On the sidelines: Doc Harris has never been louder

Let the great debate begin in Camas.

Jeremy Faulkner said he had never heard the football fans at Doc Harris Stadium cheer as loud as they did when he caught a game-winning touchdown pass from Tony Gennaro that propelled the Papermakers to a 20-13 victory over Juanita of Kirkland.

Defensive linemen Odin Coe and Ikaika Gunderson said the same thing when Camas stopped Juanita on fourth and goal with about two minutes to go. Kyle Goodnow was the first one of get his hands on the running back, before plenty of Papermakers helped bring him down.

Faulkner, Coe and Gunderson may all three be right. After taking a couple of knees, Camas celebrated its first state playoff victory in school history. The Papermakers will host Lakes in the quarterfinals Friday or Saturday night, at Doc Harris Stadium.

The connection between Gennaro and Faulkner takes me back to 2005, when Scott Hagensen hooked up with Jeff Rice on a game-winning touchdown pass with about 40 seconds to go. It was the first of three straight appearances in the state playoffs for the Papermakers, but they had no wins to show for it until Saturday.

“We’ve been after this for 12 years,” said Joe Hallead, who has coached both the Camas baseball and football teams during that time.

“They turned the lights out on us in Kelso (when Camas football won the league championship in 2005), and they did the same thing to us in Yakima (when Camas baseball won the regional championship in 2010),” Hallead said. “They can’t kick us off this field. This is our house.”

Hagensen was in attendance to watch the Camas football team make history Saturday. Read what he has to say, and more from the current players and coaches, in Tuesday’s Post-Record.

Camas volleyball claims fifth at state

A heartbreaking loss in five sets to Seattle Prep in the first round of the state volleyball tournament could have spelt doom for the Papermakers, but they fought back and placed fifth.

Camas ousted Capital in five sets Saturday morning, and then swept Meadowdale and Bishop Blanchet for an incredible season record of 21-1. Seattle Prep captured the state championship Saturday night, which shows how close the Papermakers were to tasting even more glory.

Stats and reactions from the Camas players will be in Tuesday’s paper.

Camas soccer sisterhood will be remembered

The Papermakers came up on the short end of an exciting state quarterfinal match with Bonney Lake Saturday afternoon, at Doc Harris Stadium. The Panthers clinched a 1-0 victory to advance to the final four.

Unfortunately with any great soccer match, there must be a loser. When I posed that question to Camas head coach Roland Minder, he was quick to correct me.

“I don’t think we lost today,” Minder said. “When I see so many girls giving their heart and soul to accomplish a goal, I can’t help but be proud of them all. I don’t care what the scoreboard says. In my eyes, I have no losers.”

Read more from Minder, and seniors Adrienne Engel and Annike Sumpter, in Tuesday’s Post-Record.

See you on the sidelines.