Battle Ground defense shines in 38-7 victory

BATTLE GROUND — Yes, Battle Ground’s Air Raid attack put up its usual big numbers in the Tigers’ 38-7 nonleague victory Friday over Tualatin at District Stadium.

But what has the Tigers more excited at the moment is the play of their defense, which forced four turnovers and held the Timberwolves’ wing-T attack to just 107 rushing yards over the first three quarters.

“We’re just a little bit underrated (on defense),” said senior Austin Adams, who had a team-high nine tackles to go along with his 12 catches for 157 yards and three touchdowns. “We’re known for the Air Raid, but our defense is strong. Nothing is going to stop us.”

That defensive effort came to the fore toward the end of last season, when the Tigers (2-0) posted back-to-back shutouts to close the 4A Greater St. Helens League campaign en route to their first state playoff berth since 1979 and second all-time.

“We’ve been known for our offense the last few years, but now we want to be known for our defense, too,” said coach Larry Peck. “We’ve tweaked our scheme a little, but now we have the troops to do the things we want. We play simple but aggressive. You saw the pressure we brought tonight.”

That pressure netted three sacks, four more tackles for loss, four fumble recoveries and three fourth-down stops in BG territory. Tualatin’s only score came midway through the fourth quarter with the outcome long since decided.

“They’re an unruly bunch, but that’s what makes them great football players,” Peck said. “The wing-T is tough to stop, but those are aggressive kids we have out there. They like to come downhill, force the issue and make plays.”

The defensive performance backed another big night for senior quarterback Gunner Talkington, who was 18-of-27 for 259 yards and four touchdowns.

“(Tualatin) is a great team, but the line just gave me plenty of time to sit back there and gave our receivers a chance to catch the ball,” Talkington said.

And when he didn’t have time to pick apart the defense, Talkington’s improvisational skills proved decisive. He scrambled for a 2-yard TD run in the third quarter, but saved his niftiest move for BG’s final score, eluding a sack in the backfield, rolling left and throwing just before crossing the line of scrimmage to Adams for a 37-yard touchdown.

“That’s just another day in practice,” Talkington said. “We work on our scramble drill every day.”

The Tigers scored on their first possession on a 6-yard pass from Talkington to Max Randle, then resorted to their bag of tricks to take a 12-0 lead on the first play of the second quarter.

Talkington lateraled to Izak Brundage in the left flat, and he found a wide-open Adams 10 yards behind the nearest defender for a 30-yard score.

The Tigers took a 19-0 lead into halftime, then scored on each of their first three drives of the third quarter to put the game away.

Randle added five catches for 113 yards and two TDs, and he also made eight tackles. Senior Dawson Manahan added a pair of sacks, forced two fumbles, and six tackles, while Trevor Geiger made eight tackles.

BATTLE GROUND 38, TUALATIN 7

Tualatin 0 0 0 7—7

Battle Ground 6 13 19 0—38

First Quarter

BG—Max Randle 6 pass from Gunner Talkington (kick blocked)

Second Quarter

BG—Austin Adams 30 pass from Izak Brundage (pass failed)

BG—Randle 57 pass from Talkington (Riley Phillips kick)

Third Quarter

BG—Adams 30 pass from Talkington (kick failed)

BG—Talkington 2 run (run failed)

BG—Adams 37 pass from Talkington (Phillips kick)

Fourth Quarter

T—Kyle Kamp 6 run (Kyle Dernedde kick)

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

RUSHING—T, Kamp 14-56, Lucas Noland 10-42, Cody Brown 6-32, Jake Anderson 5-32, Dernedde 4-2, Chris Freese 4-0, Macguire Asay 3-7, Kaden Cook 3-(minus 8), Nathan Marx 1-(minus 5), Colby Jackson 2-6. BG, Prince Grote 10-62, Talkington 8-45, Adams 3-(minus 8), Brock Robinson 3-5, Jake Blake 1-1, team 1-(minus 1).

PASSING—T, Cook 9-17-0-113. BG, Talkington 18-27-1-259, Brundage 1-1-0-30, Adams 0-1-0-0.

RECEIVING—T, Jared Ellison 3-55, Noland 2-11, Marx 2-17, Jackson Willig 1-14, Freese 1-16. BG, Adams 12-157, Randle 5-113, Brundage 1-8, Robinson 1-11.