follow on Tuesday.  

    Quincy Jacks goalkeeper Aylen Garcia (13) squares up as Moses Lake advances their attack during their game earlier this season.
  

    Ephrata sophomore Skarlett Sanchez-Medina goes for a header during a previous home game against Quincy this season.
  

    Brooklyn Hillman, a senior from the Huskies, tries to maneuver around Tigers sophomore Kaitlyn Wolther in a previous home game this season.
  

    Othello sophomore Nayomi Agustin Herrera gains possession of the ball during a prior home game against Ephrata this year.
  

    Aliyah Lafferty, a junior from the Tigers, prepares to kick the ball across the field in a home matchup against the Jacks this season.