Power matchup longtime in the making

The boys soccer programs at Camas and Columbia River are synonymous with statewide excellence.

Yet prior to Monday night, the two Clark County teams with five state championships between them hadn’t faced off since 2019.

Renewing their rivalry on the pitch at Doc Harris Stadium provided a test both teams were looking for as they try to build toward another deep postseason run later this spring.

Camas, the 2024 Class 4A state runner-up, and River, which won the 2A state title in 2023, played to a 1-1 draw after a second half filled with several twists.

Camas struck first in the 48th minute when junior Greyson Becker put through a goal following a scramble in the box. During the same sequence, a Camas player was called for a red card, resulting in the Papermakers playing down a man for the remainder of the game.

That led to the 56th minute, when River senior JP Guzman crossed the field to his right and fired a shot past Camas into the net, providing the equalizer that ultimately stood.

“I think our boys showed a little grit tonight, not playing 2A teams for once, and getting after a 4A team — a really good 4A team at that,” River coach Matt Newman said.

“That’s why we wanted them on our schedule, to kind of prove to ourselves that we’re capable of some really good things to come.”

According to Newman, two extra non-league games were freed up for River (7-1-1) this season with the 2A Greater St. Helens League dropping to eight teams after Fort Vancouver reclassified to 1A. The Rapids prioritized adding big-school powers to its schedule, leading to games against 4A teams Camas and Puyallup.

“We wanted to pick up some really good talent, especially early on, because they get picked up pretty quickly sometimes,” Newman said.

Camas (4-2-3) has also stacked its early-season schedule with games against the likes of Eastlake, Issaquah, Puyallup and now, River, a team whose quick transition style provided another quality challenge for the Papermakers before their 4A GSHL slate starts next week.

“I think playing almost an entire second half a man down and still staying in that fight shows a lot for us,” Camas coach Josh Stoller said. “The boys worked twice as hard, covered a lot of ground and still created opportunities on goal.

“River, it’s great to play them again, it’s been a long time since Camas played (River) … It’s been great to get them back on the schedule, picking up some good non-league games and just trying to prepare. At the end of the day, that’s all we got to do, is prepare for league, prepare for postseason. The battles we’ve fought this year, we’ve learned a lot.”

With a mix of veterans and newcomers on varsity, the Papermakers are still trying to find the optimal combinations.

They’re remaining patient through that process, a valuable lesson they took from last year when they caught fire during a 15-game win streak that led to the 4A state championship game against Mount Si before taking second place.

“Last year, it took a lot, it took us a while at the beginning of the season to put everything together and play as one,” Stoller said.

“(Now) we have a lot of new guys that are in the right spot. It’s just gonna take some time. … But overall, I think the talent is there, the mentality that the boys have, day in and day out, is there. A lot of it comes with time.”

Patience is also a key word for the Rapids after last year’s unceremonious exit — by their standards — from the 2A state playoffs in the quarterfinal round against East Valley.

River leads the 2A GSHL standings, having won six straight league games prior to Monday’s draw. The Rapids’ resilience coming back from a deficit against the Papermakers is an encouraging sign of their progress.

“What we always say is, if we score or they score, the next five minutes are the most important minutes,” Newman said.