Camas football overwhelms Heritage from opening kickoff

From the opening kickoff, the game belonged to Camas.

“Our goal is to stop them behind the 20 [yard line] or get the ball,” said senior defensive back Damon Kosaki.

Heritage mishandled a tricky kick by Roldan Alcobendas. Junior Papermaker Scott Feather saw the live ball, and dove on top of it.

“The fumble on the kick off just set the tone. It was a great way to start the game,” Feather said. “It was a big boost for me and the team. I’m glad I could be a part of that.”

Camas thrashed the Timberwolves 34-15 Friday, at Doc Harris Stadium, on a 31-0 outburst in the first half. Logan Grindy threw for 218 yards, and ran in two touchdowns. He also completed a 68-yard touchdown pass to Kyle Ervin. Zack Marshall rushed for 138 yards and a touchdown. Alcobendas kicked two field goals.

Despite all of that firepower, Heritage outscored the Papermakers 15-3 in the second half.

“Things are changing in Camas. All of us are out to prove something,” Feather said. “We’ve just got to keep our foot on the throats of these teams, and keep that zero on the board.”

The Papermakers turned Feather’s fumble recovery into a quick touchdown. Grindy completed a pass to Zach Anderson, and Marshall ran for a first down. After Camas stumbled back a bit, Grindy got an opening and ran for a 16-yard touchdown. A hard hit from behind rattled Grindy, and he dropped the football, but the official said he had already crossed the goal line.

“I dropped back, and then looked up, saw a lane and just went for it,” Grindy said. “It was close, but I’m glad I got the touchdown.”

Camas humbled Heritage again on the next series, as Jeremy Faulkner intercepted a pass on third down and deep. Grindy completed an 11-yard pass to Ervin, and Marshall ran for a first down. Alcobendas finished the drive with a 37-yard field goal.

The Timberwolves crossed midfield for the first time, only to be pushed back on two sacks by Kyle Goodnow. Camas got the ball back on a punt. Grindy read blitz from the left and passed between the two defenders to a wide open Ervin on the wing. Odin Coe cleared the road, and Ervin revved his engine for a 68-yard sprint into the end zone.

“It was the longest run of my football career on senior night,” Ervin said. “There’s nothing like running down the sideline in open field with all the fans cheering. I love that.”

The first quarter ended with the Papermakers up 17-0, but more heroics were in store. Heritage inched into the red zone on three first downs, only to have the ball stolen from them on an interception by Kosaki.

Camas motored up the field and appeared to have another touchdown when Brent Hill leaped up to catch the football in the right corner of the end zone, but the official ruled him out of bounds. On third down, Grindy was sacked. On fourth down, the Papermakers were penalized for a false start.

Still fourth down, and 25 yards to go, Camas went for it again. Grindy targeted Addison Owen, but the ball was tipped up by a defender. Miguel Salamanca jumped into the mix and came away with the football.

“I saw the ball pop up, and I was just at the right place at the right time,” he said. “My first thought was that the ball was going to be intercepted, so I better get in there and make the tackle. I wasn’t expecting that at all. I don’t think anybody expected the ball to bounce into my hands.”

Although Salamanca thought he landed across the goal line, the official said he was a yard short. Grindy followed his offensive linemen in for his second touchdown of the game.

“It was a good alert, heads-up play by Miguel. He saved me,” Grindy said. “That play got us seven points.”

Marshall had a 16-yard touchdown run for the Papermakers with two minutes to go in the first half. After Heritage scored 15 straight points, Alcobendas nailed a 23-yard field goal for Camas with about eight minutes left in the fourth quarter.

The Papermakers play Fort Vancouver Friday, at Kiggins Bowl. Kickoff is at 5 p.m.

Freshmen are also undefeated

The Camas High School freshmen football team continues to dominate Clark County. On Thursday, the Papermakers defeated 4A Heritage 54-0 to improve their record to 7-0.

Camas smashed the Timberwolves on defense. Jason Vailea, Adam Dawson and Michael DiGenova had several behind-the-line tackles. Thomas Hudson recovered two fumbles and Jake Hiller picked off two interceptions. The offensive line helped Nathan Beasley score six touchdowns on runs of 45, 5, 3, 2, 5, and 65 yards. DiGenova caught a 25-yard touchdown pass from Rielly Hennessey, and Dylan White added a touchdown run.