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Sports

March 12, 2013
Photos courtesy of Jamie Valdez Camas High School graduate Caleb Malychewski grabbed second place for Pacific University at the West Regional Championships March 2, in Minneapolis. He also qualified for the NCAA Division III National Wrestling Championships Friday and Saturday, at Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

Malychewski embraces wrestling

Camas High School graduate Caleb Malychewski still has a soft spot in his heart for baseball, but wrestling is what gets his blood pumping at Pacific University, in Forest Grove, Ore. "In baseball, there's lots of politics on who plays. In wrestling, you beat the guys in your weight class and you get to go to the varsity level. There's no question about it," Malychewski said. "There's a saying that 'once you have wrestled, everything else in life is easier.' I think there's a lot of truth to that. "You can fail seven out of 10 times in baseball and still be successful. But in wrestling, you only got seven minutes on the mat. One or two mistakes and you're done. The matches always seem to come down to one takedown or escape," he added. "There's nothing like getting your hand raised at the end of a match after all the hard work that went into it. Every day, it's a grind. That's what I love about wrestling."

March 12, 2013
Washougal's Joesph Snedeker and Nicholas Boylan try to take the soccer ball away from Will Warne (19) of Mountain View Monday, at Fishback Stadium.

Soccer teams come out of the chute shorthanded

After suffering a 3-2 loss to Skyline Saturday, the Camas High School boys soccer team got right back to work Monday and earned a victory. Austin Cassity delivered a goal and an assist, and Cameron Eyman and Riley Brannon also netted goals, to help the Papermakers defeat Prairie 5-0 at Doc Harris Stadium. The Falcons knocked two balls into their own goal. It was a well-deserved win for Camas, who played without any substitutes.

March 5, 2013
The ball is rolling fast toward the first Camas High School lacrosse season. The Papermakers are playing in a tournament Saturday, at Hanford High School, in Richland, Wash.

Bringing lacrosse to Camas High School

Camas High School juniors Cassius Johnson, Oliver Stanchfield and Bryce Tabbut live for lacrosse. "When we get up every day, this is the first thing on our minds. We can't wait to get out here," Stanchfield said. "Once you find something you love, you never want to stop doing it. I never realized how fun this sport could be until I started playing it all the time." Lacrosse coach Jim Avino has been attached to the sport his whole life. He played the game for State University New York, in Cortland, and at Colorado State. He then coached at Colorado State for five seasons, coached a club team in London and coached at North Rockland High School, in New York, where he went to school. Avino moved to Camas in 2003. After coaching his son's baseball teams for several years, Avino missed his lacrosse stick.

March 5, 2013
Jordin Seekins settles into her comfort zone before throwing the javelin. The 2009 Washougal High School graduate is now a senior at the University of Washington.

Jordin Seekins and her javelin are going places

As she prepares for her final season of track and field for the University of Washington, Jordin Seekins is ready to let that javelin fly. "Coming off indoors and all my training, I feel really good about everything that is about to happen," said the 22-year-old team captain from Washougal. "I want my teammates to compete with fire and passion for the school. You can't step into the circle or on the runway and be scared. You have to be confident in your ability to be a good thrower." Seekins qualified for the NCAA West Prelims the last two seasons. The goal for her senior season is to make it to the NCAA Championships June 6 to 8, at Autzen Stadium, in Eugene, Ore. Size has been a disadvantage for Seekins since high school, but she makes up for it with hard work and determination. "The girls just keep getting bigger, while I've pretty much stayed the same size," she said. "Nobody cares about how tall you are. The only thing that matters is how far you throw. I wanted a challenge, and that's why I came up here."

March 5, 2013
As the artificial turf at Fishback Stadium has reached its life expectancy, Washougal High School Turf Campaign members Kyle Eakins, Amanda Klackner and Rick Thomas (pictured left to right) designed a fundraiser to help the school district purchase a new turf field for Washougal students and athletes.

