dan.trujillo@camaspostrecord.com
November 14, 2010
On the sidelines: Doc Harris has never been louder
Camas football beats Jaunita 20-13 for the first state playoff victory in school history.
Camas football beats Jaunita 20-13 for the first state playoff victory in school history.
Dylan Croeni had the tenacity to bring a state cross country title home to Washougal, but defending champion Scott Carlyle of Sehome had the edge in experience. The battle between the top two high school runners in the 2A boys state championship race had fans on the tiptoes of their feet Saturday, at the Sun Willows Golf Course in Pasco. Croeni grabbed the lead during the third and final mile of the 5,000-meter hilly course, but Carlyle outkicked him to the finish line by one second. Both times were staggering. Carlyle clocked in at 15 minutes, 30.8 seconds, and Croeni followed in 15:31.9.
Sixty minutes of soccer settled nothing between Camas and Auburn Mountainview, but then the Papermakers kicked it up a notch. Janae Benson finished off a corner kick from Adrienne Engel and filtered through Annike Sumpter, Sara Slayton and Kailee Esser to catapult Camas back into the state tournament, with a 1-0 victory in the bi-district championship game Saturday at Doc Harris Stadium. Esser and Sumpter became a two-headed machine on defense, equipped with the feet of Emily Ainsworth and Maiah Sharma, and the cat-like instincts of goalkeeper Andrea Soderberg. Benson and Ciara Klein battered Auburn in front of the goal. Slayton fed them crosses and Engel fired some corners. Aggressiveness for a goal finally paid off for the Papermakers in the 63rd minute.
The Papermakers scored 56 points for Logan Grindy Friday, and didn't give up any. On a night when the senior quarterback could not play because of a fractured fibula, the Camas High School football players, coaches and students remembered these important words from University of Alabama football coach Paul "Bear" Bryant. "The most important thing of any team is a winning attitude," he said. "The coaches must have it. The players must have it. The student body must have it. If you have dedicated players who believe in themselves, you have already won."
Several Camas and Washougal high school fall sports teams are in postseason mode this week. Click the link for more details.
After nine weeks of climbing, the Camas High School football team reached the top of the 3A Greater St. Helens League. "A lot of hard work went into this by our players and coaches," said head coach Jon Eagle. "I am so proud of our kids for how hard they have fought in the last nine weeks to get to this point. Now, it's time to have some fun. The playoffs are all about fun." The Papermakers defeated the Kelso Hilanders 24-13 Friday, at Doc Harris Stadium, to become league champions for the first time since 2007. Seniors Logan Grindy and Brent Hill connected on a breathtaking 15 yard touchdown pass in the right corner of the end zone. Before the crowd could settle down, Hill knocked the ball loose from a Kelso receiver and wound up back in the end zone for his second touchdown in 19 seconds.
The Camas High School girls soccer team celebrated its league championship by scoring 16 goals last week. Although the Papermakers had already secured first place, they still wanted to beat Kelso on their new digs at Doc Harris Stadium. Janae Benson and Ciara Klein each netted two goals, and Raya Klein added a goal and two assists, to lead Camas to a 5-0 victory over the Hilanders Oct. 26. Jamie Carter collected four saves. On "Senior Night" Thursday, the Papermakers mopped Fort Vancouver 11-0. Raya Klein, Benson, Mary Connell, Carly Marshall, Emily Ponce, Kailee Esser, Emily Ainsworth, Annike Sumpter, Olivia Eagle, Carter and Courtney Loewen scored the goals.
Ellie Boon has scored tons of goals with her feet, but she cannot remember ever using her head. The sophomore's header into the net Saturday, off a corner kick from senior Amanda Acheson might have been the first. And, it propelled the Panthers one step closer to state. "The ball was coming at waist level. I'm thinking, 'I'm going to get my head on this,'" Boon said. "Amanda Acheson put it on a silver plate for me and said, 'here you go, finish it.' It's the first header goal I've ever had, and it couldn't have come at a better time."
Facing his first serious challenger for the 2A state cross country title Saturday, Dylan Croeni still had more to give. The Washougal High School senior set an Evergreen State College course record time of 15 minutes, 57.68 seconds to win the district championship race. Croeni outkicked W.F. West runners Dakota Parker (16:06) and Andy Robertson (16:29.39) for the win.
Camas claims the league championship, and Washougal earns a winning season.
