Battle Ground at Skyview football could have state playoff implications

This week’s Clark County football action is spread over Thursday and Friday because of the annual state in-service days for local schools. The Greater St. Helens League’s Class 4A division plays its games Thursday night, while the rest of Clark County takes to the field Friday night. The highlight of Thursday’s schedule is …

This week's Clark County football action is spread over Thursday and Friday because of the annual state in-service days for local schools.   The Greater St. Helens League's Class 4A division plays its games Thursday night, while the rest of Clark County takes to the field Friday night.   The highlight of Thursday's schedule is Battle Ground vs. Skyview at Kiggins Bowl. This game could very well decide the GSHL's No. 2 state playoff berth. Only two teams advance to state this season, and co-No. 1 Camas (6-0, 2-0) is in the driver's seat for the GSHL championship.

Battle Ground (5-1, 1-1) is coming off a thrilling 33-29 win over Union, a game where the Tigers led 27-0 in the first half, only to have to rally to win the game with a fourth-quarter touchdown.   Skyview (3-3, 0-1) has a bit of a misleading record. Storm losses include games against Eastside Catholic, the state's No. 1 in 3A, O'Dea of Seattle, No. 2 in 3A, and Camas, co-No. 1 in 4A. The Storm last played Camas, and gave the Papermakers their biggest scare of the season in a 31-9 loss. Skyview led Camas 9-7 at halftime before the Papermakers blanked the Storm in the second half.   Battle Ground-Skyview features a good quarterback duel. The Tigers' Gunner Talkington is an electric dual-threat quarterback who has passed for 1,881 yards and 18 touchdowns, while running for eight scores. Skyview's Brody Barnum, son of Portland State coach Bruce Barnum, has passed for 1,035 yards, while he's run for 400 yards and three touchdowns.   In Class 3A, the biggest game of Friday night is Kelso at Prairie, which pits a pair of one-loss GSHL teams. The loser likely falls out of the GSHL title race, which Mountain View controls after its win over Kelso last Friday.   The most meaningful local game on Friday is a Class 2A battle featuring Columbia River at Hockinson. The Chieftains (4-2, 3-0) are the sole unbeaten team in the GSHL's 2A division, but Hockinson (5-1, 3-1) can pull into a first-place tie with a win over Columbia River. Last Friday, the Chieftains scored a 35-24 win over Woodland, which earlier this season handed Hockinson its only loss.    

• Battle Ground at Skyview, 7 p.m.
• Camas at Heritage, 4:30 p.m.
• Union at Evergreen, 7:30 p.m.

   

• Columbia River at Hockinson, 7 p.m.
• Hudson's Bay at Mark Morris, 7 p.m.
• R.A. Long at Ridgefield, 7 p.m.
• Woodland at Washougal, 7 p.m.
• Mountain View at Fort Vancouver, 5 p.m.
• Hudson's Bay at Mark Morris, 7 p.m.
• Kelso at Prairie, 7 p.m.
• Stanfield at La Center, 7 p.m.
• White Salmon at King's Way, 6 p.m.

Battle Ground 33, Union 29 Camas 31, Skyview 9 Heritage 65, Benson 0 Hockinson 47, Washougal 12 Ridgefield 21, Mark Morris 7 Columbia River 35, Woodland 24 Evergreen 41, Fort Vancouver 0 Prairie 30, Hudson's Bay 28 Mountain View 27, Kelso 14 La Center 45, Stevenson 0 King's Way 52, Castle Rock 28