QUINCY — Ephrata rolled to its first win of the season, scoring on eight of its 13 possessions while limiting Quincy to just 19 yards of offense, to prevail 62-7 in the Battle of the Basin on Friday, Sept. 18 at Jackrabbit Stadium.

On offense, the Tigers (1-2 CWAC) ran for 317 yards and eight touchdowns, and added a ninth TD on junior Yahizee Alvarado's interception return in the fourth quarter.

Quincy (0-3) has been outscored 158-7 in three games in what has been a tough season thus far. However, the Jackrabbits did post their first touchdown against the Tigers, one play after a high snap on an Ephrata punt.

The win was Ephrata's 10th straight over Quincy in the Battle of the Basin.

"Offense did just what we asked of them Friday, I thought we executed our game plan to a T," said EHS head coach Patrick Mitchell. "We have a lot of weapons on offense, and it was great to see a lot of different players get the chance to show what they can do with the ball in their hands."

Junior quarterback Cooper Vasquez ran for three touchdowns and threw for a fourth, finishing with 74 yards on six carries and 10-of-18 passing for 86 yards.

Junior Chance Lee ran 11 times for 113 yards and scored two touchdowns, including a 40-yard run. Senior Carson Andrus added 68 yards and a touchdown on seven carries, and senior Mitch Morford caught five passes for 55 yards and a TD.

On defense, junior Caleb Newton intercepted a pass and returned three punts for 111 yards, including a 67-yarder that set up Morford’s touchdown reception.

Alvarado had a hand — or foot — in more points than anyone. He connected on 8 of 9 extra points in Ephrata's first kicking PATs of the season (after the Tigers went for 2 following every TD in their first two games) in addition to his 25-yard interception return for a touchdown.

"Yahizee had a great game for us and (8-for-9 kicking) is a solid performance," Mitchell said.

Quincy opened the game with an onside kick, but Ephrata recovered at its own 46. On the first offensive series, Vasquez ran 16 yards and threw 13 to Morford, and Lee scored on a 9-yard run. On Ephrata's next scoring drive, Andrus ran 24 yards to the Quincy 40 and Lee carried the ball the rest of the way for a 14-0 lead.

Newton returned a punt 67 yards to the Quincy 11, and Vasquez threw to Morford from the 3-yard line for a 21-0 lead in the second quarter.

Quincy's best drive followed. Sophomore Jody Gardner ran 27 yards to the Ephrata 19, and a pass interference call moved the ball setting up first-and-goal, but Andrus intercepted two plays later to end the Jacks' momentum.

Ephrata took over again at the Quincy 45 when a Jackrabbit receiver fumbled after a catch, and Vasquez ran 17 yards to the end zone for a 28-0 lead.

Newton intercepted a pass at the Ephrata 37, but the Tigers couldn’t secure a first down. A snap on the punt sailed past Alvarado, but he ran it down and fell on it at the Tiger 8-yard line.

On the ensuing play, Gardner reached the endzone for Quincy's inaugural score, making it 28-7.

Tiger sophomore Levi Wilson returned the following kickoff 30 yards, a Quincy unsportsmanlike conduct penalty moved the ball to the Jackrabbit 23, and Andrus scored from the 3-yard line for a 35-7 halftime lead.

Senior Ty Plaisted recovered a fumble at the Quincy 20 to open the second half, Vasquez ran 18 yards to the 2, then punched into the end zone to finish the drive.

A Jackrabbit punt received by Newton was returned 18 yards to put Ephrata at the Quincy 41, Lee carried the ball 23 yards, a second Quincy unsportsmanlike conduct penalty moved the ball to the 9, and Vasquez scored from there for a 49-7 lead.

Liberally substituting at that point, some younger Tigers stepped in for a promising late third-quarter drive, but it stalled when they turned the ball over on downs on Quincy’s 13-yard line.

But Alvarado helped Ephrata regain the momentum, picking off a pass at the Quincy 25 and returning it to the end zone, widening the gap 55-7.

On the next possession, the Tigers' Gabriel Medina recovered a fumbled handoff at the Quincy 27, and fellow sophomore Cale Crawford scored from the 8 for the final margin.

"Sometimes you can lose focus in a rivalry game and get caught up in the noise, but this team was absolutely locked into what our goals were," Mitchell said afterward.

Junior Tucker Simmons led the EHS defense with a sack and two tackles for loss, and Wilson had four tackles, two TFL.

Quincy quarterback Isaic Gregg was limited to 5-of-15 passing for 17 yards with three interceptions.

"The defense did great with the challenge last week, and we will take on the new challenge of Othello with the same focus and preparation," Mitchell said.

Ephrata hosts Othello (1-2 CWAC) at 7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 25 at Kiwanis Field. Othello has lost two straight, 28-8 at Prosser and 33-18 at home to Selah.

"With each week this team surpasses expectations with the preparation and improvements, and I believe that shows up when you watch us," Mitchell said. "Can't wait for this Friday."

Around the CWAC: Selah, Prosser and East Valley (Yakima) remain unbeaten at 3-0. East Valley won 34-14 at Toppenish and Selah won 33-18 at Othello. Prosser beat Grandview 56-7, and Ephrata beat Quincy 62-7 in the Battle of the Basin. Ellensburg lost a nonleague game 36-8 at home to 1A Rochester.

This week, Othello is at Ephrata, Quincy at East Valley (Yakima), Ellensburg at Toppenish and Grandview at Selah. Prosser plays a nonconference game at Mariner, a 3A school in Everett.