OTHELLO — A strong middle stretch wasn’t enough for the Ephrata Tigers on Friday, Oct. 10, as Othello held off a second-half rally to claim a 33-21 win in Central Washington Athletic Conference play.

Ephrata fell to 3-3 overall and 2–3 in league, while Othello improved to 4-1, moving into a three-way tie for second with Selah and Prosser in the CWAC standings heading into the final month of the regular season.

After a scoreless first quarter, Othello struck first in the second to take a 7-0 lead before Ephrata found its rhythm. Senior quarterback Brady Hendrick continued his standout season, connecting with Hunter Mills on a 50-yard touchdown strike, then hitting Mitchell Morford on a two-point conversion to give the Tigers their only lead of the night, 8-6.

Othello answered with a late passing score to retake the lead and carried a 13-8 advantage into halftime.

The Huskies extended that margin in the third quarter with a pair of touchdowns, first on a short run, then on a long pass, to go up 27-8.

Ephrata responded when Hendrick again found Morford, this time on a 7-yard touchdown pass, narrowing the gap to 27-14 followed by a failed two-point conversion attempt.

After a defensive stand at their own 3-yard line, the Tigers regained possession. Hendrick capitalized on the defensive stop with a 5-yard touchdown run and the extra point brought Ephrata within one score at 27-21. But Othello answered with another scoring run in the fourth quarter to put the game out of reach, 33-21.

Reflecting on his team’s performance against Othello, Tiger coach Patrick Mitchell praised the Tigers’ resilience and competitiveness. “The heart and determination of our kids, and how we refused to concede,” Mitchell said. “We know we can play with and compete with anyone. Now we have to get to the next step, which is beating a really good team. I think it also showed what we are capable of when we don’t make unforced errors.”

Ephrata’s offense totaled 199 yards – 97 rushing and 102 passing. Individually, Hendrick completed 11-of-16 passes for the aerial yardage and two passing touchdowns plus his TD run. Carson Andrus led the Tigers' ground game with 62 rushing yards on just three carries while Mills posted 50 receiving yards on his lone catch.

Defensively, Owen Fitch led Ephrata with 13 total tackles including a tackle-for-loss and a sack. Alex Belino added 10 stops, and Cooper Kriete and Jacob Bartlett contributed key tackles up front.

“It’s a very solid CWAC this year,” Mitchell said. “East Valley’s at the top, but there are six other really good teams. It makes every game feel like a must-win.”

Ephrata returns home for Homecoming Night this Friday, Oct. 17, hosting Toppenish (3-3) at Kiwanis Field. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.

“Homecoming is one of the greatest traditions we have in this country — it brings small communities together,” Mitchell said. “I love everything about it, and we’re going to use all the spirit and energy we build this week and take it into the game. Come out, support your Tigers, and we’ll see some fireworks on the field and at halftime.”

Elsewhere around the Central Washington Athletic Conference, league-leading East Valley of Yakima (5-0) routed Toppenish (3-3), 56-6; Ellensburg (2-4) notched its second league win, defeating Quincy (0-5), 28-14; and Selah (4-1) blanked Grandview (0-6), 40-0. In non-league play, Prosser (4-1) fell to five-time defending 1A state champion Royal, 50-3.