EPHRATA — Kiwanis Field saw its first action of the season Friday night, and the Ephrata Tigers made it memorable. 

After a scoreless first quarter, Ephrata erupted for 29 points in the second period, then added touchdowns in each of the third and fourth quarters enroute to a 43-20 league win over visiting Ellensburg.

Tiger quarterback Brady Hendrick keyed the offense, running for 141 yards and two touchdowns, and completing eight-of-12 passes for 63 yards and two more TDs.

In the second quarter, Hendrick opened the scoring with a 20-yard rushing touchdown. Shortly after, Owen Fitch electrified the crowd with a highlight reel kickoff return for a touchdown and Hendrick running for the two-point conversion. The Tigers followed that up with a 10-play, 85-yard drive capped by Carson Andrus powering in on a red-zone TD run. 

With 1:05 remaining in the half, a key defensive play set up Ephrata’s next score when Wyatt Schluckebier intercepted a pass at the Ellensburg 47-yard line. Taking over on offense, Hendrick rambled 36 yards on a quarterback keeper, then scrambled 11 yards to the endzone with 21 seconds left on the clock, giving Ephrata a 29-6 lead at the break.

For the night, Hendrick’s passing attempts were limited but effective. In the second half, he tossed touchdown strikes to Schluckebier and Mitchell Morford – both receivers finished with two receptions for 11 and 33 yards respectively. Additional receptions by Hunter Mills, Calvin Lybbert, Aiden Avila, Nain Guerrero, and Cooper Vasquez kept drives moving and the Ellensburg defense off balance.

Ephrata’s offense was fueled by a dominant running game, amassing 309 total yards on the ground. Carson Andrus picked up 52 yards on six carries and one TD, Chance Lee rushed 10 times for 39 yards, and Jacob Reyes added 33 yards on six carries. Other contributors included Nate Krautscheid (3-26), Michael Medrano (2-6), Ez Chavez-Mabry (2-5), Owen Fitch (1-3), and Dominic Kidd (1-1).

Kicker Caleb Moberg was a perfect five-for-five on extra points to round out the Tigers’ scoring for the night. 

Defensively, Ephrata was equally impressive. Lybbert led the team with six tackles, including two for loss, while Fitch added four tackles, five assists, and one tackle-for-loss. Clayton Wolther recorded two tackles and four assists, Ty Plaisted had a quarterback sack, Alex Belino forced a fumble, and Schluckebier and Reyes each came up with interceptions to stifle Ellensburg drives.

With the win, Ephrata improved its season record to 2-1 in the Central Washington Athletic Conference while Ellensburg dropped to 0-3. 

The Tigers hope their momentum carries into this Friday’s home matchup against unbeaten East Valley of Yakima, now 3-0.

Around the CWAC:
East Valley (Yakima) outlasted Prosser 13-7; Othello rolled Grandview 57-7; Toppenish beat Quincy 50-6; Selah topped West Valley (Yakima) 42-20 in a non-league matchup.

	Q1	Q2	Q3	Q4	Final
Ephrata	0	29	7	7	43
Ellensburg	0	6	6	8	20

Offensive Stats

Passing (9-13, 79 yards, 2 TD)	Stats	TD
Brady Hendrick	8-12, 63 yds	2
Caleb Moberg	1-1, 16 yds

Rushing (43-309 yards, 4 TD)	Attempts / Yards	TD
Brady Hendrick	11-141	2
Carson Andrus	6-52	1
Jacob Reyes	6-33
Chance Lee	10-39
Nate Krautscheid	3-26
Michael Medrano	2-6
Ez Chavez-Mabry	2-5
Owen Fitch	1-3
Dominic Kidd	1-1

Receiving (9-79 yards, 2 TD)	Stats	TD
Mitchell Morford	2-33	1
Hunter Mills	1-2
Calvin Lybbert	1-8
Aiden Avila	1-16
Wyatt Schluckebier	2-11	1
Nain Guerrero	1-8
Cooper Vasquez	1-1

PATs	Made / Attempted
Caleb Moberg	5 / 5

Special Plays

Play	Player	Result
Kickoff Return TD	Owen Fitch	55 yards
2-Point Conversion	Brady Hendrick	3-yard run

Defensive Stats

Interceptions	INT
Jacob Reyes	1
Wyatt Schluckebier	1

Player	Tackles	Assists	Other
Calvin Lybbert	6		2 TFL
Owen Fitch	4	5	1 TFL
Clayton Wolther	2	4
Ty Plaisted			1 sack
Alex Belino			Forced fumble