The Mountain View swimmers may have won more races Monday, but Camas had a lot more top 10 placers in a league championship clinching team victory at LaCamas Swim & Sport.
The Papermaker girls put on their pink jerseys and beat Mountain View 49-35 on the basketball court Friday, at Camas High School. But there were no losers on this night, only winners. Both Camas and Mountain View worked together to raise a few thousand dollars for the Kay Yow Foundation for Breast Cancer Research during the fourth annual Hoops 4 Pink Night. "They represented well both on and off the court tonight. You could really feel the community's love" said Camas head coach Chuck Knight. "We had strong representation from our third-grade teams all the way through our high school teams all working together for a good cause. It was a real nice family type of event."
Evolving from Washougal High School wrestlers to mixed martial artists, Nick Biron and Jess Moore have the opportunity to do something special Saturday. On the same night, they could both become champions of their divisions in the Full-Contact Fighting Federation at the 10th anniversary of Rumble at the Roseland. "If I was a fight fan, this is a show I wouldn't want to miss," said FCFF Co-owner Kevin Keeney. "We are so fortunate to be able to keep putting on shows and provide an avenue for these fighters to reach their hopes and dreams." Biron battles Darron O'Donnell of Knox, Ore., for the Heavyweight Championship. Biron stands at 6 feet, 4 inches, but O'Donnell is a few inches taller.
The kid from Camas who dreamed of becoming a professional soccer player is getting his opportunity close to home. On Jan. 4, Brent Richards signed the dotted line on a Major League Soccer contract with the Portland Timbers. "It's definitely a dream come true, and something I've always wanted to do since I was little," Richards said. "I couldn't think of a better place to start my career. A lot of people in Camas and Vancouver have helped me along the way. It's going to be a privilege to play in front of them professionally. I'm real happy I came from this community."
The Washougal girls kicked off the championship round of the Clark County tournament with a bang Saturday, at Union High School. Sophomore Erin Locke sang the National Anthem before her teammates Jessica Eakins and Emily Alder-Storm wrestled for the 100-pound championship in the first match. Eakins and Haven Camden each won county championships, Locke, Alder-Storm, Tara Duey and Jessica Biron also wrestled in the finals and finished second. All of their performances added up to a county team title for the Panther girls over 14 other schools. "From the top to the bottom of the pile, every single girl was pulling for the benefit of the team," said head coach Heather Carver. "We love living in Clark County and representing Clark County. We might live on the fringe, but it’s nice to prove to everyone where we come from."
The Camas girls basketball team wins big on Hoops 4 Pink night. Washougal girls wrestling team captures the Clark County Championship.
Neither Camas nor Prairie netted a basket in the first 3 1/2 minutes of Saturday's game, at Camas High School. For the remainder of the first quarter, Prairie outscored Camas 25-5. Jenka Stiasna made her second of two foul shots to give the Papermakers a 1-0 lead. The Falcons then scored 13 straight points and kept adding on for a 65-35 victory. "Their score went from 0 to 10 in about a minute," said Camas head coach Chuck Knight. "When they get a rebound, and you have even a quarter of a second of hesitation, they are going to beat you up the floor. "You can never hesitate. You have to sprint and you have to locate," he added. "A lot of their points came off our turnovers. We have to handle the pressure better."
The Camas High School boys basketball team lost its lucky charm down the stretch Saturday. The Papermakers led by six points heading into the fourth quarter, but a 23-9 run by Prairie during those final eight minutes propelled the Falcons to a 51-43 victory in Camas. "We played hard," said Camas head coach Skyler Gillispie. "In the end, we made too many mental mistakes that Prairie was able to capitalize on and win the game." The Papermakers looked good in the second and third quarters. Anthony Fallin chased down a loose ball, put it off the glass for two points, drew a foul shot and made it for a 3-point play to tie the game.
The Papermaker boys swimmers racked up 844.5 points and captured first place at Saturday's 12-team Kelso Invitational. Camas swept all three relay races. John Utas, Ian Ulmer, Lucas Ulmer and Nick Kabel set a state qualifying time of 1 minute, 32.91 seconds in the 200-meter freestyle relay. Ian Ulmer, Yraceburu, Trent Harimoto and Xiangyang Yan won the 200 medley relay (1:49.75). Kabel, Kasey Calwell, Ian Ulmer and Lucas Ulmer won the 400 freestyle relay (3:27.52). Lucas Ulmer also clinched first place in the 100 backstroke with a state qualifying time of 56.16 seconds. Yraceburu earned first in the 100 breastroke (1:05.06).
The Washougal boys basketball players stepped onto the floor of their longtime Camas rivals and made a statement. In the defining moment of their eight-game winning streak to start the season, the Panthers celebrated a 64-44 victory over the Papermakers Dec. 20, at Camas High School. "It's always big to win at Camas. It's a rivalry that's important to both communities," said Washougal head coach Malcolm Estes. "In the 32 years I've been in Washougal, the games with Camas have always been a battle. Especially for those first 20 years I was here. It would be nice to see that again."
dan.trujillo@camaspostrecord.com
