Prosser Mustang recap
2009 - Prosser vs. Ellensburg

Bulldogs Make a Little History

October 10, 2009 by Scott Spruill

Ellensburg wins in Prosser for first time since 1977

PROSSER, Wash. — Tyler Morris’ words echoed through Ellensburg’s jubilant football team and were repeated from player to player, coach to coach. “This was the night,” said the senior middle linebacker, “to prove ourselves.”

Prove their unbeaten record was no fluke. Prove they were worthy of being ranked No. 1 in the state. And, most of all, prove they could beat Prosser.

All of that was confirmed beyond question Friday night as the Bulldogs were on top in all phases of their game in a 35-7 victory over the sixth-ranked Mustangs at Art Fiker Stadium.

Ethan Sterkel was involved in all the scoring, throwing four touchdown passes and 227 yards, running for another score and kicking all five conversions. It was a tour de force for Ellensburg’s three-year quarterback, but the buzz all game and in the post-game team gathering was about the defense.

“Tonight everybody was just amazing,” said Morris, favoring a gimpy leg after the physical clash. “All year we’ve been strong on defense but this was the game to prove it. League rival, thrie field — we had to be ready for a battle and we were. What an all-around great effort.”

All Ellensburg did was stop Prosser on downs four times, force four three-and-outs and come up with two second-half interceptions.

“It’s all about team, and that’s what got us through it,” said senior defensive end Joe Kelleher, who helped the Bulldogs pile up seven tackles for a loss with two sacks. “We knew Prosser would come out and try to establish the run and we stopped that right away. It was a perfect start.”

The new-look Mustangs had hoped to grind away on the ground, keep Ellensburg’s explosive offense off the field and mix in their more traditional spread formations later. But when 15 of 19 first-half running plays netted just three yards or less, and with the visitors jumping ahead 21-0, that plan was out.

“Shut down the run — that’s what we talked about all week,” Morris said. “It feels so great that we were able to come out and do that. That’s where we knew it would all start and we got it done.” Forced to pass more, Prosser managed to do so effectively for stretches and had a chance to climb back in the game in the third quarter.

Junior quarterback T.J. Finn directed a six-play scoring drive, which he capped with a 5-yard run, on the Mustangs’ opening possession of the second half to cut the margin to 21-7. Prosser’s defense then produced a mood-changing series, stopping Ellensburg on a fourth-and-1 on the Mustangs’ 31. The crowd came alive and momentum seemed to be swinging.

But it was gone in an instant. The Bulldogs forced yet another three-and-out, and Sterkel hooked up with favorite target Kramer Ferrell for their second touchdown with 1:14 left in the quarter and Ellensburg was back ahead 28-7. “We just got beat today by the better team,” said Prosser’s first-year coach Benji Sonnichsen. “They dared us to throw it and they’ve got good DBs. I didn’t think we got enough opportunities.”

Lacking two offensive linemen with injuries — Kody Hartley (elbow) and Lane Pearson (ankle) — Prosser was dealt another blow when standout defensive back and leading receiver Dominic Garza left the field at halftime with a concussion.

Sterkel finished a sharp 17-for-23 and lifted his season total of touchdowns to 20 through six games. Ferrell, who had scoring catches of 32 and 22 yards, finished with seven grabs for 93 yards as Ellensburg claimed its first victory in Prosser since 1977. Finn had 41 pass attempts for 206 yards and Matt Young had over half of it, catching six balls for 108 yards.

Ellensburg (5-0, 6-0) doesn’t get much time to celebrate with another CWAC unbeaten looming. Ninth-ranked Selah (5-0, 6-0), a 27-12 winner over Toppenish on Friday, visits Ellensburg next week.

Tri-City Herald

Ellensburg romps past Prosser

By René Ferrán, Herald staff writer

PROSSER — The past three years, Prosser dominated the CWAC as if it were the Mustangs’ own little fiefdom. Twenty-seven games. Twenty-seven wins. Three league titles.

Othello already chipped away at the Prosser mystique earlier this year by ending the Mustangs’ 39-game regular-season win streak. And Friday night, their hopes of adding another league title died at Art Fiker Stadium at the hands of a bigger, faster Ellensburg team that has suffered its share of beatdowns at the Mustangs’ hands over the years.

This time, it was the Bulldogs who did the pounding, beating Prosser 35-7 to hand the Mustangs their worst home defeat in 26 years. “What do you say? They were the better team tonight,” said first-year Prosser coach Benji Sonnichsen. “It’s tough. We’re Prosser football. Any loss is a tough loss. We expect to win every single game.”

Sonnichsen said those expectations were weighing heavy on his young squad. “The kids right now are thinking, ‘What the heck is going on?’ ” he said. “That can lead you to self-destruct. We’ve got to stay together. We can still meet these guys again in the playoffs.”

Indeed, if the Mustangs win out, they likely would be the CWAC’s No. 3 seed to state and draw top-ranked Ellensburg (6-0, 5-0) in the playoffs. “If we play them again, maybe it’s a different story,” said Sonnichsen, who was without two starting offensive linemen — seniors Kody Hartley (elbow) and Lane Pearson (ankle) — and lost senior receiver Dominic Garza to a concussion late in the first half.

On the other side, the Bulldogs (4-2, 3-2) celebrated their first win over Prosser since the 2002 playoffs and only their third in their last 27 meetings. “That makes it a little more special,” said Ellensburg senior Ethan Sterkel, who threw for 227 yards and four TDs, ran for another score and also had four tackles and an interception at free safety.

“There’s such a great tradition with Prosser. We respect them. They have league titles, state championships. We wanted to come out here and give it our best.” Sterkel was in synch with his receivers all night, completing 17 of 23 passes, including seven to CWAC receiving leader Kramer Ferrell for 94 yards and two TDs.

The defense took care of the rest, bending but not breaking all evening. Three times in the first half, Prosser got inside the Ellensburg 25, only to be denied, and the Bulldogs went into the break up 21-0. The Bulldogs stuffed sophomore Isaac Anderson, the CWAC’s second-leading rusher who gained just 39 yards on 11 carries.

They harassed junior TJ Finn all night, as he went just 15-of-40 for 209 yards and two late interceptions. Ellensburg had two sacks among its seven tackles for loss and also deflected seven passes. “We had a couple of opportunities in the first half and didn’t capitalize,” Sonnichsen said. “We tried some different stuff that had worked during the course of the year, and Ellensburg took that stuff away.”

Prosser’s lone spark came early in the second half. The Mustangs needed six plays to go 56 yards for their only touchdown, a 5-yard Finn keeper, then stopped Ellensburg on fourth down to get the Art Fiker Stadium faithful on their feet. They quickly sat back down after the Bulldogs forced a three-and-out, and Ellensburg came back with a six-play, 59-yard drive, capped by a 22-yard fade pass to Ferrell for a TD.