When, where: 7 p.m. Friday at Columbia River High School
Records: Kelso 1-0, Columbia River 1-0; Class 3A Greater St. Helens League opener for both teams
Game notes: Columbia River won last year’s meeting 7-3, but this is the first meeting at 3A GSHL rivals since 2008. … Kelso spent the past two seasons in the 4A GSHL … Prior to that, the Chieftains and Hilanders built quite a rivalry in the 3A GSHL. … With 11 new starters on offense, Columbia River took a while to get going against Battle Ground. They took a 7-3 halftime lead and stretched it into a 27-3 win. … Two of the Chieftains’ touchdowns were set up by turnovers. Another TD came on a blocked up. … Speaking of turnovers, Kelso forced eight turnovers in a 22-6 win over Mark Morris, including five in the first quarter. … Both teams have hard-running tailbacks. Kelso’s Jared O’Neil rushed for 103 yards. River sophomore Remick Kawakami rushed for 102 yards. … River’s defense held Battle Ground to 6 yards rushing.
Columbian’s take: Both teams’ Week 1 wins were similar. But the opponents were not. Mark Morris reached the 2A state quarterfinals last seaon. Battle Ground has a lot of new starters and a first-year coach. Pick: Kelso
