EPHRATA — Ephrata beat Toppenish 20-7 at Kiwanis Field on Friday, Oct. 16, a homecoming win that kept the Tigers in the race for the Central Washington Athletic Conference's fourth Week 10 playoff spot.

The Tigers sit fifth, one win behind Othello. With two league games left, they need some luck either way. Ephrata must beat Ellensburg on Friday, and Toppenish must beat Othello the following week. If the Tigers also beat Prosser on Oct. 29, they would finish fourth outright.

If they lose to Prosser and Toppenish beats Quincy on Friday, Ephrata, Othello and Toppenish would finish tied at 4-4 and play it off Saturday, Oct. 31 at a neutral site.

Ephrata's homecoming victory was not without some heartburn. The Tigers committed seven turnovers on four interceptions and three fumbles, but Toppenish struggled to do anything with them. The visiting Wildcats (2-4 league, 3-4 season) turned the ball over five times themselves, finished with just 7 rushing yards on 24 carries, and were outgained by the Tigers 328-151.

Ephrata, now 3-4 (3-3 CWAC) on the season, built a 14-0 lead by halftime. In the opening period, quarterback Cooper Vasquez connected with fellow junior Caleb Newton from 25 yards out for the game's first touchdown. Vasquez scored again on a 4-yard run in the second quarter. Junior Yahizee Alvarado converted both extra-point kicks.

In the third period, Toppenish closed the gap to 14-7 when Simeon Ozuna scored from the red zone. But Ephrata concluded the scoring when junior Chance Lee punched in a 2-yard burst in the fourth quarter. The ensuing two-point conversion attempt failed.

For the night, Vasquez completed 17 of 26 passes for 213 yards and the touchdown, but was intercepted four times. On the ground, Lee had 22 carries for 110 yards, his third 100-yard game of the season. Senior Mitch Morford caught eight passes for 106 yards; junior EZ Chavez-Mabry had four receptions for 52 yards.

Ephrata's defense continued to make a statement, forcing five Wildcat punts and taking the ball away five times. That makes 13 takeaways in the last three games and 22 this season. Newton and seniors Cooper Kriete and Owen Fitch each recovered fumbles, and the Tigers intercepted two passes. (Hudl statistics provided for the game did not identify players credited with the two interceptions.)

Toppenish got 103 receiving yards from Moses Melgoza on five catches. Its two quarterbacks, sophomore Marco Felan and senior Guadalupe Cisneros, combined to go 12 of 25 for 144 yards.

This Friday, Ephrata travels to Ellensburg for a 7 p.m. contest against the Bulldogs, who are 0-6 in conference standings. Ephrata closes league play at Kiwanis Field on Thursday, Oct. 29, against Prosser.

Around the CWAC: Last week, Prosser beat East Valley 42-24 at home to hand the Red Devils their first loss, Selah beat Ellensburg 41-12, and Othello won 42-14 at Grandview. In nonleague play, Quincy lost 52-27 at Chelan.

That sets up a showdown this Friday night between the Prosser Mustangs and Selah Vikings. Both are unbeaten at 7-0, 6-0 in the CWAC, so all eyes will be on this game with the league title on the line. Statewide, Prosser is listed fifth and Selah eighth among 2A teams in the latest VarsityWA poll while the WIAA’s RPI rankings list Selah third and Prosser seventh.

In the other Week 8 matchups, Grandview plays at East Valley, Quincy visits Toppenish, and Othello hosts West Valley of Yakima in a nonleague game.