Day After Report (Week 7 Games)
Well, that certainly was an interesting weekend concerning the Battle Ground-Heritage ending.
Almost took away from what Camas accomplished against Union.
Almost, but not quite.
The Camas Papermakers proved they could win without scoring a ton of points. Through six weeks, the Papermakers averaged 51.8 points per game. We all knew Camas had a great defense. At the same time, other than the Skyview game, there really has been no need for a great defensive effort by the Papermakers. Until Week 7.
Camas managed six points in the first half Friday night at McKenzie Stadium. By the end of the third quarter, the Papermakers were up 15. A good lead, but not a guaranteed win. It turned out, it was money, because the defense was even stronger in the second half. In the end, it was a 22-0 victory for Camas. The Papermakers scored almost 29.8 points less than their average, yet still were never in danger of losing the game in the fourth quarter.
Meanwhile, there was another intense battle between Columbia River and Prairie. This year, Columbia River got the victory, setting up a chance at a league title.
Here are more notes from Southwest Washington football.
CAMAS 22, UNION 0
The Papermakers became the first team to ever shut out the Titans.
Is that number for real? Yes. I double-checked.
This Camas defense was more dominating that I first noticed Friday night. You know me, the football stat geek is really darn close to perfect on Friday nights. Well, I did say close to perfect. I misread my notes Friday and was off 5 yards of offense for Union in the first half. Otherwise, I would have noticed that the Union offense had a grand total of negative-1 yard in the second half.
The boxscore is updated. (And yes, I have play-by-play if anyone wants to double check me.)
Here are Union’s second-half possessions:
1: 3 plays, 0 yards, punt.
2: 1 play, 7 yards, lost fumble.
3: 3 plays, 4 yards, punt.
4: 3 plays, 2 yards, interception.
5: 4 plays, minus-9 yards, loss of downs. (Union tried a fake punt on fourth-and-long, trailing 15-0 at the time. The Titans punter, who also is a wide receiver, was injured on the third-down play.)
6: 3 plays, minus-11 yards, lost fumble. (Union actually picked up three first downs on this drive, all via 15-yard penalties.)
7: 4 plays, 6 yards, lost fumble. (Or a loss of downs. Union fumbled on fourth down. Believe Camas recovered, but this would not have changed the yardage.)
That’s 21 plays for minus-1 yard.
And that is how Camas’ defense won a football game that was close for most of the night.
“We’ve been preparing for them. This is what we’ve been working on from the beginning of the season until now,” defensive lineman Jason Vailea said. “We knew Union would be hard to stop, but we came out with motivation, and we wanted it more.”
Turnover battle: The Camas defenders recovered three Union fumbles for sure, and possibly a fourth. (That last Union fourth-down play. Never figured out if it was ruled a fumble because it was a change of possession anyway. I called it a fumble, but there was no indication on the field one way or the other.) Camas also intercepted a pass.
Union’s defense recovered one Camas fumble in a game played in the first rain of the season. Union did not capitalize, though. The Titans threw an interception three plays later.
The biggest turnover might have been Union’s first fumble. The Titans were driving, down 6-0 and inside the Camas 30-yard line in the second quarter. Camas’ Zach Eagle was in on the tackle and also recovered the ball. Although it took a long time for the officials to get into the pile to see who had the ball.
“The ball popped out right underneath me,” Eagle said. “Other guys were trying to take it from me. I was just holding on as hard as I could.”
Union highlights: The Titans’ longest drive covered 60 yards, going from their own 20 to the Camas 20 before a missed field goal early in the second quarter. The Union defense then forced a three-and-out, getting the ball back to the offense in good field position. The Titans got to the Camas 28-yard line before their first turnover of the game ended the scoring threat.
Defensively, Union held Camas’ running game in check most of the night. Yes, the Papermakers finished with 165 yards on the ground but they were held to 66 in the first half and the six points. At that time, it was still anybody’s game to be won.
Not perfect: Camas coach Jon Eagle said despite the win, Union exposed some weaknesses in Camas’ game. He said it was the best run defense his team has faced this season.
“We were sloppy at times. Credit Union and their game plan,” Eagle said.
In control: This is not a knock on the rest of the league, but more of a compliment to Camas: It is doubtful anyone believes Camas will lose either of its next two games. The Papermakers will be back at McKenzie Stadium in Week 8 to face Heritage, then host Battle Ground in Week 9. If the Papermakers win one game, they will earn at least a share of the Class 4A Greater St. Helens League title and they will have the No. 1 seed. If they win both, they win the league outright.
That would make for three consecutive league titles for the Papermakers, who won the last two as a member of the 3A GSHL. Skyview, which has won four 4A GSHL titles in a row, needs to win out and hope for help from Heritage or Battle Ground to win a share of the league title.
