The Plainsmen and the Thunder are playing for the 50th time

By Paul Valencia
ClarkCountyToday.com

Mountain View vs. Evergreen.

Evergreen vs. Mountain View.

This rivalry is special. Many times, it has determined a league champion. Many times, it has determined a playoff spot.

And every time, it means something to the players in the game.

Tonight’s game will be the 50th time Mountain View and Evergreen have played each other. Yep, that’s a lot.

And also, it seems weird because Mountain View has not been around for 50 years. The series started in 1982.

Well, for many years, Evergreen and Mountain View played twice a year. Why? $omething tell$ me it had to do with the amount of ticket$ $old for thi$ game.

Anyway, tonight’s game, the second game at McKenzie Stadium, is scheduled for 7 p.m. but fans should know it might not start until later. Union is taking on Coeur d’alene, Idaho, at 4:30 p.m. at the stadium. 

The Thunder and Plainsmen do not know yet exactly what is at stake for tonight’s game, as far as playoff picture or league championship. It is, after all, the first league game in the Class 3A Greater St. Helens League this year. But with only two teams making the playoffs this season, all results in league play are huge.

Our colleague Bryan Levesque — a Clark County high school football historian — researched a number of rivalries between Southwest Washington teams.

According to his research, Mountain View holds a 27-22 advantage in this series with Evergreen. Interestingly, in league games, the two teams are tied 19-19.

Mountain View once won 11 in a row in this series. Evergreen won last year’s matchup.

Levesque’s research also got me thinking. What’s the longest rivalry that is currently still being played among Clark County teams? Meaning, the game has been played at least once every year and continues? (I am not including the abbreviated pandemic season. If rivals did not play during those blocks of games, so be it.) 

From Levesque’s research, we believe it is Battle Ground-Prairie. Those two schools have played at least one a year (and several times twice a year) since 1979. After Battle Ground’s win a couple weeks ago, the series is tied at 25-25.

Hudson’s Bay and Fort Vancouver have played each other 67 times but those two teams have not played each other since 2019.

Columbia River and Hudson’s Bay have played 57 times but they went eight years without playing each other just last decade.

While not Clark County, it still should be noted that R.A. Long and Mark Morris have played every year since 1958, and this year will be the 80th game between those schools. 

Back to this season, and this week.

Skyview opened Week 5 of  the high school football season with a 59-0 win over Heritage on Thursday. The Storm are 5-0.

Camas will be looking for its fourth win in a row when the Papermaker host Kamiak on Friday.

With Mountain View and Evergreen in one 3A GSHL game, Prairie and Kelso face each other in the other 3A GSHL contest.

In the wild 2A GSHL, undefeated Hudson’s Bay will host Mark Morris. And for Eagles fans, I will write that again: Undefeated Hudson’s Bay.

At the beginning of the season, many would have thought that the Ridgefield-Washougal game this week would be for a league title. Well, the winner could still win a league title, but both teams have one league loss. Columbia River is at R.A. Long and Hockinson is at Woodland.

In the Trico, it’s King’s Way Christian at La Center, Seton Catholic at White Salmon, and Fort Vancouver at Castle Rock. La Center and Seton Catholic, by the way, are still undefeated.

Battle Ground, also undefeated, will try to get to 5-0 with a non-league game at Mt. Tahoma on Saturday.