Difference in football tiebreaker could be a foot

As if nine weeks of football drama were not enough, high school football fans will get a little extra treat tonight in Camas.

Skyview, Battle Ground and Mountain View will play a three-team Kansas tiebreaker at Doc Harris Stadium to decide which two teams will advance to the Week 10 playoffs and which team will see its season end.

In some ways, this tiebreaker could be little a boxing tight bout. It could go for two hours. Or it could be over in 25 minutes.

And while there are many talented players who are certain to grab the spotlight tonight — like Gunner Talkington or Preston Jones or Blake Ingram — my attention will be on three different players.

Those players are Riley Betcher, Braden Hadfield and Colin Biggs.

Now, all three of these players contribute to their teams in significant ways. Betcher and Hadfield are among the top receivers for Battle Ground and Skyview respectively. Biggs is the starting quarterback for Mountain View.

But they also play special roles on their teams that could have a big impact on tonight’s tiebreaker.

They are the kickers.

In this tiebreaker, where every team practically starts each possession in scoring possession, the difference between winning and losing could be a made or missed point after touchdown (PAT) kick.

Or teams may reach fourth down, forcing a coach into a decision to attempt a field goal.

Now in college and pro football, converting a PAT kick is often a foregone conclusion. In fact, the NFL recently changed its rules to make the PAT kick harder on kickers.

But in high school football, it’s anything but a sure thing.

Many teams struggle to find someone who can consistently put the ball through the uprights.

Luckily for tonight’s contestants, they all have very good kickers.

But then, as it is for many things in football, it’s not just about the kicker. There is the holder, long snapper and linemen. There are many working pieces that go into a successful kick.

Battle Ground, Skyview and Mountain View have done a good job of that all season.

With Betcher kicking, Battle Ground has converted 44 of 47 PAT kick attempts. Two of the failed attempts were blocked and the other involved a bad snap or hold. Betcher has one successful field goal this season. The Columbian does not track missed field goal attempts in its scoring summary, so the success rate cannot be measured.

With Hadfield kicking, Skyview has converted 34 of 39 PAT kick attempts, which includes two blocks and two bad snap/holds. Hadfield has kicked six field goals, including a season-long of 40 yards last Friday against Union.

With Biggs kicking, Mountain View is 30 for 38 on PAT kick attempts with three bad snap/holds and one block. Biggs has made five field goals, including the game-winner against Skyview. He also has a missed attempt of 51 yards that was wide, not short.

So if you’re at Doc Harris Stadium tonight, you can keep an eye on the playmakers and big hitters in the trenches. But I’m going to keep a careful eye on the kickers.

The difference between winning and losing tonight could be a foot.

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This is what awaits the winners from Monday’s tiebreaker.

The No. 2 seed from the 4A Greater St. Helens League will play at Kentlake. The No. 3 seed will play at Monroe. Because of Monday’s tiebreaker, these games likely will be played on Saturday.

Otherwise, the Week 10 playoff games are generally played on Friday night. The exact sites and times of these playoff games will be announced Monday.

In Class 4A, Bethel of Spanaway will play at Camas.

In Class 3A, Columbia River will host Capital of Olympia, likely at Kiggins Bowl.

In Class 2A, Hockinson will face Centralia at 7 p.m. Friday at District Stadium in Battle Ground. Ridgefield will host W.F. West of Chehalis at 7 p.m. Friday.

And in Class 2A, La Center will host Eatonville.

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To find out the latest in postseason volleyball and girls soccer matchups, check out our high school sports blog at 360preps.com.

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.