Camas wrestlers earn 7 Class 4A district titles

Postseason high school wrestling rarely delivers moments this personal. At Saturday’s 4A district wrestling championships at Prairie High School, Camas brothers Simon and Arthur Jarrell turned the 175-pound final into a family showdown, facing each other in a high-scoring and crowd-pleasing match that was less about rivalry and more about savoring the experience. “We’ll never get a moment like this again,” said Simon Jarrell, a senior, “so you’ve got to take it in and make the most out of every opportunity you get.” As wrestling partners in practice, the brothers know each other’s strengths and counters. But there was only one rule for the final. “Make sure you have fun,” said Arthur Jarrell, a sophomore. “It’s all about having fun at the end of the day.” And fun, they did. Simon Jarrell won by a 30-27 decision in a match filled with big smiles and bigger energy from the Prairie High School crowd, acknowledging the brothers’ work in the final. Back in January, the brothers also faced off at the 175-pound final at Clark County Championships. Simon Jarrell took the forfeit to give the county title to his younger brother. A forfeit could have been done again Saturday, but where’s the fun in that? Both brothers showed off their creativity throughout the six-minute match after cruising to victories in their quarterfinal and semifinal matches. “Just wanted to make it entertaining,” Arthur Jarrell said, “and to make it something they (the crowd) wanted to watch.” Camas had seven district champions on its way to capturing the team title with 332 points. Other Papermaker champions were Micah Bennett (106 pounds), Elijah Governor (113), Owen Yonge (126), Alec Fraser (144) Ben Johansen (165) and Kannon Freschette (190). The top two wrestlers in each 4A weight class for boys and top three for girls qualify for Mat Classic state championships in two weeks at the Tacoma Dome. The Jarrell brothers weren’t the only siblings sharing the sibling spotlight Saturday. It also was a big day for Camas’ Vega-Padilla wrestlers: Avery and Adriel. Avery Vega-Padilla, a 2025 Mat Classic state finalist on the girls side, watched her brother qualify for his first Mat Classic by reaching the 157-pound final against Battle Ground’s Andrew Gray, who won by a first-round pin. Competing in the postseason stage at districts — and soon-to-be Mat Classic in two weeks — is a shared celebration of how far they’re grown as wrestlers. “It’s a big thing for us when we see each other winning,” she said. “I love the relationship that we have, and being able to support each other and just having my partner there.” Avery Vega-Padilla entered this postseason with confidence earned through experience and qualified for her third Mat Classic by using districts to challenge herself. She made it a point to try new techniques against Skyview’s Maribelle Cardens in the girls 190-pound final that Vega-Padilla won by a pin. “My biggest goal was probably just to go out there and try new things,” she said. “I wanted to try a different shot because normally I do a fireman. I like to try new things, so I ended the first period with a knee pick, and I felt pretty accomplished.” Union had nine finalists Saturday, including two champions in Desmond Villanueva (120) and Nehemias Rodriguez (132). Battle Ground had four champions, including Gunnar Kittelson’s 3-2 decision in the 150-pound final. Jaxon McAtee (138) and Daytanyn Harrington (285) were Skyview’s champions.

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