Tigers defeat Jacks in Battle of the Basin
IAN BIVONA | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 1 month, 3 weeks AGO
Llandon Ahmann, senior, raises the Battle of the Basin trophy in celebration following the Tigers 33-0 win over rival Quincy. Ahmann, coming off an Athlete of the Week performance against Prosser last week continued his hot ways against Quincy.
COURTESY PHOTO/PAISLEY RIBBLE/TIGER VISION MEDIA
Caleb Moberg, junior, hits a point after touchdown for Ephrata during the Battle of the Basin on Friday night.
The Tigers' Tavone Mantese, junior, sweeps to the left on a run.
The Jacks' Maximo Serrano, junior, works to push through the Tigers defense during Friday's game. While the Jacks lost the game, they moved the ball well on the field.
Ian Bivona serves as the Columbia Basin Herald’s sports reporter and is a graduate of Auburn University in Auburn, Alabama. He enjoys the behind-the-scenes stories that lead up to the wins and losses of the various sports teams in the Basin. Football is his favorite sport, though he likes them all, and his favorite team is the Jets. He lives in Soap Lake with his cat, Honey. | September 19, 2024 3:15 AM
EPHRATA — Ephrata improved to 2-0 this season with Friday’s 33-0 home win over Quincy in the Battle of the Basin, capitalizing off Jackrabbit turnovers to claim the win despite the two teams finishing with a similar amount of total yards.
“The goal of the game was we wanted to start fast and put them in a position where they were going to play from behind,” Tigers head coach Patrick Mitchell said. “They were predominantly a run-first kind of team, so trying to get up and force them to throw the ball a little more, we felt like that was playing into our advantage.”
The Tigers gained 354 yards of total offense to Quincy’s 317, though three Jackrabbit interceptions and an 0-2 mark on fourth down was the deciding factor. Ephrata went up 14-0 in the first quarter with touchdown receptions by seniors Llandon Ahmann and Coltyn Klingenberg from 15 and 19 yards out, respectively. Senior Elijah Chavez-Mabry added another touchdown in the third quarter while juniors Brady Hendrick and Tavone Mantese scored on short runs in the fourth quarter.
“They did a good job of sustaining some long drives and chewing some clock on us, keeping our offense off of the field for a little bit,” Mitchell said.
Ephrata moves on to another league game Friday, traveling to Ellensburg to play the Bulldogs.
“There’s a lot of league games left to be played, so we can’t just rest off of a good start,” Mitchell said. “We’ve got to keep it going into this week at Ellensburg — it'll be a good road test for us down there.”
Caleb Moberg, junior, hits a point after touchdown for Ephrata during the Battle of the Basin on Friday night.
The Tigers' Tavone Mantese, junior, sweeps to the left on a run.
The Jacks' Maximo Serrano, junior, works to push through the Tigers defense during Friday's game. While the Jacks lost the game, they moved the ball well on the field.