Battle Ground football preview: Big man steps into spotlight

BATTLE GROUND — Even the best athletes get beat from time to time.

That is just part of competition.

Still, a strong lineman must have the mentality that it will never happen to him.

That is how Battle Ground junior Andrew Johnson prepares for every snap.

“You have to have the confidence in yourself to say I’m going to beat that guy across from me and I’m not going to let him get to my guys,” Johnson said. “You have to have that confidence or people are going to walk all over you.

Coach: Larry Peck

2013 record: 4-5, 2-3 4A GSHL.

Key players: Chris Waters, sr., wr/db; Nic Manuel, sr., qb/db; Riley Betcher, jr., wr/db; Reed Thompson jr., rb/db; Parker Randle, sr., wr/db; Jon Bryant, sr., rb/dl; Taylor Lollar, sr., rb/lb; Mike Clark, sr., ol/lb; Garrett Dean, sr., ol/dl; Daniel Yandell, sr., ol/dl; Brady Brick, so., ol/dl; Andrew Johnson, jr., ol/dl; Caleb Johnson, sr., wr/lb.

Season outlook: The Tigers have built a competitive program. But they are still looking for a signature win. That would mean a win over the “Big Three” of the 4A GSHL. The Tigers lost a lot of talented seniors from 2013, but quality programs can sustain. This program, with more and more players commiting to offseason training, is quality.

2014 SCHEDULE

Sept. 5 Kent-Meridian

Sept. 12 at Spanaway L.

Sept. 19 Skyview*

Sept. 26 at Mtn. View*

Oct. 3 at Heritage*

Oct. 9 Camas*

Oct. 17 Evergreen*

Oct. 24 at Union*

Oct. 31 at Prairie

• — 4A GSHL game

Home games played at District Stadium

“If you don’t believe in yourself, how do you expect the coaches to believe in you?”

Battle Ground coaches do believe in Johnson.

“He’s the prototypical kid every coach wants in a program,” Battle Ground coach Larry Peck said. “He is mature beyond his age. And he is a leader by doing instead of saying.”

And not too many people walk over the 6-foot, 5-inch 250-pound junior.

“We’re finally starting to see some typical (Class) 4A kind of linemen,” Peck said. “We’ve always had guys who would fight their hearts out but were undersized. Now we have guys who will fight and have size. We’re encouraged by that.”

Johnson said it was assistant coach Mike Peck who pushed him into becoming more than just a big guy on the offensive line. The coaches wanted Johnson to start as a sophomore, but he would have to earn it first.

“He really inspired me to work out a lot. He told me I could be a D-I athlete on a four-year scholarship,” Johnson said. “He told me I had to put my maximum effort in and buy in to all the workouts and all the drills.”

Johnson did earn that starting role last season.

It was quite an experience, plus it was needed experience, if you will. Johnson did not start playing football until he was in the eighth grade. He smiles when he says his mom was “overprotective.”

He credits his friends and teammates for helping him learn the game that first year. Then, as a freshman, he saw what it was like to play at the high school level.

“I loved the game right then,” he said.

The next year, he was playing on Fridays.

Varsity football is unlike any other football, Johnson quickly realized. That was just another motivating factor to keep working.

“Go your hardest. If you don’t, either you’re going to get hurt or you’re going go get yelled at by your teammates and you won’t see the field.”

That would be too painful for Johnson.

“It’s one of the best feelings in the world, walking out on the field under the lights,” he said.

The spotlight rarely shines on offensive linemen. But that is just fine with Johnson. Football teams know that any success starts up front.

“The coaches are always pushing us to be the best part of the team,” Johnson said. “If the team is waiting on us, we’re getting our butts chewed.”

Johnson said he loves the physical nature of the game, of his position.

“Just being able to have contact every single play. I love the brute force, just knocking people every play,” Johnson said. “We put our blood, sweat, and tears into this.”

All that effort has the Tigers thinking they can do something special this season.

“I believe we are gong to go to the playoffs,” Johnson said. “Every year, we’ve been taking a step up and up and up. This is the year we’re going to show everything that we have. We have a lot of kids out there who will never give up.”

It all starts with confidence.

Andrew Johnson and the Battle Ground Tigers have that this season.