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SKYVIEW 44, EVERGREEN 7
Plainsmen score first, then it’s all Skyview
Change of pace: Last week, the Evergreen Plainsmen threw the ball 28 times in a loss to Camas. This week, they threw the ball once. Part of it likely was due to the weather. Another factor, though, was Evergreen getting back to its double-wing offense to control the clock. It worked for three quarters. Skyview only led 14-7 at the half and 17-7 after three.
Skyview was ready: Evergreen ran the ball 65 of its 66 plays, which afforded Skyview defenders plenty of chances to rack up tackle stats.
The Storm put nine, 10, and sometimes 11 players in the box, daring the Plainsmen to thrown. The Plainsmen only took the bait once, on a fourth-down play in the final minutes of the game. Antonio Sparrow intercepted the pass, one of five Evergreen turnovers that spoiled the ball-control strategy. (Evergreen had the ball for 31 minutes, 46 seconds to Skyview’s 16:14.)
Skyview senior Xavier Norman led the Storm with 14 tackles, two for loss. Junior tackle Willie Eteaki added 11 tackles and seniors Travis Morrison and Jabari Marshall had eight apiece.
Flag on the field: After a crisply played first half, the game bogged down as penalty flags fluttered through the raindrops to the wet turf.
The teams combined for 12 second-half penalties, including nine on the Storm, who had two touchdowns called back because of the infractions.
Skyview was called for seven holding penalties among its 13 accepted penalties in the game. Total yards: 115.
“We’ve got to stop shooting ourselves in the foot,” Storm coach Steve Kizer said. “We can’t hold like that. We’ve got to correct that in practice.”
Next: Skyview plays at Battle Ground in Week 8 in hopes of improving to 3-1 in league play. If the Storm win that game, they will face Union, most likely with second-place on the line. That’s a big deal. The top two teams in the 4A GSHL get home games in the Week 10 preliminary round playoff.
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HERITAGE 12, BATTLE GROUND 7
Not sure if you heard about this one, but it was kind of a big deal.
Moving on: You can read the original Columbian game story. You can see the videos, courtesy of Battle Ground football. You can read the Sunday morning follow-up. And you can read the Day After Report special on the end of this game regarding the officials.
Credit where credit is due: Forget about the controversy for a minute and congratulate the Heritage Timberwolves. This is a team that, through six weeks, had given up an average of 46.3 points per game. Their defense brought it Friday night, keeping them in the game. And, winning the game in the end.
Even if you believe the Tigers scored, the Timberwolves were so strong inside the 1-yard line that they at least made the officials make a call. Had the Tigers just ran over the Timberwolves, there would not have been any doubt. And that’s just the last two plays. What about the rest of the game? The Heritage defense did not allow a single touchdown. Battle Ground’s only score came on a return of a blocked field goal.
Yes, the weather most likely had a big hand in helping keep the score down. It was the first rainy day of the season, and it was a downpour for much of the night. But if one is to argue that Battle Ground would have scored more in better conditions, one must make the same argument for the Heritage offense. The Timberwolves had scored 29 points per game through six weeks.
On this night, for the first time all season, the Heritage defense came to play.
Now for some notes from Greg Jayne, who was at the game.
More defense: The Timberwolves held Battle Ground to 193 yards of offense, 173 on the ground and 20 through the air.
“We’ve been waiting for our defense to come together and click,” Heritage coach Jack Hathaway said.
Could Heritage have envisioned winning a game while scoring 12 points?
“Not without the defense,” Heritage quarterback Loren Standiford said. “Our defense stepped up.”
Big night for Haynes: Kevin Haynes scored Battle Ground’s lone touchdown on a 70-yard return of a blocked field goal.
Haynes, who came into the week as the county’s leading rusher, finished with 114 yards on 25 carries. Those 114 yards were 59 percent of Battle Ground’s offense.
Heritage offense: No, the Timberwolves did not get their usual number of touchdowns, but they had some success.
Heritage was held scoreless through the first 38 minutes of the game, but the team did manage to get into scoring position often.
Their first three drives reached Battle Ground’s 25-, 33-, and 13-yard lines and ended on downs, downs, and a blocked field goal. A drive later in the first half reached the BG 14-yard line before ending on downs.
Heritage finished with 19 carries for 110 yards and completed 6 of 16 passes for 166 yards. Among the completions for the Timberwolves’ big-play offense were 66 yards and 37 yards to Tim Hergert and a 32-yarder to E’Lon Mack.
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COLUMBIA RIVER 27, PRAIRIE 21
The Chieftains win second thriller in a row.
Clark caught it!: That was Vin Scully’s famous call when Dwight Clark caught The Catch from Joe Montana in January 1982. Columbia River’s Clark, Clark Bryant, caught a big one from Clayton Frank on Friday night.
Frank’s 35-yard TD reception with just seconds remaining gave the Chieftains the win.
So close, again: Columbia River won its Week 6 game in double overtime, at Kelso. The Chieftains appeared to be on their way to another overtime game when Frank and Bryant came through in the clutch.
