QUINCY – Ephrata bolted to a big first-half lead and tacked on another score in the final quarter enroute to a 49-14 win over Quincy Friday evening in the two schools' annual Battle of the Basin matchup.

"It's great to get a win against your rival and have the kids experience a great small town football rivalry game," Tiger coach Patrick Mitchell said.

Quarterback Brady Hendrick led the balanced Ephrata offense, completing 20 of 25 passes for 244 yards with four touchdowns and adding his own rushing score. Running back Jacob Reyes powered the ground game with several long carries in totaling 87 yards and catching one pass for 25 yards.

In the first quarter, a dominating opening drive was capped by Chance Lee’s TD and a 6-0 lead. Ephrata went on to post two more touchdowns in the period. On a subsequent series, the Tigers advanced on a screen pass from Hendrick to Hunter Mills, then Hendrick completed a 25-yard scoring strike to Calvin Lybbert. Reyes ran for a two-point conversion and a 14-0 advantage. On a trick play moments later, Hendrick flipped a flea-flicker to Cooper Vasquez, who launched a 40-yard touchdown pass to Lybbert. Caleb Moberg added the PAT kick to go up 21-0.

The offensive barrage continued with three TDs in the second period. Hendrick reached the endzone on a 1-yard dive and tossed scoring passes to Mitchell Morford (five catches, 68 yards) and Wyatt Schluckebier (two receptions, 42 yards). Quincy finally got on the board just before halftime on a scoring run by Jacks QB Pierce Bierlink. Bierlink, later injured on defense while breaking up a Tiger pass play, did not return in the second half.

In the third quarter, the Jacks picked up their second score when backup QB Connor Galloway connected with Keegan Nelson for a touchdown pass. The TD came after a back-and-forth sequence involving a dropped punt return by the Tigers, a defensive stop of the Jackrabbits on fourth-and-goal on Ephrata's 1-yard line, and a subsequent Tiger fumble recovered by Quincy on the 9-yard-line that set up the Jacks' final score.

Back on offense, Reyes answered with a pair of near-30 yard runs and Mills capped the drive with a touchdown catch early in the fourth quarter. With the lead secure, Mitchell rotated in younger players to close out the game. The win evened the Tigers' season record at 1-1 while the Jacks fell to 0-2 in the Central Washington Athletic Conference standings.

Mitchell said he was particularly pleased with his offensive line due to an illness changing the starting lineup. He cited the efforts of guard Connor Roth and tackle Cooper Kriete in anchoring the left side of the line. 

Kriete also led the Tiger defense with five tackles, two assists, and one sack. Three of his tackles resulted in lost yardage for Quincy. Reyes and Owen Fitch each recorded four tackles, with two by Fitch resulting in loss. He assisted on two other stops. Benson Bair and Casten Iverson each recorded a sack and Schluckebier came up with an interception for Ephrata. 

"We did our jobs and we were able to get some of our younger guys some Friday night action," Mitchell said. "It's a great way to reward their hard work and dedication, because we wouldn't be where we are without them."

After opening the 2025 season with two road games, Ephrata will be home this Friday, Sept. 19, hosting Ellensburg. Mitchell said his players are “excited to finally be at home at Kiwanis Field. Can't wait to coach this awesome group of kids again next Friday night.”

Quincy will be on the road, traveling to Toppenish and take on the Wildcats.

	Q1	Q2	Q3	Q4	Final
Ephrata	21	21	0	7	49
Quincy	0	7	7	0	14

Offensive Stats

Passing (21-26, 284 yards, 5 TD)	Stats	TD
Brady Hendrick	20-25, 244 yds, 1 INT	4
Cooper Vasquez	1-1, 40 yds	1

Rushing (23-214 yards, 2 TD)	Attempts / Yards	TD
Brady Hendrick	7-54	1
Jacob Reyes	7-87
Chance Lee	5-48	1
Nate Krautscheid	2-19
Cooper Vasquez	2-6

PATs	Made / Attempted
Caleb Moberg	6 / 7

2-Point Conversions	Result
Jacob Reyes	1 run

Receiving (21-284 yards, 5 TD)	Stats	TD
Hunter Mills	5-30	1
Mitchell Morford	5-68	1
Chance Lee	1-8
Nain Guerrero	2-17
Aiden Avila	1-4
Wyatt Schluckebier	2-42	1
Calvin Lybbert	4-90	2
Jacob Reyes	1-25

Defensive Stats

Interceptions	INT
Wyatt Schluckebier	1

	Tackles	Assists	Other
Cooper Kriete	5	2	1 sack, 3 TFL
Jacob Reyes	4
Owen Fitch	4	2	2 TFL
Benson Bair	3		1 sack
Casten Iverson	3		1 sack
Carter Garcia	2	2
Michael Park	2	1

Around the CWAC, East Valley (2-0) traveled to Grandview (0-2) and rolled to a 55-6 victory. Selah (2-0) shut out Ellensburg (0-2) 42-0; the Bulldogs have yet to score this season. Prosser (2-0) edged Toppenish (1-1) 13-3 at home, and Othello (2-0) made the short trip to Connell for a 42-7 win.