There were the hugs, photos and smiles you see after every high school football win.
But for the Heritage football players on Friday, there was an extra bit of joy.
When Heritage beat Battle Ground 28-21 at McKenzie Stadium, it wasn’t just any 4A Greater St. Helens League win.
It was Heritage’s first league win since 2012. For a program that has spent recent years trying to build a winning foundation, Friday’s victory felt like something to build on.
“Until you can climb out of the basement, you can’t think of any place else,” Heritage coach Matt Gracey said. “For the first time in five years, it’s not going to be Heritage at the bottom of the standings. That’s big and it means something to these kids, because that’s what they’ve been told forever.”
It didn’t come easy. Heritage fell behind 21-14 early in the fourth quarter, then missed an extra point that would have tied the game at 21 with 8:03 to play.
But the Timberwolves regrouped and mounted a game-winning 53-yard drive. Michael Taras hit Robbie Meadors on a 4-yard quick slant with 2:06 to play.
“Me and Michael, we put time in afterwards,” Meadors said. “You’ve got to trust in one another, and everybody on the team.”
“He’s been my go-to guy all year,” Taras said. “To hit him on the game-winning pass for our first league win of the year, it’s incredible. What a moment for both of us.”
Taras and Meadors put in the work that led to that final touchdown. But the seniors have also been grinding toward larger goals – a first league win and setting a foundation for future Timberwolves.
“We’ve been working at this for four years,” Meadors said. “For the guys coming in, show an example of what we need to do to turn this program around.”
Heritage (4-4, 1-2) scored the game’s first touchdown on a Anthony Kee 4-yard run. But Battle Ground (0-8, 0-4) controlled the rest of the first half behind a steady dose of Brock Robinson runs.
Robinson, who finished with 170 yards on 37 carries, put Battle Ground up 14-7 with 2:23 left in the first half on a 6-yard run.
Heritage tied the score when Andrew Thom recovered a blocked punt at the goal line early in the third quarter.
Battle Ground went back ahead 21-14 when Robinson broke loose for a 49-yard run on fourth and 2.
But Heritage responded on the next play from scrimmage. Taras found Neithan Stanley for a 63-yard TD pass that preceded the missed extra point.
But even with that misfortune, Gracey saw no panic on his sideline.
“The hardest one to get is the first one,” he said, “I knew it was going to take a lot. We missed the extra point and I look over, they were like coach, it’s over. We’ve got this. I had absolutely no worry.”
HERITAGE 28, BATTLE GROUND 21
Battle Ground 0 14 0 7 — 21
Heritage 7 0 7 14 — 28
First quarter
H – Anthony Kee 5 run (Antonio Mata kick)
Second quarter
BG – Seth Workman 1 run (Landon Minor kick)
BG – Brock Robinson 6 run (Minor kick)
Third quarter
H – Andrew Thom recovered blocked punt in end zone (Mata kick)
Fourth quarter
BG – Robinson 49 run (Minor kick)
H – Neithan Stanley 63 pass from Michael Taras (kick failed)
H – Robert Meadors 4 pass from Taras (Kee run)
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
Rushing
Battle Ground: Brock Robinson 37-170, Seth Workman 5-13, Trent Thompson 9-59. Heritage: Anthony Kee 7-25, Michael Taras 9-13.
Passing
Battle Ground: Seth Workman 4-11-0-83. Heritage: Michael Taras 8-17-0-161.
Receiving
Battle Ground: Isaiah Cummings 1-30, Jordan Sullivan 1-14, Boden Strouse 2-39. Heritage: Kahai Umiamaka 3-43, Robert Meadors 2-32, Neithan Stanley 1-30, Ammon Garrison 1-13.
