Battle Ground see growth, positives in loss to 3A Rainier Beach

SEATTLE — Battle Ground’s brutal nonleague schedule speaks for itself: three playoff-bound opponents from 2017 right off the bat, including Saturday facing a Rainier Beach team that reached last season’s Class 3A state final.

While the game didn’t go how the Tigers hoped for in the win-loss column, facing quality opponents such as Rainier Beach in Saturday’s 61-7 means plenty of positive takeaways moving forward.

In short, senior receiver and safety Boden Strouse said, the Tigers learned a lot.

By playing these harder teams,” Strouse said, “we’re building our team up.

“We’re learning, we’re making mistakes and we’re correcting them.”

Strouse scored Battle Ground’s first-quarter touchdown on the team’s second offensive series that pulled the deficit to 14-7. That series also was the team’s best drive of the game, marching 65 yards on five consecutive completions in 1 minute, 44 seconds capped by Stouse’s 36-yard touchdown catch from quarterback Seth Workman. Stouse finished with 4 catches for 70 yards.

Special teams also blocked two point-after tries and the defense limited Beach to a handful of short-yard, no-gain or negative-yard plays.  

But, boy, they also had a number of big gains and big runs, too.

Said Stouse: “They’re big. They’re fast.”

Rainier Beach’s (2-0) size, speed and athleticism proved to be a tall order against a Tigers (0-2) team coming off last week’s 56-7 season-opening defeat to Bethel.

Twice, the Vikings scored long touchdowns on punt returns, and on their final scoring play of the first quarter, back-up Ari Patu’s quarterback keeper turned into a 52-yard score as the first-quarter clock expired. Another two Beach touchdowns were called back because of penalties.

In the first half alone, the teams combined for 19 penalties.

Battle Ground had four turnovers. Rainier Beach’s Sammy King picked off Tiger quarterbacks three times and also had a touchdown catch.

Coach Mike Kesler can’t discredit how much valuable experience the Tigers gained in a Seattle setting and Seattle Memorial Stadium. The Seattle Memorial Classic is in its fifth year, stretching five games over two days.

The kids are getting experience, getting an opportunity to see what the big boys are all about,” Kesler said. “Our lack of depth hurts us, but bottom line is they lined up and played hard. We showed some good things.”

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RAINIER BEACH 61, BATTLE GROUND 7

BG 7 0 0 0 -7

RB 21 14 20 6 -61

First quarter

RB — Day’Jon Brooks 4 run (Roger Millimono kick)

RB — Sammy King 3 pass from Jihad Abdul-Haqq (Millimono kick)

BG — Boden Strouse 36 pass from Seth Workman (Grant Reinhardt kick)

RB — Ari Patu 52 run (Millimono kick)

Second quarter

RB — Abdul-Haqq 1 run (Millimono kick)

RB — Xavier Bowen 70 punt return (Millimono kick)

Third quarter

RB — Xzavier Burton 1 run (Millimono kick)

RB — Jamezz Johnson 6 run (Millimono kick)

Fourth quarter

RB — Johnson 75 punt return (kick failed)

RB — Jaelin Green 6 pass from Trey Morris (kick blocked)

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

RUSHING — Battle Ground: Trent Thompson 6-14, Seth Workman 3-16, Daniel Thompson 7-30, Steven Hancock 2-(-4), Grant Reinhardt 1-3; Rainier Beach: Jazmezz Johnson 5-88, Xzavier Burton 13-56, Samol Sok 1-22, Day’Jon Brooks 7-53.

PASSING — Battle Ground: Seth Workman 5-12-2-72; Chris Dunn 3-11-1-23; Jihad Abdul-Haqq 9-13-0-126, Ari Patu 2-3-0-18, Trey Morris 2-2-0-14.

RECEIVING — Battle Ground: Boden Strouse 4-70, Daniel Thompson 3-23, Jordan King-Gonzales 1-2; Jamezz Johnson 4-75, Sammy King 2-16, Kendrick Smith 1-11, Xavier Bowen 1-5, Israel Cruz-Medrano 1-8, Jaelin Green 1-6, Samol Sok 1-12.