QUINCY — The Ephrata Tigers football team (1-2) earned a 62-7 victory over the Quincy Jackrabbits (0-3) Friday evening in the Battle of the Basin matchup.  

"I thought going into the game we had a really solid gameplan for what we wanted to do," said Tigers Head Coach Patrick Mitchell. "We were able to take the ball and establishing our run game early was the thing that we needed to do to be successful all night." 

The Tigers got on the board first with a nine-yard run from junior running back Chance Lee to go up 7-0. Ephrata increased their lead to 14-0 before the end of the first quarter with a 40-yard rushing touchdown by Lee. 

"We marched down the field, we threw only one pass on the (opening) drive, and it was a 6 to 8 play drive, and we capped it off with a nice little run," said Mitchell. "We never looked back from that first drive." 

In the second quarter, Ephrata scored again off a three-yard pass from junior quarterback Cooper Vasquez to senior receiver Mitchell Morford, and Vasquez scored again soon after with a 17-yard run. The Jacks got on the board later in the second quarter with a nine-yard run by sophomore Jody Gardner. 

Ephrata responded in the following drive as Carson Andrus scored on a three-yard run, and the game went into halftime 35-7 in favor of the Tigers. 

Going into the third quarter, the Tigers continued their dominance from the first half, and Vasquez scored a two-yard touchdown. Vasquez scored again on a nine-yard run later in the quarter, extending their lead to 49-7 heading into the fourth. 

The Tigers defense scored in the fourth quarter as junior Yahizee Alvarado snagged an interception and returned for a touchdown but missed the extra point. The final score of the game was by Ephrata's Cale Crawford after an eight-yard run which ended the game 62-7 and crowned the Tigers as the 2026 Battle of the Basin champions. 

"I love the good small town rivalry games," said Mitchell. "They're important to a lot of people, it's fun bragging rights for the year and it's one of those where both teams are excited and there were some fun (lighthearted) spirit things that both the ASBs were doing back and forth leading up to the game." 

By the end of the game Ephrata had over 300 rushing yards, which he said was opened by the efforts of their offensive line and the blocking in the perimeter from wide receivers and tight ends.  

Ephrata also had a special teams highlight as their punt returner, Caleb Newton, as he made multiple large returns, including a 70-yard return that almost scored a touchdown. 

"He flipped the field for us special teams wise with three really nice returns and that set our offense up (with) short field," said the Tigers coach. "(Newton's) pretty special with the ball in his hand." 

Along with Friday being a big night with the Battle of the Basin, it was also a special night for Quincy as they recognized Les Albright, Paul Collard, Nate Harris, Chris Pontarolo-Maag and Armondo Tafoya onto the Wall of Fame. These two events combined brought a large crowd from both cities into Jackrabbit Stadium. 

Jacks Head Coach Seth Longwill said recognizing the work done by those on the Wall of fame is something that can help inspire Quincy's athletes. 

"That's something they get to walk by and see all the names in the hallways there at school," said Longwill. "That's something (to inspire) these kids as we try to get more guys to all league, all state and start getting those types of honors back." 

Mitchell said he was very proud of his players' abilities to execute their game during a strong rivalry matchup and that he felt his team couldn't have been more prepared to execute. This was seen on all aspects of the team as he was able to get some nonstarters playing time later in the game. 

"It's fun when you can get those younger guys in the games, and they can get a little bit of a taste of what varsity football is like," he said. "They can start dreaming big themselves to be playing on a Friday night someday the whole time."  

Longwill commended Ephrata for their skills in Friday's victory as they capitalized on Quincy's errors to earn their victory. This game was a great learning opportunity for the Jacks as they push through the early season. 

"The big takeaway was us just getting in experience and guys keep playing," said Longwill. "We're struggling to play four solid quarter, but I thought we had real good spurts." 

The Jacks saw highlights from players like Gardner, who has been settling well in his position as running back as he scored the team's first touchdown of the season in Friday's rivalry matchup. Braiden Snyder, a senior offensive lineman and linebacker for the Jacks, was also integral to the team Friday as he had over 13 tackles against Ephrata. 

While Snyder will be out for the next couple weeks for a family trip, the Jacks coach said he is looking to find the right players who can step up in his place while he's out. 

As Quincy prepares to face East Valley and the Othello Huskies in their coming games, Longwill said he wants the team to stay focused on building themselves up, working to get better each day and have the mindset to keep fighting. 

Friday's win has helped build up the Tigers' confidence after two losses where the team felt they could've played better. Against Quincy, Mitchell said Ephrata proved to themselves they can play a successful four quarters of football. 

Ephrata prepares to play against another tough Central Washington Athletic Conference opponent in the Othello Huskies, this week. He said the Tigers' focus over the next few days will be to ensure that they can maintain their confidence heading into Friday's matchup. 

"We've got areas that we need to work on and improve as well, and the kids understand that and are ready for the challenge," said Mitchell. "We're ready for a fight and we're ready to get back home in front of our fans and we're excited for the opportunity." 

The Tigers return home Friday to face the Othello Huskies at 7 p.m. The Jackrabbits head on the road to face East Valley at 7 p.m. Friday. 

BOX SCORE 

EPHT: 14-21-14-13: 62 

QNCY: 0-7-0-0: 7 

    Jacks sophomore Jody Gardner looks to give the ball to an official after completing a rushing play Friday night.
  

    Cannon DeLong, a sophomore from the Tigers looks for an open teammate to pass to Friday night against the Jacks.
  

    Jacks senior Braiden Snyder (65) leads the defensive charge as he and his teammates bring down a Tigers runner in the Battle of the Basin.
  

    Ephrata junior Yahizee Alvarado sprints toward the endzone after an interception late in Friday's game against Quincy.
  

    Quincy's defense chases and tackles Nate Krautschied, a junior from Ephrata, during the Battle of the Basin Friday night.