Ashley Gjserwold stepped on to the runway and faced her fear. It has been a long year of rehab since the Camas High School senior gymnast broke her left femur on the vault during the league jamboree, on Dec. 5, 2009. Since that painful day, Gjserwold never wanted to compete in the vault again. On Saturday, the Camas gymnastics family she loves being a part of gave her the courage to get back on the runway.
Red and black were the colors of choice Wednesday night in Camas, when the Papermakers and the Titans collided on the basketball court at Union High School. Since Union moved up to the 4A Greater St. Helens League before the fall season, these two schools did not have the opportunity to face each other in football or soccer.
Camas and Washougal wrestle maniacs of all ages got their blood pumping Thursday night, as the Panthers and Papermakers wasted little time pinning their opponent's shoulders to the mat. The opener between Washougal's Monte Miller and Lucas Nicacio of Camas at Washougal High School went bell to bell, before Nicacio emerged victorious by the score of 7-1. The majority of the matches ended by pin fall in less than two minutes. Six of those pins went in favor of the Papermakers, which helped them defeat the Panthers 51-30.
When the Washougal High School gymnasium turned into a jungle Friday night, the Panther girls and boys basketball teams felt right at home. Darcy Akers, Maddie Down and Kendall Utter delivered 41 points on six 3-pointers to lead the Washougal girls to a 51-41 victory over Fort Vancouver. "All preseason games are a learning experience, and that definitely was one," Down said. "We're at a point where this team has never been before. Our skill level is incredible, and we feel we have all the potential in the world. If we rise to our potential, I think we can go pretty far."
The first time you step into the jungle to wrestle with the Panthers, you are part of a family that strives for excellence. "We have a great tradition of quality wrestling in Washougal, and the coaches want that tradition to continue," said head coach John Carver. "We believe the development of work ethic, confidence, self-discipline and training are great motivators for life after high school. We want these kids to come back here as adults and say 'wrestling for Washougal got me where I am today.'"
After an unbelievable ride with his best friends on the Camas High School football team, the pads are off and Miguel Salamanca is ready to wrestle. "I think it's going to be an exciting season for wrestling, especially if we can build on the success of football," he said. "Everybody thinks we're just a young team, and we want to prove everybody wrong." As he makes up for lost time on the mat, Salamanca is anxious to be a part of Thursday's rivalry match at Washougal High School. Coming off a fourth place finish at state last season, the senior looks forward to the challenges that lie ahead.
After a banner season of league and district championships and state medals, more boys are jumping into the water to be a part of the Camas-North County high school swimming connection. In addition to the 42 Papermakers in the pool, head coach Mike Bemis is pleased to have three swimmers from Washougal, 15 for Hockinson, two from Battle Ground, one from Prairie, and the first Woodland High School swimmer to be a part of the program.
After seven years of building a gymnastics family in Camas, the four senior aces are looking forward to the next three months and dreading them at the same time. Amanda Bolton, Ashley Gjerswold, Alicia Hamlin and Amy Siebenthaler have been together with head coach Jennifer McDonnell since their days at Skyridge Middle School. They all share the same dream, to give every Camas girl an opportunity to compete at the state meet in the Tacoma Dome. It is a special honor awarded to only the top two teams at districts.
Get used to looking up at the Washougal High School boys basketball players. Kevin Monsrud and Isaac Bischoff both rise above the pack at 6 feet, 6 inches tall. Standing shoulder-to-shoulder are Kyle Anderson and Joey Rubino at 6-5. Patrick McCarthy (6-4), Aaron Diester (6-3), Conor Mackenzie (6-2), Karsten Short (6-1) and Colton Pace (6-0) are only inches apart, and Mustapha Bah (5-11) and T.C. White (5-10) are just under 6 feet. These Panthers might be giants. Going up against some of these large tree trunks in practice, guards Erik Ackerman (5-6) and Michael McElroy (5-4) look pretty small.
dan.trujillo@camaspostrecord.com
