Papermakers stamp a victory

On the road for the first time this season, the Camas High School football players got another stamp of approval from their fans.

The Papermakers mashed Columbia River 38-14 Friday, at Chieftain Stadium. Zack Marshall led the charge with 60 yards rushing, 51 yards receiving and two touchdowns.

“See this knot on my head?” Marshall pointed out after the game. “I can feel every part of this win on my body, I’m so sore.

“River’s a physical team, but we did what we needed to do to get the ‘W,'” he added. “We ran the ball well, passed the ball well and played good defense. It was just a great team win.”

Quarterback Tony Gennaro was fierce in the air again. He completed 13 of his 20 passes for 182 yards and two touchdowns. He also rushed the ball into the end zone once, following an acrobatic catch by Zach Eagle on the 1-yard line. Gennaro led Marshall to the end zone on a 26-yard touchdown pass in the second quarter. He also hooked up with Jonathan Warner on a 24-yard touchdown pass in the fourth quarter.

John Norcross found a way to get into the end zone for the fourth time in the first three games of the season. The junior turned a fake punt handoff into a 42-yard touchdown run at the beginning of the fourth quarter.

“Coach Hallead and coach Gibson designed that. It was just a great play call,” Norcross said. “Dalton Debord, Anthony Fallin and Kyle Goodnow opened the door for me. I knew my buddies were with me, so I just ran straight ahead and didn’t look back.”

Norcross also gave a shout out to his mentor Scott Feather.

“He is crazy on defense, and that inspires me,” Norcross said. “What he brings to the field will push us ahead.”

Columbia River angered Feather and the other Camas defenders by scoring the first touchdown of the game.

“We got behind the 8-ball early, but our kids responded well,” said head coach Jon Eagle. “They didn’t back down. They rallied together, and fought back. That was the best part.”

The Papermakers immediately wanted payback, and it started by blocking the extra-point kick. After that, they scored 24 unanswered points to build an 18-point advantage at halftime. When River gained some momentum with a touchdown and a 2-point conversion in the third quarter, Norcross and Warner grabbed it right back.

“Our defense doesn’t like giving up points. We have to rally around that, and make sure it doesn’t happen again,” Feather said. “Starting off 3-0 has a lot to do with the 2010 team. Those guys set a standard, and we are trying to follow in their footsteps and make a name for ourselves.”

The Camas football players have been waiting anxiously to take on Skyview. The moment arrives Friday, at Kiggins Bowl. Kickoff is at 8 p.m.

“Skyview has a lot of great athletes,” Marshall said. “It should be a fast, physical and fun game. Everything we love about football.”