Camas defends OSU camp win

The Camas High School football team defended its Oregon State University Team Camp championship in smashing fashion Jan. 26, in Corvallis.

“We had a lot of kids step up and play above the level they normally do,” said head coach Jon Eagle. “I think that experience is really going to help them.”

Trailing by four points with about 20 minutes left, the Papermakers rallied to defeat Juanita High School of Kirkland, Wash., 16-12 in the championship game.

Camas reached the end zone first on a run by Zach Marshall. He also came through with a 2-point conversion run to give the Papermakers an 8-0 advantage. Juanita battled back with a touchdown run, but the Camas defense halted the 2-point conversion attempt to stay on top 8-6.

The Papermakers fumbled on their next possession, and the Rebels turned it into another touchdown to take a 12-8 lead. Again, Camas denied the 2-point try to remain within striking distance.

The Papermakers took the lead for good, when Brent Hill caught a touchdown pass from quarterback Tony Genarro in the back of the end zone. Genarro then rifled the football to Kyle Ervin for a 2-point conversion.

Juanita had only about three minutes left to respond. The Papermakers stopped the Rebels on defense to win back-to-back Oregon State Team Camp titles.

Summer workouts began for the Papermakers on June 28. Eagle said about 80 football players showed up for the first day, and have been going strong all week. Winning another Oregon State camp championship seems to have invigorated the Papermaker spirit.

“Our goal is to keep working and training hard all summer,” Eagle said. “How hard we train now determines how well we’re going to do this fall. The kids just want to keep working.”