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June 12, 2012
Triton Pitassi captured the Washington State Hammer Title, with a throw of 191 feet, 4 inches, May 27, in Centralia.

Pitassi wins state hammer championship

Triton Pitassi took 2 inches to the bank. The Camas High School junior captured the Washington State Hammer Throwing Championship, May 27 in Centralia, with a toss of 191 feet, 4 inches. Andy Miller of Capital was hot on his heels with a throw of 191-2. "I thought I could handle the pressure, but I never expected it to be that close," Pitassi said. "It helped that one of my first throws was my best throw. As it turned out, there was a 2-inch difference between first and second. I'm glad my throw was long enough."

June 5, 2012
Reiner Hershaw (fourth from left) holds a piece of the IRA Open Four National Championship trophy. The 22-year-old, who graduated from Washougal High School in 2008, was recently commissioned to the U.S. Marine Corps as a second leiutenant.

Hershaw part of Husky rowing sweep

University of Washington went 5-for-5 during Saturday's grand finals of the 2012 Intercollegiate Rowing Association National Championships, on the Cooper River in Cherry Hill N.J. Reiner Hershaw, a 2008 graduate of Washougal High School, was right in the middle of all the excitement. He was a member of the open four crew that finished in first place and set a new course record time of 6 minutes, 15.257 seconds. Hershaw then cheered all of his teammates on to victory in the other four races. It was a complete sweep for the purple and gold.

June 5, 2012
A.J. Geaslen (right) shows off his TOPSoccer Buddy of the Year award with his brother Tommy (left) and mother Molly (center).

‘Best brother’ becomes TOPSoccer Buddy of the Year

A.J. Geaslen is the best brother a child with a mental or a physical disability could ever have. For the past three years, the 13-year-old from Camas has dedicated his time and effort to help athletes with special needs excel on the soccer field and the baseball diamond. He has been a buddy to the Camas-Washougal Kickers TOPSoccer team and has also volunteered in the Lacamas Little League's Challenger program. Camas-Washougal Soccer Club TOPSoccer Coordinator Tammie Naffziger nominated Geaslen for the 2012 Washington Youth Soccer Association's TOPSoccer Buddy of the Year award. Included were letters from Kickers' head coach Greg Bost and Liberty Middle School language arts teacher David Kilpatrick.

June 5, 2012
Guests enjoy salads and beverages by a warm fire Friday, during the grand opening of the Lower Terrace restaurant at Camas Meadows.

Lower Terrace lights up Camas Meadows

A day of golf at Camas Meadows doesn't end on the 18th green. The new Lower Terrace restaurant, open daily from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., extends the fun into the evening. Guests can gather around the tables equipped with umbrellas and fire pits, and choose from a variety of healthy, hearty foods and beverages. "We are trying to bring a fresh face to Camas Meadows. We want to have the whole experience and not just the golf," said general manager Doug Burton. "We have high demand for outdoor seating. The upper deck is always full. This is a place to sit with your spouse or your buddies after a round, enjoy some good food and a cold beverage, and take in the beautiful scenery. The fire pits and the live music bring a whole new ambiance to the experience."

May 29, 2012
Camas runners Austen Reiter (left) and Camille Parsons (right) feed off each other in the 3A girls 1,600-meter state championship race Saturday, at Mt. Tahoma High School.

Camas girls track and field team captures ninth at state

The look on Alexa Efraimson's face during those final 50 meters of desperation in the 800 told the story. She was pushing her body, mind and soul to the brink to become a state champion Saturday, at Mt. Tahoma High School. But on this day, Amy-Eloise Neale of Glacier Peak High School in Snohomish, was just a step ahead of the Camas freshman. "I feel like I couldn't have given it any more than I did," Efraimson said. The Papermaker stumbled across the finish line, in a breathtaking time of 2 minutes, 10.51 seconds, before collapsing on to her knees in complete exhaustion. She had just broken the meet record of 2:10.98 set by Penny Graves of Port Angeles in 1983.

