Skyler Gillispie will never forget the call. He was on his way to a coaching clinic at the Dan Dickau Basketball Academy when he found out he had just been named the new Camas High School boys basketball coach. In the blink of an eye, life for the 22-year-old would never be the same.
It's a new day for Camas High School girls basketball. Like many of the players on the court, head coach Chuck Knight is finally finding his comfort zone.
The next generation of Washougal Panthers wrestling in the jungle this winter are green, but nothing is stopping them from earning their orange and black singlets.
Tyler Weiss is doing whatever it takes to become a state champion. After wrestling with his Camas High School teammates for a few hours every day after school, the senior heads down to Clackamas, Ore., for another practice with the Cobra Wrestling All-Stars. He does this twice a week.
The Camas football players snagged a small trophy from their first trip to the Tacoma Dome. Next time, they want to bring home the big one. "What it all came down to was missed opportunities," said head coach Jon Eagle. "We had our chances to score, but you got to be able to come away with sevens and not threes. "It's too bad it had to end so fast and so hard," he added. "Unless you win it all, it never ends pretty."
Washougal is no longer the land of giants. Their level of basketball is evolving. When last season's exceptionally tall seniors got into foul trouble, Aaron Diester, Michael McElroy and Mustapha Bah provided the Panthers with an upswing of energy and quickness. All three have worked their way into the starting lineup with 6-foot-6 senior Isaac Bischoff. This gives Washougal a lethal combination of size, speed, strength and agility.
If there was a basketball at the bottom of a barrel, Washougal High School seniors Sarah Brown, Maddie Down and Kendall Utter would scrap for it. Head coach Charlie Boyce loves their tenacity. In fact, he has become spoiled by it. "If I don't have practice started by 3 o'clock, they have it started at 3 o'clock," Boyce said. "Wins and losses won't define our season. We want to have a good time. By this time next year, these three girls will be gone and this coach will have a tear in his eye."
Check back here throughout the day for updates on the Camas High School football team playing at the Tacoma Dome. Kickoff is at 7 p.m.
If you can't make it to Tacoma Friday, here are a few options to follow the Camas football game online.
In three days, Camas High School is going to be playing football in the Tacoma Dome for the first time. "Every year, I go up and watch the best teams in the state play. This year, I don't have to pay for a ticket," said senior linebacker Kyle Goodnow. "It's a dream come true, but we're not done yet. It's full steam ahead now."
dan.trujillo@camaspostrecord.com
