Sports briefs for Oct. 17: WHS football team looks for 2nd straight win

The Washougal High School football team is on the verge of something special -- hosting a playoff game for the first time since 1994. "I don't think Washougal has hosted a playoff game since 1994 against Aberdeen, and we lost that one in a close one," Panthers coach Dave Hajek said. WHS (3-3 overall, 2-1 2A Greater St. Helens League) will play Mark Morris High School in Longview on Friday, Oct. 18. After suffering a rib injury during the Panthers' loss to Ridgefield High School on Friday, Oct. 4, all-league defensive specialist/running back/wide receiver Bravan Bea returned to lead WHS to a 47-6 win over visiting Columbia River High School on Friday, Oct. 11. Bea recorded 13 tackles and caught five passes for 159 yards and three touchdowns. Panthers quarterback Dalton Payne threw for six touchdowns and boosted his season passing total to 1,357 yards, currently 10th-best in Washington among quarterbacks in all classifications. Peter Boylan added 167 yards on the ground for WHS. CHS running back performs well in return to field The Camas High School (CHS) football team posted its first shutout of the season with a 52-0 win over Sumner High School on Friday, Oct. 11, at Doc Harris Stadium. Senior running back Randy Yaacoub inspired the crowd and his teammates by returning to the lineup after a long battle with leg injuries. He recorded 93 rushing yards on 12 carries, boosting a CHS running attack led once again Jacques Badalato-Birdsell, who rushed for 121 yards and two touchdowns. Two years ago Yaacoub broke his leg, leading to four surgeries and lost seasons. "My whole team is so supportive of me, and it's great. I love it," Yaacoub shouted to a reporter after the Oct. 11 game. CHS football coach Jon Eagle said that Yaacoub is an inspiration to the entire team. "Randy is such a hard-working great kid," he said. "He makes us better. You can feel a lift whenever he comes in. Our team roots for him because they know he never skips weight workouts and puts the time in. Every coach wants and needs a Randy Yaacoub on their team." Tyler Forner had two touchdowns, including a 92-yard punt return, for the Papermakers (6-0 overall, 1-0 4A Greater St. Helens League). CHS will play Battle Ground High School on Friday, Oct. 17. The Tigers are 2-4 overall (1-1 4A Greater St. Helens League) and are coming off a 41-35 win over Heritage High School on Friday, Oct. 10. "Battle Ground plays a real physical brand of ball," Eagle said. "They have a running back who gained over 300 yards a few weeks back. We want to continue to improve each week, and Battle Ground has played some good football." CHS boys tennis comes up aces against Tigers The CHS boys tennis team beat Battle Ground High School 6-0 on Monday, Oct. 14, in a 4A GSHL matchup. Adash Prasad, the Papermakers' No. 1 singles player, defeated his opponent 6-1, 6-0. Sunny Wang and Shiva Narayanan also easily won their singles matches for CHS. The Papermakers' doubles team of Jesse Kim and Nathan Loucks won 6-1, 6-0, and CHS teams of Naoto Uemura and Xiang Liu, and Julian McOmie and Matei Vitalaru-Moruz won in straight sets. The Papermakers (6-2, 3-2 4A GSHL) have upcoming matches against first-place Union, Heritage and Skyview high schools, all teams battling for playoff positions. Washougal equestrian shines at state fair WHS freshman Natalie Bratton, a new member of the Washougal equestrian team, received a gold medal in trail riding at the Washington State Fair, held in Puyallup, Washington, in late September. Trail riding is a four-minute timed event loaded with challenging maneuvers. Bratton also received a silver medal in Stock Seat Equation and a third-place medal in bareback riding.

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