Editor's note: this story was updated with additional details and game and season statistics.

STEILACOOM — Ephrata’s 2025 football season ended Saturday, Nov. 8, with a 38-14 loss to Steilacoom in the WIAA’s Week 10 “round-of-32” cross-regional matchup for Class 2A teams.

The Sentinels scored early, connecting on an 8-yard touchdown pass from Titus Kaeka – one of the top prep passing quarterbacks in the state – to sophomore receiver Jaleo Johnson on their opening drive for a 7-0 lead. A field goal and another Kaeka-to-Johnson TD pass for 41 yards in the second quarter stretched the lead to 17-0.

Ephrata then stalled on offense when Steilacoom cornerback Evan DiPetrillo intercepted a deep pass by quarterback Brady Hendrick. But Hendrick, also a defensive back for the Tigers, made up for that miscue on the next series by picking off a Kaeka pass and returning it to near midfield. Two penalties whistled against the Sentinels then helped Ephrata advance to the Steilacoom 25.

From there, Hendrick broke free for a 13-yard run and finished a three-play drive with a 10-yard QB keeper for the touchdown. Caleb Moberg’s extra point kick cut Steilacoom's lead to 17-7 just before halftime.

The Sentinels regrouped in the locker room and opened the third quarter with a 64-yard touchdown pass from Kaeka to receiver Noah Maxwell, then followed that strike on their next possession with a 29-yard scoring run by Maxwell to pull away, 31-7.

Ephrata answered with a drive deep into Sentinel territory, reaching the 11-yard line before a Hendrick pass intended for Hunter Mills was intercepted by Maxwell in the end zone. In the fourth quarter, another promising Tiger drive ended the same way when Maxwell snared his second interception of the game.

Kaeka added a final 12-yard touchdown pass to tight end Xavier Shaw early in the fourth, with the extra point sealing Steilacoom’s lead 38-7.

For Ephrata's final score, Hendrick led an 11-play march downfield, keeping the ball on eight carries and punching in a 2-yard run for his second touchdown of the night with 3:30 remaining. But the Tigers couldn’t regain possession and Steilacoom's offense ran out the clock.

Overall, Ephrata totaled 280 yards on 65 plays, including 171 rushing yards. Hendrick carried the ball 23 times for 141 yards and the two TDs, and completed 10 of 24 passes for 109 yards but was picked off four times. Nain Guerrero caught two passes for 43 yards and Mills added three receptions for 33 yards. Moberg was 2-for-2 on PATs

On defense, linebacker Owen Fitch led the Tigers with seven solo tackles and seven assists. Braiden Baltz added four stops, a tackle for loss and an interception, and Hendrick snagged one of his own.

But Steilacoom racked up 451 yards on offense, its second-highest total of the season. And defensively, the Sentinels limited Ephrata to 4-for-13 on third-down conversions and just 1-for-6 on fourth down.

Nonetheless, Coach Patrick Mitchell's Tigers ended a positive year with a 6-4 record and a return to the postseason after missing out in 2024. They compiled more than 3,500 yards in total offense – 2,325 rushing and 1,241 passing – while averaging just over 350 yards per game.

Individually, Hendrick was a Tiger workhorse, throwing for 1,185 yards and 14 touchdowns and rushing for 896 yards and 16 TDs. Running backs Carson Andrus and Jacob Reyes combined for more than 840 rushing yards and five touchdowns. Mitchell Morford, Hunter Mills and Calvin Lybbert were Hendrick’s top receiving targets. Morford caught 23 passes for 287 yards and six touchdowns, Mills hauled in 22 passes for 271 yards and three TDs, and Lybbert contributed four touchdown receptions and 233 receiving yards.

Defensively for the season, Fitch set a high bar as the Tigers' leading tackler with 91, including 10 tackles for loss and a sack. Lybbert, at defensive back, added 47 stops, three tackles for loss, and a sack. Other defensive leaders included lineman Brice Strickler (33 tackles and a sack), Clayton Wolther (28 tackles including three for loss), and Cooper Kriete (24 tackles, three tackles for loss, one sack and a fumble recovery).

Reflecting on this season and toward the next, EHS head coach Patrick Mitchell said it’s difficult to look ahead.

“It’s always a tough time for me personally to be excited about next year, when you have to say goodbye to a great group of seniors like this one,” Mitchell said. “This group was my first group of freshmen players to come through, so it’s a special milestone for me as a coach. I couldn’t be prouder of the work they put in these last four years."

Showing the strength and competitiveness of the conference this year, three other CWAC squads had big wins this weekend and now advance to the WIAA class 2A state playoffs. Prosser defeated North Mason 42-14, Othello topped Renton 48-6, and still unbeaten East Valley (Yakima) routed Rogers (Spokane) 56-0.

Selah, the CWAC's fifth Week 10 qualifier, also saw its season end with a 45-0 loss to Sehome.

Steilacoom (8-2) advances as the No. 12 seed in the Class 2A state bracket and will face No. 5 Anacortes in the opening round of the state tournament this coming weekend. First-round games for the remaining CWAC squads are: No. 8 Othello hosts No. 9 Sehome (a rematch of last year’s state opener which Sehome won 22-21), No. 13 Prosser travels to No. 4 Orting, and No. 3 East Valley at home versus No. 14 Burlington-Edison.