OKANOGAN – Tonasket’s football team wouldn’t necessarily figure to compete with the only remaining unbeaten Caribou Trail League squad.

But compete the Tigers did, staying within a touchdown of the Bulldogs well into the third quarter before falling in a hard-hitting contest, 35-14.

Trailing 20-7 at the half, the Tigers opened the third quarter with an 62-yard pass from Trevor Terris to Michael Orozco. Terris punched it in from three yards out and Orozco followed with the extra point to cut it to 20-14.

The Tigers made a defensive stand to get the ball back and crossed midfield with a chance to take the lead, but were foiled by a couple of penalties that stalled the drive.

Justin Rivas, the erstwhile Okanogan (4-0, 2-0 CTL) running back who has been forced to play quarterback as starter Clay Ashworth recovers from an injury, was briefly knocked from the game but returned to lead a pair of third quarter drives that helped the Bulldogs put the game out of reach.

Orozco led the Tigers with 84 yards on 17 carries, with Terris rushing for 42 yards on 12 carries and both touchdowns, including a 23-yard run in the first half. Terris also completed 4-of-9 passes for 81 yards, with Derek Sund, Roberto Juarez and Kjeld Williams each making receptions in addition to Orozco’s big play.

The Tigers (2-2, 0-2 Caribou Trail League) face back-to-back long road trips starting with this Friday’s contest at Cashmere (3-1, 2-0). Tonasket then heads to Cascade (3-1, 2-0) on Oct. 11 for their fourth consecutive road game.