PROSSER — Ephrata came within inches of a road upset Friday night, but a blocked extra point and a late turnover left the Tigers one point shy in a season-opening 14-13 loss to Prosser in Central Washington Athletic Conference football action.

Prosser opened the scoring late in the first quarter on a quarterback draw play by sophomore signal-caller Daniel Diaz Garcia, who reached the endzone on an 11-yard run. With a good PAT kick, the Mustangs claimed a 7-0 lead.

Ephrata moved the ball well early behind running backs Carson Andrus and Jacob Reyes and quarterback Brady Hendrick, but penalties and a dropped fourth-down pass stalled the drive. 

The Mustangs completed their scoring in the second quarter when they converted on fourth down with a 10-yard TD pass and PAT for a 14-0 lead. 

With 7:04 remaining in the half, Ephrata answered with its best drive of the night, advancing 63 yards on six plays, culminated when Hendrick reached the goal line on a 7-yard scramble. Kicker Caleb Moberg added the extra point to cut the deficit to 14-7. During the series, Hendrick mixed in quarterback keepers with handoffs to Andrus and connected with Nain Guerrero on a 21-yard pass.

Ephrata’s defense held firm late in the first half, stalling Prosser on two separate series with a quarterback sack and forcing a turnover on downs. Those defensive stands were bookended around a Tiger offensive drive that got extended by a roughing-the-passer penalty, but ended when the Mustangs intercepted a Hendrick pass near their own 25-yard-line.

A scoreless third quarter belonged to the defenses. Running back Chance Lee sparked Ephrata with a nearly 20-yard burst, but the Tigers lost momentum after failing to convert on fourth down.

In the final period, Ephrata pieced together a grinding drive that featured multiple first-down runs by Reyes and passes by Hendrick, including a key reception by receiver Hunter Mills. Receiver Mitchell Morford capped the march with a 17-yard touchdown run at the 8:06 mark. But on the point-after attempt, Prosser surged through the line and blocked the kick to preserve its 14-13 lead.

Ephrata’s defense rose again moments later, stuffing the Mustangs on fourth down around the Tigers’ 40-yard line. Returning to the field, the Tigers’ offense started a promising possession with a couple of first downs. But after a run attempt lost yardage and an incompletion, Hendrick’s fourth-down pass to Wyatt Schluckebier came up inches shy of the sticks with 3:26 remaining. Prosser took over on downs and ran out the clock to collect the season-opening win. 

“Kids played tough, they battled through a lot of adversity through the week, and I was impressed at how they stayed calm getting down early 14-0 and not panicking,” Tiger coach Patrick Mitchell said afterward. 

“We battled back, playing great second-half defense, and we were driving at the end of the game with a chance to win,” Mitchell continued. “Those are the situations we want to be in with great opponents, and we will be better in the long run because of it.”

Overall, Ephrata generated 276 yards in total offense. Individually, Hendrick completed 9-of-19 passes for 91 yards in the air and ran for another 72 yards and one TD. Hunter Mills was Hendrick’s top target, finishing with four catches for 47 yards. On the ground, the Tigers totaled 185 rushing yards with Andrus and Reyes each picking up 34 yards and Morford contributing his 17-yard scoring run. 

“We have to fix some little things, but we are going to prepare the same way and trust ourselves and our process,” Mitchell said.

Elsewhere in the CWAC, several games were postponed from Friday to Saturday night because of smoky air conditions in the Yakima Valley. Othello blanked Ellensburg 49-0, Toppenish beat Grandview 28-14, East Valley (Yakima) rolled past Pendleton, Oregon 46-3, and Selah shut out Quincy 44-0.

 The Tigers are on the road again next week, traveling to Quincy to face the Jackrabbits on Friday in the annual Battle of the Basin contest. Opening kickoff is 7 p.m.