Skyview football doesn’t plan on letting up after defeating Camas

For all David Dudko accomplished Friday night — three touchdowns, two interceptions and several hard-hitting tackles at middle linebacker — the Skyview senior’s biggest thorn in his side was, well, a stubborn calf cramp. In fact, it struck one play before his 65-yard interception return for a touchdown that put the Storm up five scores in their eventual 35-7 win over Camas. As it turned out, his calf was about the only thing that could slow him down. “And as I’m running,” Dudko explained afterward, “I’m like, ‘Ah, it hurts to run.’ … But, I mean, I made it all the way.” Indeed, he did, to the cheers of his celebrating teammates. There was plenty for the Storm to celebrate in their second win of the season over Camas. Skyview won the first meeting, 38-21, in September. With two regular-season games remaining, Skyview clinched a Week 10 playoff berth. At 7-0, the Storm also own their best start in 20 seasons. But the Storm aren’t satisfied yet, junior lineman Lucas Wiggins said. “League champs — no doubt, league champs,” Wiggins said. “We’re not putting our foot off the gas, we promise that.” Friday’s win technically gave Skyview a share of the 4A Greater St. Helens League title. The Storm last captured a league championship in 2011, when they advanced to the 4A state title game. A win next week against Battle Ground would clinch the title outright. Skyview wasted little time taking control, scoring touchdowns on its first four drives to build a 28-0 lead on its opening possession of the second half. Dudko scored first-half rushing touchdowns of 3 and 2 yards on direct snaps. His biggest play came late in the third quarter. With less than a minute remaining, Dudko intercepted Camas quarterback Ben Druckman and returned it 65 yards for a touchdown, stretching Skyview’s lead to 35-0. Afterward, Dudko credited the teammates who helped make his big night possible. “Just got to thank the guys behind me, rallying behind me, and my coaches,” he said. “I couldn’t do it without my family.” The performance reflected the way Skyview has played throughout its unbeaten start, with the Storm making plays on both sides of the ball. “We just showed that when we rally behind each other, we can do great things,” Dudko said. Defense set the tone for Skyview, which forced four turnovers, including two first-half interceptions in the red zone. Druckman was intercepted three times, and the Storm came up with another key stop late in the third quarter, turning away the Papermakers on fourth-and-8 from the Skyview 8-yard line with 2:44 remaining. Camas had driven deep into Storm territory behind Thor Brody, who rushed for 108 yards on 15 carries, along with Zach Jones (four catches, 79 yards) and Max Gibson (three catches, 58 yards). But Skyview’s defense held firm. James Allen and Kenroy Brown combined for 178 rushing yards and two touchdowns to lead the Storm’s ground game. Friday’s win was Skyview’s sixth all-time against Camas and its largest margin of victory in the series since a 45-0 win in 2000.

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