November 5, 2010
Liberty football players show heart
The Liberty Middle School eighth-grade football team took the field on Saturday, Sept. 11 - all 13 of them.
The Liberty Middle School eighth-grade football team took the field on Saturday, Sept. 11 - all 13 of them.
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.
Two championships are in the bag for the Camas High School volleyball team, but the Papermakers want more. Inside of a rocking Camas warehouse Thursday night, the Papermakers shredded the Prairie Falcons 25-10, 25-23 and 25-15 to clinch the 3A Greater St. Helens League Championship for the first time since 2007. Camas also brought home a championship trophy from the Liberty Volleyball Tournament Oct. 16, in Hillsboro, Ore. One of the biggest wins came against Newberg, who was ranked third in the state of Oregon. The Papermakers also defeated Centennial in the finals.
Cursed by the grass and odd bounces at Jason Lee Middle School, the Camas High School girls soccer team discovered a cure. By attacking the goal early and playing ferocious defense, the Papermakers prevailed over Columbia River 1-0. "I'll remember how we played with so much heart. We really wanted this win," said senior Sara Slayton. "River is the defending state champion, and we came here super focused and determined. I'm really proud of us. We ended the Jason Lee curse."
Washougal's Dylan Croeni is going all out in his final few races as a high school senior, while Camas sophomore Andrew Kaler is just getting warmed up. Croeni set a course record time of 16 minutes, 9.08 seconds at Hockinson Meadows Thursday, to win the 2A league championship race for the second year in a row. "This race marks the one-year anniversary of me realizing I'm a fast runner," Croeni said. "I'm going to do whatever it takes to win state."
Join me for one fun week of Camas-Washougal sports.
