Eagles to face Northern Colorado Saturday after nail-biting loss to Montana
JOEL MARTIN | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 9 months, 3 weeks AGO
Wide receiver Michael Wortham of the Montana Grizzlies turns up field after making a reception during the second half against the Eastern Washington Eagles in Missoula Nov. 8. The Eagles will face the Northern Colorado Bears at home Saturday.
COURTESY PHOTO/RYAN BRENNECKE/UNIVERSITY OF MONTANA
Joel Martin has been with the Columbia Basin Herald for more than 25 years in a variety of roles and is the most-tenured employee in the building. Martin is a married father of eight and enjoys spending time with his children and his wife, Christina. He is passionate about the paper’s mission of informing the people of the Columbia Basin because he knows it is important to record the history of the communities the publication serves. | November 13, 2025 2:40 AM
CHENEY — Eastern Washington University’s football squad made a good showing last weekend, narrowly losing to No. 2 Montana, according to a statement from EWU Athletics.
The Grizzlies jumped out to a 22-0 lead early in the second quarter, led by Keali'i Ah Ya,t who completed 14 of his first 15 passes. EWU cut that lead by eight points, leaving the score 22-14 at halftime.
The Eagles abandoned running for passing in the second half, as freshman QB Jake Schakel racked up more than 400 yards, including an 11-play, 63-yard touchdown drive. Eastern scored three of the last four touchdowns and a field goal. Eastern recovered an onside kick with a minute left to go, according to UM, and found themselves trailing by five points on the Griz 5-yard line with five seconds on the clock. A muffed spike by Schakel let the clock run out, UM wrote, and the Griz squeaked out a 29-24 victory.
"That (is) about as wild as it gets,” said Mondana head coach Bobby Hauck. “Everything from giving up the onside kick at the end, and I can tell you we weren't good enough on third down on either side of the ball. We had a hard time making plays on the ball. We didn't run it effectively enough, but in the second half, I thought our defense was tremendous, stopping them and not letting them in the end zone.”
Schakel passed for 451 yards on 43-of-63, or 68.3%, the most yardage in a single game since December of 2021, according to EWU. The Eagles had two 100-plus yard receivers against Montana, with Miles Williams grabbing 11 passes for 136 yards and Cole Pruett finishing with 10 catches for 133 yards and one touchdown.
Montana’s defense set a record of its own with eight sacks against Schakel, according to UM Athletics, the most of any Big Sky team to date.
The Eagles will play the last home game of the 2025 season Saturday as they face Northern Colorado. Eastern Washington has a 15-1 record against the Bears, with the lone loss coming in the 1981 season, according to EWU Athletics.
"(EWU is) a team on the rise," said UNC head coach Ed Lamb. "They've gotten better every week; a real testament to their culture. They should've had two or three chances to win at Montana in the final seconds. They're angry, motivated, and confident."
ARTICLES BY JOEL MARTIN
Quincy National Night Out scales down
QUINCY — Quincy’s National Night Out was more compact this year, which worked out well, said QPD Sgt. Joe Westby, who’s in charge of event planning for the Quincy Police Department. “National Night Out is a big event, and the fact that we’re able to shrink it up is like a breath of fresh air,” Westby said. “If you're always doing the same thing, it's kind of nice to switch things up and see how it works.” National Night Out took place Thursday on the block of C Street next to the police station, a shift from previous years when it was held at Lauzier Park. The smaller space meant fewer emergency vehicles for children to explore, but it also meant less walking for attendees. Grant County Fire District 5 brought a fire truck, and the Grant County Sheriff’s Office had a patrol boat. Renew, the Grant County behavioral health agency, had a booth and so did Quincy Partnership for Youth. Veterans Operation Creation sang the national anthem, and the Quincy Animal Shelter brought kittens that piled over each other making friends with passersby. As before, the QPD served grilled hot dogs.
Quincy Police retirements leave big shoes to fill
QUINCY — There are some big shoes to fill at the Quincy Police Department. “We’re losing 48 years of experience between them,” Quincy Police Chief Ryan Green said at the retirement party for Capt. Jorge Trujillo and Det. Damon Powell Thursday. Trujillo, who grew up in Sunnyside, has been with QPD for 19 years, he said, coming on as a patrol officer fresh out of the military. From there he served as a field training officer, a detective and finally captain. “I consider him my left-hand man,” Green said. “He runs the operations side of the house … He knows the agency very well, and he knows the community.” Trujillo has some projects around the house to tackle now that he’s retired, he said.
Big fun on a small scale
Wheat Land Communities’ Fair opens Thursday
RITZVILLE — The Wheat Land Communities’ Fair isn’t as big or as flashy as some of the county fairs around central Washington, but the folks who keep it going like it just the way it is. “It’s somewhere you can go and get an old-time traditional feeling, and you’re comfortable letting your kids roam the grounds and experience all that it has to offer,” said Board Member Lori Williams. “It’s more of a feeling than (one) specific thing,” The fair starts Thursday in Ritzville and runs through Sunday. Starting Friday, the 56th Ritzville Rodeo will take place alongside the fair at the rodeo grounds. This year the entertainment budget was expanded, Williams said, to be able to offer more fun that’s covered by the cost of admission. For the kids, there’s face painting, balloon art, Lego crafts, races, contests and games. Children can also ride on a little train towed around the fairgrounds behind a tractor.