Prep football preview: Union vs. Battle Ground
UNION (4-3, 2-2) vs. BATTLE GROUND (5-2, 3-2)
4A Greater St. Helens League game
When, where: 7 p.m. Friday; District Stadium, Battle Ground HS, Battle Ground
Last week: Battle Ground beat Evergreen 42-7; Union lost to Camas 52-16
Last meeting: Union won 44-14 in 2014
Players to watch: Union freshman RB JoJo Siofele has rushed for 692 yards and 14 TDs; Battle Ground QB Gunner Talkington has passed for 1,896 yards and 20 TDs
Game notes: Union has won all six meetings between the two schools by an average margin of 44-10. After scoring nine TDs in his previous two games, Siofele was kept out of the end zone last week against Camas. But he wasn’t alone. Talkington has his worst offensive game of the season the previous week against Camas. Talkington passed for 296 yards on seven completions last week. Union WR Keith Shepard ranks second in the region in receiving yards with 635 on 36 catches and 5 TDs. Battle Ground WR Max Randle is fifth (25 catches-553 yards-9 TDs). Teammate Riley Betcher is seventh (20-472-3). Other than a 56-0 win over Spanaway Lake, Union has allowed opponents to score at least 29 points in every other game this season. Battle Ground has scored at least 36 points in its five victories. Battle Ground will assure itself at least of spot in a three-team tiebreaker with a win. Union controls its own postseason fate. Wins this week and next week vs. Skyview send the Titans to the postseason. A loss in either likely ends those hopes.
The Prep Proletariat says: Uh-oh. The Tigers won’t like this. I’m picking them to beat a team with a winning record. That hasn’t worked out well in the past. But Battle Ground’s ability to score, and Union’s struggles to prevent teams from scoring is simply too much to overlook. BATTLE GROUND 35, UNION 24
Score Czar says: Battle Ground 35, Union 16