May 29, 2012
Camas senior Cali Mulholland high-fives assistant coach Ari Van Horn after her third hit of the game. The Papermakers defeated Liberty 9-5 to become one of the top eight teams in the 3A state softball tournament at the Regional Athletic Complex.

Papermakers finish as one of the top eight teams in the state

As the Camas softball players celebrated at home plate after Mikaela Searight tied the score with Liberty on a 2-run home run, they rediscovered their love for the game. "After going 0-for in the first two games, I told myself, 'I'm done failing. I'm going to help my team now,' " Searight said. "That swing felt so effortless. Every time I hit the ball well, it's when I relax. I felt great because I finally didn't let my teammates down." Somewhere between the white lines and the mounting pressure of the state tournament, the Papermakers lost their edge. Camas rallied to beat Bainbridge 2-1 on a 2-run triple by Sarah Nidick in the sixth inning, but tightened up in the first few innings against defending state champion Juanita Friday, at the Regional Athletic Complex in Lacey.

May 29, 2012
Katie Wright clears the high jump bar set at 5 feet, 3 inches for third place at the 2A state track and field championships Friday, at Mt. Tahoma High School.

WHS senior clinches third in the high jump and ninth in the long jump

Katie Wright had a lot of fun flying through the air against the best jumpers in the state Friday. The Washougal High School senior cleared the high jump bar set at 5 feet, 3 inches to get into the top three at the 2A state track and field championships, at Mt. Tahoma High School. "I wanted to make a clean 5' and then go as high as I could," Wright said. "Clearing 5-3 felt so great. I was at the height I was usually jumping and going after my PR again."

May 22, 2012
The 20-4 Camas softball team is back in the state tournament this weekend. The Papermakers play Bainbridge in the first round Friday, at the Regional Athletic Center in Lacey. First pitch is at noon.

Sliding into state

A bi-district championship was not in the cards for the Camas girls softball team Saturday. But what the Papermakers were betting their whole season on was a return engagement into the state tournament. On Friday, they cashed in on that goal by defeating Bonney Lake 9-3 at the Sprinkler Center in Tacoma. "Last year we were heart broken. After being the district champions, going two and out at bi-districts was horrible," said senior catcher Mikaela Searight. "This year, we wanted to give our all and win that first game. That was the most important one. A bi-district title would have been nice, but our goal all along was to get back to state."

May 22, 2012
Camas freshmen Esther Kwon (pictured above) and Jen Lewis led the Papermakers to the bi-district tennis championship Saturday, at Clover Park High School. Kwon captured the singles crown and Lewis took third place.

Camas tennis sends a senior and three freshmen to state

The tennis season just keeps getting more exciting for four Camas Papermakers and their coaches. On Saturday at Clover Park High School in Lakewood, freshmen Esther Kwon and Jen Lewis led Camas to first place as a team at the bi-district girls tournament. Kwon clinched the singles championship with a 6-3, 6-3 victory against Maggie Henderson of Auburn Mountain View. Lewis finished off Bonney Lake's Alise McCoy 6-2, 3-6, 6-2 for third place. "These are two 15-year-olds facing high pressure situations," said head coach Jonathan Burton. "These tennis days can be long and exhausting. The mark of a good player is somebody who can stay focused for that duration of time. They both did that."

May 22, 2012

Camas and Washougal track and field athletes reach state

Twenty Camas Papermakers and six Washougal Panthers qualified for the state track and field championships Thursday, Friday and Saturday, at Mt. Tahoma High School in Tacoma. The Camas girls captured their third straight 3A bi-district championship Saturday, at Mt. Tahoma. The Papermaker boys finished in fifth. Alexa Efraimson won the 800-meter run and set a new meet record time of 2 minutes, 12.26 seconds. She has the fastest time in the state and the sixth-best time in the nation.