Mounts ebb Tide

If not for gaining significant ground in a quest for a District Three playoff berth, then Ephrata had another reason to celebrate its dramatic, come-from-behind 28-26 victory [boxscore] at Columbia Friday night.

The Mounts now have three wins on the season. That hasn’t happened since the George W. Bush administration.

“I’m so happy for these kids, for the school and for the community,” Ephrata coach Kris Miller said. “We’ve gotten such great support from the community even when things weren’t going very well. It’s a win for the community.”

Trailing 26-21 with 3:04 to play, the Mounts embarked on a fourplay, 55-yard drive for the go-ahead score, with quarterback Caden Keefer taking it in from 20 yards out. It was Keefer’s third rushing touchdown of the game.

The Mounts, who overcame a four-touchdown, 301-yard passing performance by Columbia quarterback Matthew McCleary, kept their slim playoff hopes alive with the win, although they must win their next three games to even have an outside chance.

Turning point: In a game with so many twists and turns, Miracle Wratto provided a key kickoff runback of 40 yards after Columbia (1-5, 1-6) had taken a 26-21 lead to set up a short field for the Mounts. Keefer carried the ball on all four plays of the winning drive.

Star of the game:

Keefer, with 103 yards on 20 carries and three touchdowns, had some huge runs in critical situations.

Quotable: “We didn’t play well in the first half and it was kind of ugly, but anytime you look up at the scoreboard and see more points for us, I’ll take it,” Miller said. “I’ll take an ugly win any day.”

Up next: Next Friday, Ephrata hosts Lebanon, while the Crimson Tide are at Octorara.

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