The Battle Ground Tigers’ football program is playing with a bigger meaning this season after an all-time great tragically passed away in August.
Battle Ground football head coach Mike Woodward has spent 27 years coaching high school football, but few players have left an imprint on him — or the Tigers program — like Trent Richardson. As Battle Ground began its season, Richardson’s No. 18 remained visible on the field and on the helmets of Tigers players, serving as a reminder of a former player whose influence reached far beyond his accomplishments on the football field.
“Trent was just a bolt of lightning,” Woodward said. “Everybody loved him. Special kid in more ways than one.”
Richardson did not attend Battle Ground High School. He was homeschooled, but he became closely connected to the Tigers football community during his time around the program.
His connection to younger players was one example of the personality Woodward said made Richardson so memorable. Richardson regularly attended CCYF games on Saturdays, cheering for younger players who were coming through the Tigers program.
“He had no business doing that. He didn't know those kids. But yet that's just kind of the person he was,” Woodward said. “Everybody in our program, even our 8th graders and younger kids, know about him and the legacy he left.”
Woodward said he recently asked a group of freshmen whether they knew who Richardson was. The players, who would have been in eighth grade when Richardson was a senior, immediately knew him and his impact on the community.
“And every last one of them, a huge smile on their face, remembered him,” Woodward said.
That ability to connect with people was a defining part of Richardson’s personality, Woodward said.
“Everybody was his friend. He was always reaching out, always smiling. I never saw that kid upset,” Woodward said.
Richardson also made an immediate impact on the field when he entered the program as a freshman. Woodward said the Tigers had heard about his athleticism even before he arrived.
“We knew he was going to be a dynamite player,” Woodward said. “Coming into the program, we were aware of his athleticism.”
Richardson’s high school career included a difficult sophomore season when his parents removed him from the team. Woodward said Corey and Kelly Richardson held their son accountable while continuing to support him.
“He still was around and came out,” Woodward said. “We knew he was going to be a college-bound player, dynamic athlete, and ended up having an outstanding last two years, including his senior year.”
Woodward said Richardson’s athletic ability was obvious, but his toughness was sometimes overlooked because of the positions he played.
“He was one of the most physical players I've ever coached, and people didn't see that as much because they just saw him playing corner, covering guys, he was skinny,” Woodward said. “I don't think they saw the physicality and the toughness that guy played with.”
That toughness was on display during Richardson’s final playoff game at Bothell, a performance Woodward still remembers vividly.
“I remember him running the crossing route and just those long legs striding it out,” Woodward said.
Richardson’s speed and athleticism were evident on the play, but Woodward said his former player was much more than an explosive athlete.
“He was electric and fearless,” Woodward said. “One thing I always say about Trent, his playing ability, people saw the athleticism, but that guy was tough as nails.”
For Woodward, Richardson’s death has also forced him to think about his role as a coach and mentor. He said he has struggled with the loss and questioned whether he could have done more for the young people he coaches.
“This has been the toughest part because ever since I got the text that morning about what had happened, I've just struggled,” Woodward said. “It's been rough, and I've had a lot of personal battles.”
The Tigers have responded by making Richardson’s No. 18 part of their season. The number appears on helmets, while his jersey remains on the sidelines.
Woodward said the reminders have helped players carry Richardson’s spirit with them.
“I think just constantly seeing that 18 and having it on the helmets and having his jersey on our sidelines, all those things, just reminding us that he's there, he's with us,” Woodward said.
Woodward said Richardson’s personality has also continued to show itself through the team’s locker room and practices.
“I think the kids have kept that spirit alive,” Woodward said. “I've seen it in our locker room. I've seen it out here, the music that we play for him, all the things that we're doing. It's a tribute to the way that he played.”
For Woodward, that tribute is bigger than a single season. Richardson’s legacy reiterated the groundwork for what it means to be a Tiger.
“That's how we want Battle Ground football to be. That's what we've done. That's how I played here. That's what I grew up on, just that toughness, that tenacity, that grit,” Woodward said. “And he was all of that.”
Richardson’s legacy, Woodward said, is not defined by one season or one team. It is reflected in the younger players who remember him, the teammates who played alongside him and the coaches who continue to carry his memory.
“It's not just a one-season thing,” Woodward said. “Like I said, when you have that kind of impact on so many people, even a kid that was in eighth grade last year, that says a lot. That's a legacy. That's not a one-year thing.”