BRICK BUILDERS

The artificial turf at Fishback Stadium in Washougal is ripping and peeling apart. The Washougal School District maintenance staff has done an admirable job of maintaining and repairing the field since it was installed in 2002, but gluing, re-stitching and taping can only do so much after more than a decade of wear and tear. There is a growing foundation of community builders who are determined to save this field for future generations, but they need more bricks. Since the 2011 school year, Washougal High School Turf Campaign members Rick Thomas, Amanda Klackner, Kyle Eakins and Gordon Torstenbo have asked local businesses and residents for donations to help the school district purchase new synthetic turf for Fishback Stadium. The estimated cost for replacing the turf is $450,000. The district committed to donating $200,000 toward the project, leaving it up to the committee to raise the remaining $250,000 needed.

February 26, 2013
Washougal High School senior Ellie Boon signs a letter of intent to play soccer for the University of Portland Pilots.

Ellie Boon will fulfill her dream of playing soccer at University of Portland

Ellie Boon's license has arrived. The Washougal High School senior national level soccer player is officially a Portland Pilot. "Portland has been my dream school since I was little," Boon said. "I remember rushing off the bus in second grade to watch them win the national championship in 2005. That's kind of where it all started for me." Boon was already playing soccer by that point in her life, and dreaming big.

February 26, 2013
Sean Guthrie sets a screen for Austin Tran during the consolation finals of the district tournament Feb. 19, at Evergreen High School. Hockinson defeated Washougal in overtime 67-53.

Washougal boys fall one win short of state again

The Washougal High School boys basketball team picked up the intensity in the second half and pushed the game into overtime, but the Panthers were never able to get a handle on the Hockinson Hawks. Michael McElroy made both of his foul shots to tie the game up for Washougal and send it into overtime. Nate Adams won the tip off for the Panthers, Austin Tran got to the ball and put it right in the basket without hesitation to give Washougal the lead. Hockinson then closed out the game on a 16-0 scoring drive to win by the score of 67-53. "It felt good to take the game into overtime," McElroy said. "We felt like we had the momentum. But after getting those first two points, it started to go downhill in a hurry."

February 26, 2013

Kyle Eakins is rewarded for his love of the sport

Wrestling is joy in its purest art form for Kyle Eakins. "It is an ancient sport that teaches all the right lessons in a very personal and no excuses format," he said. "Humility, discipline, sacrifice, fraternity, physical and mental endurance, confidence and compassion. Wrestling brings these values together in a way that promotes community but rewards individuality." Eakins has been teaching this ancient sport to Canyon Creek Middle School students since 2002. When asked about the key elements he passes on to younger wrestlers just getting started in the sport, Eakins quipped that it was "top secret" before letting his guard down and opening up his heart.

February 19, 2013
Jake Yraceburu broke the one minute mark in the 100 breaststroke Friday. The CHS senior touched the wall in 58.99 seconds. Yraceburu snatched seventh in the championship race Saturday.

Swimmers earn seventh at their first 4A state meet

The academic state championship Camas High School boys swimming team captured seventh place at its first 4A state meet Saturday, at the King County Aquatic Center, in Federal Way. "This has just been an incredible season of firsts. This was our first time in 4A and our first time winning the academic award. We also had a lot of people coming up here for the first time, making it to the finals and getting up on that podium," said senior co-captain Trent Harimoto. "It's been an amazing four years of ups and downs, crazy experiences and memories. I'm so glad that it happened this way. I wouldn't change a thing." Camas racked up 130.5 points to finish in seventh place out of 37 schools. Kamiak High School, of Mukilteo, won the meet with 207 points.

February 19, 2013

Opportunity knocks for Washougal

Once again, the Washougal High School boys basketball team faces the consolation finals crossroad. A win tonight against their nemesis Hockinson sends the Panthers to the state tournament, but a loss ends the season. For the eight Washougal seniors who endured heartbreak after losing in a similar situation to North Thurston last season, it's now or never. The game starts at 7 p.m., at Evergreen High School, 14300 N.E. 18th St., in Vancouver. "Twenty miles away at Evergreen, the atmosphere is going to be great," said senior guard Michael McElroy. "It's going to be a battle to see who has the loudest fans and who is the better team." "We want to finish what we started last year," added senior forward Aaron Deister.