Courageous comeback by Camas

Do you believe in miracles Mill City? Yes!

The Camas High School football team rallied from 11 points down in the last two minutes to defeat Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, 28-25 Friday, at Doc Harris Stadium in a battle between two No. 1 ranked football teams from different states.

“We had a long talk before the game about brotherhood – what it means to be a brother and to make plays for the guy next to you,” said senior center Jordan Howes. “I think that’s what it took to come back and win this game. It really took standing together as a unit. Just together, we’re unstoppable.”

The Papermakers needed a pick-me-up after University of Washington bound quarterback Colson Yankoff ran for a 65-yard touchdown to give the Vikings a 25-14 advantage. Camas recovered a fumble on its own 3-yard line with about two minutes left on the clock. What followed next was nothing short of magic …

Ja’Michael Shelton snagged a 50-yard catch to breathe new life into the Papermakers. After hauling in a 9-yarder, Drake Owen caught a 13-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Kyle Allen in the corner of the end zone. Owen made sure to plant his feet in-bounds before getting pushed out.

Camas then recovered the on-side kick to earn another crack at the end zone. Isaiah Abdul caught the ball in open space and faked out the defender for a 19-yard gain. A late hit by a Viking sent the Papermakers to the 10-yard line.

It all came down to fourth-and-four. Allen stepped back and put up a picture perfect pass to Owen as he drifted toward open space in the end zone to give Camas a 26-25 lead. Owen then caught a 2-point conversion pass from Allen to make it 28-25 Papermakers with 20.6 seconds left on the clock.

“It’s crazy! I can’t describe the feeling right now,” Owen shouted as he celebrated with his teammates after the game. “Lots of practice with Kyle. All those throws since we were little. It worked.”

Owen finished with eight catches for 63 yards and those two touchdowns in the final minute. Allen collected 235 passing yards and three touchdowns. Shelton had seven catches for 93 yards and a touchdown. Will Schultz rushed for 127 yards and a touchdown.

Camas has won 54 regular season games in a row dating back to a non-league loss in 2011.

When the final whistle sounded at Doc Harris Stadium, the Papermakers rushed the field with joy only to be followed by Camas football fans of all ages.

“It’s amazing just to know that not only does my team have my back, and we all have each other, we’ve got the whole community. We were down two touchdowns, and I could still hear them cheering. They were not giving up,” Abdul said. “I think that the band and the community and parents cheering for us really kept us motivated and kept us going. That’s a feeling that you just have to be in to experience it.”