Now what: Columbia River improved to 3-0 in the 3A GSHL, tied with Mountain View. Most would expect River to beat struggling Hudson’s Bay next week, setting up a final week showdown with Mountain View for the league championship.
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MOUNTAIN VIEW 50, HUDSON’S BAY 0
Thunder have it easy, look to next two games.
Consistent defense: We know Bay is struggling this season, but still, the Mountain View defense did something special Friday night.The Thunder gave up 17 yards in the first half. Then 18 yards in the second half. Yes, 35 yards for Bay’s offense.
Great block: OK, when a team scores 50 points, there are a lot of offensive highlights. All the guys who touched the ball got their names in the paper Saturday. Here is a shout-out to No. 65, Hunter Davies.
On Carl Falls’ second touchdown of the game, a 10-yard run to make it 41-0, Davies, an offensive lineman, blocked his man all the way into the end zone, maybe five yards deep into the end zone.
Now what: Mountain View travels to Kelso in a key 3A GSHL game in Week 8. If Kelso wins, there would be the possibility of a three-way tie for first place in the 3A GSHL. If Mountain View wins (and River wins, as expected, in Week 8), then the Thunder and Chieftains will play for the league championship in Week 9.
No offense intended: Some of you might have noticed I made fun of the Thunder a bit on my Twitter feed the other night. Just a quick little jab, that’s all. The Thunder went for a 2-point conversion after their first touchdown of the night.
Anyway, it’s my guess that this is the team’s plan after every first touchdown, to line up for a 2-point try like the Oregon Ducks do on Saturdays. I do not think the Thunder were trying to rub it in, nor trying to run up a score.
However, I reserve the right to make fun of any team that goes for a 2-pointer against Hudson’s Bay and Fort Vancouver this year. Those teams have it bad enough. I will defend their honor on Twitter!
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KELSO 68, FORT VANCOUVER 0
Hilanders hold Trappers to 7 yards of offense.
Speaking of 2-pointers: I was not at this game. I’ll just hope that Kelso had bad snaps while trying to go for extra points and then ran the ball in for 2-points on a couple of occasions. That’s the only explanation, right? Right? Fort has given up 179 points in its last three games. Don’t think the 2-point tries were needed. (Again. Wasn’t there. Just hoping they were blown attempts at kicking the ball.)
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MARK MORRIS 21, RIDGEFIELD 14
Monarchs have inside track at 2A GSHL crown.
A near-perfect defensive performance: “Our defense played so tough and shut them down on 98 percent of the plays,” Ridgefield coach Dan Andersen said.
Unfortunately, that 2 percent came back to haunt the Spudders.
If you had told the Spudders they would have out-rushed Mark Morris 152-93, they would have expected to leave Longview with a victory. In fact, after the Monarchs’ first drive of the night, Mark Morris managed only 23 more yards on the ground.
But three big plays washed away that Ridgefield advantage.
Mark Morris running back Austin Johnson got free on that opening drive of the game and scored on a 37-yard run. That, and the other two touchdowns, came on third down. The scoring plays covered 37, 62, and 44 yards.
One was a beautiful, play-action pass that caught the Spudders defense committing to the run. The other was a bobbled snap that turned out to be the perfect bounce to set up a screen pass.
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HOCKINSON 28, R.A. LONG 20
The Hawks can run again.
They’re back: The Hawks got above .500 again with a 4-3 record, and they got there with a running game, which had been absent in recent weeks. The Hawks rushed for 266 yards, taking advantage of their blocking schemes in the wet conditions.
Thomas Kirschenbaum scored on a 35-yard touchdown run late in the game, pushing a one-point lead to eight. The Hawks, 1-2 in league play, handed the Lumberjacks their first league loss.
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ABERDEEN 29, WASHOUGAL 12
Panthers fall to 0-3 in league.
Tough going in the rain: Aberdeen scored the first 22 points, and the game was never in doubt. Washougal traveled a long way, then took a long time to get going. The Panthers picked up their first first down in the third quarter.
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WOODLAND 44, STEVENSON 0
LA CENTER 71, SETON CATHOLIC 0
Sure looks like these two are on a collision course for a Week 9 showdown for the Trico League title.
Strange shutout streak: Stevenson has been a part of five consecutive shutouts. The Bulldogs were shut out in Week 3, they shut out their opponents in Weeks 4 through 6, and then were shut out again this week.
Numbers guy: Woodland running back Eli Whitmire rushed for four touchdowns and 85 yards and also completed a pass for 21 yards.
Spreading it around: La Center had seven players score touchdowns against the overmatched Cougars. A.J. Myers caught four passes, three for touchdowns.
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That’s it for this week. Thanks to Greg Jayne (Battle Ground-Heritage), Rene Ferran (Skyview-Evergreen), and Paul Danzer (Mark Morris-Ridgefield) for help with the notes.
