After finding themselves down 23-14 to open the second half, the Battle Ground Tigers football squad played with more intensity and propelled to a 37-30 come-back win against Eisenhower High School of Yakima on Friday, Sept. 6.
Despite penalties and miscues throughout the win, the Tigers had many positive gains, especially with wide receiver and corner Owen Mereen, who said in the offseason he wanted to be a quintessential player for the Tigers.
“Owen [Mereen] is one of my favorite kids, a phenomenal kid, just the heart of a warrior,” Tigers head coach Mike Woodward said. “I love that kid. He’s a two-way starter, and he was cramping up the entire game but just kept battling. He got toasted on one of the plays on a double move, and anybody else would have quit or kind of limped off. He didn’t. He kept fighting and came right back and scored a touchdown. I can’t say enough about him.”
The Tigers fell behind early after giving up a field goal, but they followed that up with senior wide receiver Boston Walker’s first touchdown catch as a Tiger from junior quarterback Ethan Adams. Walker comes to Battle Ground after transferring last school year from La Center High School.
In the second quarter, the Tigers gave up three scores while gaining just one touchdown and headed into the locker room down, 23-14.
Energy and intensity made the difference for Battle Ground in the second half. The Tigers scored two touchdowns in the third quarter. Mereen caught a 12-yard pass from Adams, followed by a 2-yard touchdown run by Quinten Overholser.
With the Tigers regaining the lead and the crowd in it, Eisenhower silenced District Stadium with a long passing touchdown.
Late in the fourth quarter, a rare missed field goal attempt by Bryland Fick, the Tiger defense forced a three-and-out, leading to an Eisenhower punt attempt backed up to its own endzone.
With Eisenhower experiencing snap problems all night, the most important snap of the night sailed over the head of the punter, leading to a safety, tying the game at 30. The Tigers quickly followed the game-tying error with Mereen’s second touchdown catch and Adams’ third touchdown pass of the night giving the Tigers the game-winning score.
“They’re warriors. They’re winners. We’re lucky to get out of this thing alive, but that says a lot about their character,” Woodward said. “I told them at halftime to just take a deep breath and relax …Come out and play more physical. Play our game and it paid off.”
The Tigers lacked discipline throughout the night, racking up numerous penalties, especially the Tigers’ eager defensive line, which committed many offside calls. Despite being in the win column in week one, Woodward’s postgame speech to his team may have been a much-needed taste of reality for the players. He said the game was probably one of the most undisciplined football games of which he has ever been a part.
The Tigers will change a couple of things in practice this week as well as focus on discipline, Woodward said.
“We’re going to shorten practice a little bit,” Woodward said. “I think we’re just going too long. Our kids are getting worn out. Granted it was hot. We were cramping, but we have to be more crisp, and the kids are going to pay if they’re not disciplined in practice. We’re not doing that again. And so Friday night, I don’t know what the outcome is going to be, but I know we’ll be a disciplined football team.”
The Tigers head to a familiar venue against a familiar team for Woodward and defensive coordinator Dave Woodmark as the two coached together at Mountain View High School from 1999-03.
The Tigers play the 0-1 Mountain View Thunder at 7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 13, at McKenzie Stadium in Vancouver.
