Zack Marshall zips to the end zone for Camas on a 35-yard touchdown run, at McKenzie Stadium in Vancouver.
(Dan Trujillo/Post-Record)o Camas High School football vs. Columbia River
o Friday, 7 p.m.
o After the game, go to www.camaspostrecord.com for an On the Sidelines report
o Camas High School football vs. Columbia River
o Friday, 7 p.m.
o After the game, go to www.camaspostrecord.com for an On the Sidelines report
The Camas High School football players were the first to admit they were coasting Friday, even if the “Zack Attack” was in full affect.
Zack Marshall galloped for 129 yards and three touchdowns to help the Papermakers defeat the Mountain View Thunder 27-14, at McKenzie Stadium in Vancouver.
“It was just fun seeing the open field, hitting the holes hard, running and helping the team put points on the board,” Marshall said. “The O-line was on all night. Everything was just clicking.”
The same could not said for the defense, which allowed Mountain View too much possession time in the second half. After scoring a touchdown just before halftime, the Thunder drove the ball for nearly six minutes to start the third quarter.
Just when it appeared Mountain View might score, Jeremy Faulkner intercepted a pass to give Camas the ball back. It only took the Papermakers about two minutes to score again. The Thunder continued to frustrate the Camas defense, but could only come up with one more touchdown.
“They outplayed us in the second half,” said linebacker Kaika Gunderson. “It was a humbling experience, but I think it will make us better in the long run.”
Head coach Jon Eagle knows there are plenty of teams out there to challenge the Papermakers who will finish off those extra opportunities.
“You have to tip your hat to Mountain View. They had a good game plan,” he said. “You win a big game, and you hear people talk about how good you are. Then, you think you can just show up.
“We were a little full of ourselves,” Eagle added. “We can get better. We can be better, and we know that,”
Camas led 20-0 in the second quarter, before losing some of its killer instinct. Gunderson caught a 5-yard pass from quarterback Logan Grindy on the first series off the game. A couple of smash mouth runs by Addison Owen set Marshall up for dive into the end zone for his first touchdown.
Marshall broke away from the defensive rush for a 30-yard touchdown run in the second quarter, only to have it taken away because of a blocking penalty. On the next snap, Marshall would have another shot.
“The play was there, and we called it,” Eagle said. “It doesn’t take an Einstein to give 25 the ball.”
Marshall gave Camas a dose of deja vu. He just had to run five more yards.
“Yeah, it was the exact same play,” Marshall said. “The O-line blocked it perfectly, and it was right there again.”
The third touchdown was the culmination of four carries by Marshall for 66 yards. He ran for 36, 6, 12 and 22 yards to get into the end zone one more time.
“Again, I have to thank the offensive line,” Marshall said. “Without them, I wouldn’t be going anywhere.”
The next two weeks should test the Papermakers. On Friday, they return to Doc Harris Stadium for the first time to face Columbia River. On Sept. 24, they go up against another county powerhouse in Skyview.
“We want to come out with a better performance, and play great in front of our fans,” Marshall said. “The teams are only going to get harder. We have River this week, and Skyview the next. We have to play better than we did tonight, and it all starts this week in practice.”
