![Jaden Brown and the Mountain View Thunder, shown here last week, open league play with a rivalry game against Evergreen on Friday night. Photo by Mike Schultz](https://www.clarkcountytoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Story_Clark-County-Today-Hanford-vs-Mt-View-Football-RB-6-Jaden-Brown_18.jpg)
The Plainsmen and the Thunder are playing for the 50th time
By Paul Valencia
ClarkCountyToday.com
Mountain View vs. Evergreen.
Evergreen vs. Mountain View.
This rivalry is special. Many times, it has determined a league champion. Many times, it has determined a playoff spot.
And every time, it means something to the players in the game.
Tonight’s game will be the 50th time Mountain View and Evergreen have played each other. Yep, that’s a lot.
And also, it seems weird because Mountain View has not been around for 50 years. The series started in 1982.
Well, for many years, Evergreen and Mountain View played twice a year. Why? $omething tell$ me it had to do with the amount of ticket$ $old for thi$ game.
Anyway, tonight’s game, the second game at McKenzie Stadium, is scheduled for 7 p.m. but fans should know it might not start until later. Union is taking on Coeur d’alene, Idaho, at 4:30 p.m. at the stadium.
The Thunder and Plainsmen do not know yet exactly what is at stake for tonight’s game, as far as playoff picture or league championship. It is, after all, the first league game in the Class 3A Greater St. Helens League this year. But with only two teams making the playoffs this season, all results in league play are huge.
Our colleague Bryan Levesque — a Clark County high school football historian — researched a number of rivalries between Southwest Washington teams.
According to his research, Mountain View holds a 27-22 advantage in this series with Evergreen. Interestingly, in league games, the two teams are tied 19-19.
Mountain View once won 11 in a row in this series. Evergreen won last year’s matchup.
![Jayden Crace and the Evergreen Plainsmen will renew their rivalry with Mountain View on Friday night at McKenzie Stadium. Photo by Mike Schultz](https://www.clarkcountytoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Story_Clark-County-Today-Glacier-Peak-vs-Evergreen-Football-QB-2-Jayden-Crace_10-1.jpg)
Levesque’s research also got me thinking. What’s the longest rivalry that is currently still being played among Clark County teams? Meaning, the game has been played at least once every year and continues? (I am not including the abbreviated pandemic season. If rivals did not play during those blocks of games, so be it.)
From Levesque’s research, we believe it is Battle Ground-Prairie. Those two schools have played at least one a year (and several times twice a year) since 1979. After Battle Ground’s win a couple weeks ago, the series is tied at 25-25.
Hudson’s Bay and Fort Vancouver have played each other 67 times but those two teams have not played each other since 2019.
Columbia River and Hudson’s Bay have played 57 times but they went eight years without playing each other just last decade.
While not Clark County, it still should be noted that R.A. Long and Mark Morris have played every year since 1958, and this year will be the 80th game between those schools.
Back to this season, and this week.
Skyview opened Week 5 of the high school football season with a 59-0 win over Heritage on Thursday. The Storm are 5-0.
Camas will be looking for its fourth win in a row when the Papermaker host Kamiak on Friday.
With Mountain View and Evergreen in one 3A GSHL game, Prairie and Kelso face each other in the other 3A GSHL contest.
In the wild 2A GSHL, undefeated Hudson’s Bay will host Mark Morris. And for Eagles fans, I will write that again: Undefeated Hudson’s Bay.
At the beginning of the season, many would have thought that the Ridgefield-Washougal game this week would be for a league title. Well, the winner could still win a league title, but both teams have one league loss. Columbia River is at R.A. Long and Hockinson is at Woodland.
In the Trico, it’s King’s Way Christian at La Center, Seton Catholic at White Salmon, and Fort Vancouver at Castle Rock. La Center and Seton Catholic, by the way, are still undefeated.
Battle Ground, also undefeated, will try to get to 5-0 with a non-league game at Mt. Tahoma on Saturday.
Also read:
- Raptors make a trade, giving them a home game in Ridgefield to celebrate Independence DayClark County’s West Coast League baseball team traded home dates with Corvallis, giving Raptors a home game on the day that the city of Ridgefield holds its annual Fourth of July Celebration, combining the Independence Day with baseball.
- Clark County Today Sports Podcast, July 3, 2024: What are the summer expectations for high school athletes and coaches?The sports administrators and reporter Paul Valencia discuss the expectations of high school athletes and coaches during the summer months, plus we talk about our Fourth of July traditions.
- Video: Children rally to Dash for Cash with the RaptorsThe annual Dash for Cash night, courtesy of iQ Credit Union, was a big success as children from Clark County got to sprint on the Ridgefield Raptors baseball field, looking for cash that was scattered throughout the outfield.
- New football coach: Prairie graduate Junior Miller prepared for job at PrairieJunior Miller is one of several new head football coaches at Southwest Washington high schools, and the 2002 Prairie High School graduate said he is excited to bring a new vibe to his old school.
- Curt Daniels Invitational baseball tournament starts Wednesday, June 26The Clark County baseball community invites baseball standouts from all over the Northwest every summer for a tournament to honor the memory of a teacher and a coach at the Curt Daniels Invitational.