BATTLE GROUND KICKER Hayden Humphrey tried to get the Tigers on the board with a 29 yard field goal in the second quarter, only to have it blocked by Union’s Treve’ Ensley during their 28-7 loss Oct. 5 at McKenzie Stadium.
Tigers quarterback Ian Humphrey was kept off balance by a consistent Union defensive attack. The senior was sacked three times and gave up a costly interception in the second half.
For three quarters, previously-undefeated Battle Ground managed to keep Union in check. However, the state’s ninth-ranked Titans ran off 21 unanswered points in the second half by capitalizing on Battle Ground mistakes to give the Tigers their first loss of the season, 28-7 in a Class 4A Greater St. Helens League game played Oct. 5 at McKenzie Stadium in Vancouver.
“Trying to hold them down for three quarters was a lot to ask,” said Battle Ground head coach Larry Peck, whose team is now 5-1 on the season and 1-1 in GSHL play. “Unfortunately, when they started scoring it put us in panic mode, but it was too late to come back.”
Both sides struggled on offense in the first half as a steady east wind wreaked havoc on both the passing and kicking games. Union got on the board with a 12-play, 67-yard drive to open the game and senior running back Treve’ Ensley punched the ball in from two yards out.
Tigers quarterback Ian Humphrey managed just 57 yards through the air in the first half, and the Titans’ defense honed in on Battle Ground senior running back Kevin Haynes all night long. Battle Ground tried to get on the scoreboard with a 29-yard field goal halfway through the second quarter, only to have it blocked.
Union attempted their own 29-yard field goal shortly before halftime, but the breeze blew the ball well off course, sending them to a locker room with a slim 7-0 lead.
The Tigers finally got going on their first possession of the second half when Humphrey found Haynes on a 70-yard screen pass. The Titans were able to bring Haynes down on their 1-yard line, only to have him bust through to paydirt on the next play to tie the game at 7-7. For the game, Haynes only managed 51 yards on 19 carries and didn’t get near the end zone again.
“He worked his butt off all night long and was usually dragging guys on his back when they brought him down,” Peck said of Haynes, a 6-foot-1, 225-pound workhorse.
Shortly before the end of the third quarter, Union’s rushing attack finally wore down the Tigers’ defense. Junior Leon Siofele punished them with 23 carries for 167 yards, setting up Ensley’s second score of the night on an 8-yard sprint.
Siofele finally got his first touchdown of the night on Union’s first drive of the fourth with a 12-yard run. Ensley would put the finishing touches on the Titans’ victory with another 8-yard run with just under three minutes left in the game.
Ensley added 64 yards on 12 carries and his three scores.
Union’s defense pressured Humphrey all night long, getting three sacks and an interception, with most of the damage being done with the game locked up.
“We had to fight and scrap all night long to keep the offense going, but they kept bringing heat,” Peck said. “You start making mistakes when you need points and it’s not going to go your way.”
After running through the first half of their season, the Tigers are in for a rough rest of the way with home games against Heritage and perennial power Skyview before finishing the season at Doc Harris Stadium against a Camas team that’s dominated the GSHL 4A division during their first year in the classification.
Despite the challenge and the tough loss, Peck said there were positives to be taken from giving Union a run for their money.
“We were able to hang in there with one of the top three teams in the league, and we can use that to build confidence going forward,” said Peck. “It’s just comes down to us regrouping and being ready to play Heritage for a full four quarters next week.”
Humphrey was 13 of 20 passsing for 129 yards for Battle Ground.
