You can feel the energy surge when the big light lowers over center ring at Camas High School and every other source of illumination in the gym goes dark.
That’s the moment when all the hard work and dedication behind the Papermaker wrestling tradition is on display for everyone to enjoy.
On Jan. 9, the Camas boys wrestling team beat Skyview 56-12 in a dominating performance by a senior-heavy team that won fifth in state last season and hopes to improve on that performance this year.
The Jan. 9 match was “Senior Night,” and the Papermakers had six seniors on the mat for their special night. Many of those seniors wrestle in clubs and tournaments outside of the high school wrestling season, highlighting their commitment to the intense grind of the sport.
“We have a lot of seniors who may play other sports, but they all identify themselves as wrestlers first, so that’s a very unique thing about our team,” Cory VomBaur, Camas’ head boys wrestling coach, said.