Camas football goes undefeated its first year in the 4A GSHL

The Camas football team came home Friday and defeated Battle Ground 49-21 to become league champions. The Papermakers earned a perfect 5-0 record in their first year in the 4A Greater St. Helens League.

“My whole life has been on this field with my brothers and my family,” said senior running back Vince Huber. “I’ll never forget these last four years of high school and growing up with these guys. I’m happy with everything we’ve accomplished together.”

Nate Beasley delivered two touchdown runs and snagged an interception on defense. Zach Eagle added a 43-yard interception return for a touchdown. Reilly Hennessey fired touchdown passes to Connor Maloney and Dylan White. Huber and John Norcross also had touchdown runs.

“Nate and Vince were running all over the place, and our linemen were getting the blocks,” Maloney said. “Reilly got the ball right were it needed to be. Everything just flowed and worked out for us.”

This is only the third Camas football team to go undefeated in league. The last time was in 2010, when the Papermakers won their first state playoff game in school history.

“We remember being on the sidelines watching those guys make history,” said senior linebacker Colton Dowd. “Those guys made us believe this was possible. Now it’s our turn to pave the road.”

The Papermakers reached the state semifinals at the Tacoma Dome last season. They want another crack at that Final Four this year. It all starts when Camas hosts South Kitsap Friday, at Doc Harris Stadium. Kickoff is at 7:30 p.m.

“We proved we belong in the 4A GSHL. Now it’s time to prove we belong in the 4A state,” Norcross said. “There’s nothing else to say. We are going to let our pads and our hard work do the talking for us.”

Head coach Jon Eagle is proud of the maturity and dedication demonstrated by these Papermakers since they first picked up a football. He coached a lot of these kids for the first time when they were in third- and fourth-grade, playing Clark County Youth Football.

“I’m living the dream right now,” Eagle said. “I have been blessed with the opportunity to coach in a one horse town, and to watch little kids grow up and become men. They get to high school and they go 9-0. It doesn’t get much better than that.

“And to top it all off, one of the kids on this team is your own son,” he added. “It’s a dream come true.”