Well, it’s here.
The first Friday of the 2015 high school football season is coming up this Friday.
I know where I’ll be the next nine Friday nights.
Do you?
Well, if you don’t, let me help you out a little.
Let’s take a different look at the upcoming nine Fridays and take a closer look at nine interesting games — one for each week of the season.
Now, these may not be the biggest games of each week. It’s hard to say what a big game might be in late October when you are still in August.
But these nine games have interesting back stories that make for good high school football drama.
So let’s take a look.
WEEK 1, CAMAS AT CHIAWANA: Looking for interesting back stories? Look no further. Camas and Chiawana played for the 4A state title in 2013 with a wild and unforgettable ending that led to Chiawana’s championship. Camas earned a small bit of revenge when the Papermakers beat the Riverhawks 16-14 to open the 2014 season. Now, the rivalry moves to Pasco with the Papermakers ranked No. 1 in the Associated Press preseason poll and Chiawana at No. 4.
WEEK 2, LA CENTER AT WOODLAND: Woodland moves into a new campus this school year and that includes a brand new stadium. And the Beavers’ first game in their new home will come in a non-league game against a former league rival when
La Center and Woodland both played in the 1A Trico League.
WEEK 3, BATTLE GROUND AT SKYVIEW: Ever since Camas joined the 4A Greater St. Helens League in 2012, it’s been the same story in that league: Camas, Union and Skyview — or Camas, Skyview and Union. Battle Ground is looking to break into the top three this season in the 4A GSHL. But in order to do that, the Tigers will have to beat Camas, Skyview and/or Union. This will be their first shot in Week 1 of league play at Kiggins Bowl. Last year, Skyview beat Battle Ground 44-9.
WEEK 4, MOUNTAIN VIEW AT BATTLE GROUND: Last season, the Thunder and Tigers piled up 1,242 total yards and 98 total points in a 56-42 win for the Thunder. Battle Ground quarterback Gunner Talkington threw for 501 yards in that game. He’s back for the Tigers. Preston Jones rushed for 175 yards and two touchdowns and had a touchdown reception. He’s back for the Thunder. And his entire starting offensive line is back. Plan for a late evening at District Stadium on Sept. 25.
WEEK 5, EVERGREEN AT UNION: You may have heard of Rey Green. The running back/defensive back made quite a name for himself in three seasons at Evergreen High School. He’ll be back on the field at McKenzie Stadium, but this year he’ll be playing his senior year for Union. That should make the Evergreen-Union game interesting.
WEEK 6, BATTLE GROUND AT CAMAS: In their last two meetings, Battle Ground and Camas have combined to score 123 points and 98 points. It hasn’t worked out well for the Tigers, who lost 85-38 and 77-21. Despite lopsided results, Battle Ground’s offensive potential alone make this game one you might not want to miss.
WEEK 7, UNION AT CAMAS: It’s Union-Camas. What more do you want? These two schools are separated by 4.4 miles. They share the same zip code, even though one is in Camas and the other is in Vancouver (It’s true. You can look it up. It’s on Wikipedia). You can expect a full house at Doc Harris Stadium on Oct. 16, and a lot of emotion and action.
WEEK 8, WOODLAND AT HOCKINSON: Who can forget the mud bowl in Woodland last season when the Hawks escaped with a 14-7 victory and a 2A Greater St. Helens League championship? That win catapulted the Hawks into the playoffs, which ended with their deepest postseason push in the state quarterfinals. This year’s game switches to Hockinson. Could another 2A GSHL title be on the line?
WEEK 9, KELSO AT COLUMBIA RIVER: As it has so many times over the years, as it did last year when Columbia River beat Kelso 49-35, the 3A GSHL title could be on the line when the Hilanders travel to Vancouver to meet the Chieftains.
Tim Martinez is the assistant sports editor/prep coordinator for The Columbian. He can be reached at 360-735-4538, tim.martinez@columbian.com or follow him on Twitter at @360TMart.
