Gut check time for Camas wrestlers

The Camas and Union high school wrestlers left everything they had on that mat Tuesday night. The Titans established a 22-9 advantage out of the gate. Sam Malychewski, Tanner Howington, Luke Pipkin and Dylan Ingram collected six points each to put the Papermakers up 33-22. Union won the final four matches to secure the duel victory by the score of 38-33. "People put a lot of stock into the outcome of this match, but that's not my measuring stick," said Camas head coach Cory VomBaur. "What it really comes down to is, you are going to be put on that mat in a battle? Can you beat the guy in front of you? Our guys really focus on that, and that gives us the team points we need." Camas girls wrestlers defeated Union in five of the eight opening matches. Wins went to Syndi Ruse, Abby Camisa, Lacy Dunlop, Mickey Cox and Autumn Aho. Teamwork helped the Papermakers finish in third place at the Pacific Coast Championships Dec. 29 and 30, at Mountain View High School. Camas had seven medalists. Malychewski and Ingram earned second place, Howington and Michael Strickland finished in fourth place, Tanner Craig and Jack Latimer claimed fifth place, and Pipkin took seventh place. "It's good to see all that hard work pay off for me and my teammates," Ingram said. "We all push each other in that room every single day to get better." Strickland said a day of practice in that Camas wrestling is like nothing he has ever experienced. "At the end of the day, you absolutely feel closer to your teammates. You also feel as tired as you have every been. It's very much worth it when you can go out and do this as a team." The Papermakers passed the Gut Check Challenge Jan. 5 and 6, in Bremerton. Ingram won his first four matches to secure second place at 220 pounds. After surviving five consolation rounds, Malychewski beat Lincoln's JJ Dixon for fifth place at 182. Latimer edged Orting's Chrys Cenkush 4-3 to get to the consolation finals and finish in fourth place at 120. Craig defeated Bethel's Devyn Sweem 5-2 for seventh place at 126. It will be gut check time again for Camas at the Clark County Championships Friday and Saturday, at Hudson's Bay High School. It could come down to the Papermakers and the Titans again for the team and individual titles.

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