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May 15, 2012
The Washougal boys soccer players celebrate their first trip to the 2A state championship tournament since 2001. The Panthers play Fife today at 6 p.m., at at Sunset Chevrolet Stadium next to Sumner High School.

Washougal boys soccer gets to state for the first time in 11 seasons

Today is the day six Washougal High School seniors have been dreaming about for four years. Zach Boland, Caleb Howard, Sam O'Hara, Jeremiah Palmer and Colton Sullivan never made it to the playoffs in football, so they focused all of their attention on soccer. "We've all been working toward this moment for pretty much the whole year, and in previous years too," Boland said. "I trust my teammates with my life." "When I say these guys are my brothers, I view them as that," O'Hara added. "We grew up together in this town and we all care about this community. I just feel lucky to be around this great group of guys all through high school."

May 15, 2012
Washougal High School senior Katie Wright's final jump at Fishback Stadium was for a personal best distance of 16 feet, 10 inches.

Final flight at Fishback

With the thrill of becoming league champions still fresh in the minds of the Washougal track and field athletes and coaches, the Panthers took center stage Friday by hosting the 2A sub-district meet. "This was our most important meet so far," said junior sprinter and jumper Kaitlyn Johnson. "I wanted the Panthers to come out and do well for the community, and to show everybody that Washougal is a track town." Fueled by the home-field advantage, Johnson set three new personal bests at the event. First, she won the 100-meter dash with a time of 12.67 seconds. Then Johnson and her sister Kari, Kelsey Lagerquist and Katie Wright took second in the 400 relay in 51.82 seconds. Johnson finished the day by leaping 33 feet, 7 inches to second place in the triple jump.

May 8, 2012
The Papermaker softball players and coaches celebrate after beating Kelso 2-1 Monday, at Camas High School, to clinch their first league championship since 2002.

Camas softball snags elusive league title

Winning a league championship has been a rallying cry for the Camas softball team all season long. On Monday, they captured that elusive title for the first time in 10 years. "I don't think words can describe how amazing it feels," said senior center fielder Cali Mulholland. "It really shows how much hard work pays off. It wasn't always easy, but our love for the game kept us going. Everybody on this team has the passion. You can see it when we step out on the field." The Papermakers showed plenty of desire Monday, and defeated Kelso 2-1 for their first league title since 2002.

May 8, 2012
Washougal sophomore Elesey Razumovskiy (8) delivered a goal and an assist to help the Panthers defeat Abderdeen 2-1 Saturday, in the first round of the district tournament at Fishback Stadium.

Chasing destiny

Destiny was on the side of the Washougal soccer family Saturday, at Fishback Stadium. The Panthers snagged a 2-1 victory against the Aberdeen Bobcats in the quarterfinals of the district tournament. Goals by sophomores Spencer Carnera and Elesey Razumovskiy gave the Panthers a 2-0 advantage with 23 minutes to go. Five minutes later, Aberdeen put a ball in the net and threatened to tie the game on two penalty kick attempts. Senior goalkeeper Caleb Howard dove left and deflected the first attempt. The last shot by the Bobcats hit the crossbar with 17 seconds left. "If I block this, we win the game. It hit the bar, but I was right there," Howard said. "It wasn't just me. My whole team got together and scored those goals. We came out fierce and we fought for this win like a family. I'm going to remember every moment. These guys are my brothers."

May 8, 2012
Alexa Efraimson chases another school record for the Camas track and field team. The freshman finished in first place in the 1,500-meter run at the Nike Jesuit Relays Friday, in Beaverton, Ore. Her time of 4:23.41 is the second fastest in the nation.

Efraimson turning heads

Still just a freshman, Alexa Efraimson is breaking school records for Camas every time she steps on the track. On Friday at the Nike Jesuit Relays in Beaverton, Ore., Efraimson finished first in the 1,500-meter elite run with a time of 4 minutes, 23.41 seconds. "I've really pushed myself to times I never thought I could reach until I was a senior," Efraimson said. "It makes me realize how fortunate I am to have the talent I have and the capability I have. I hope it just gets better with time." Head coach Alisa Wise said Efraimson dropped about 10 seconds off her winning time at the Oregon Relays, April 21. It is also the second fastest 1,500 in the nation.

May 8, 2012

WHS track achieves league titles

The Washougal track and field athletes came home from Longview May 1 with crowns on their heads. It was a special way to symbolize league championships for both teams. The girls finished first in league for the fourth year in a row, and the boys rose to the top of pile for the first time since the 2000 season. "It was a very loud bus ride home. That's all I can say," said junior Joe Harris. "It's just really cool to be the league champions. It shows that working hard in our events and helping others has such a good outcome." The Panther boys defeated Mark Morris 77-68. Isaac Bischoff grabbed first in the discus (125 feet, 6 inches) and shot put (41-7). Nathan Milojevic clinched first in the javelin (135-7) and the pole vault (12 feet).

May 1, 2012

Camas tennis turns tides on Columbia River

Every game counted between the Camas and Columbia River girls tennis teams Wednesday. Esther Kwon, Jen Lewis and Lily Hsu won three singles matches for the Papermakers, but the Chieftains countered with three victories in doubles to force a tiebreaker. After the sets were also tied at six, Camas won with 43 total games to Columbia River's 41. Head coach Jonathan Burton didn't want to hang around and find out what would have happened if the teams tied in total games as well. He had been waiting long enough for this win. "I have been coaching the girls since 2000, and I don't ever recall us beating River until now," he said. "I've been hanging around and waiting for this win for 13 years, but most of these kids haven't been around that long. I could see some high fives and smiles when I explained to them how big this win was for our program."

May 1, 2012
The Washougal girls track and field team won the Panther Invitational Friday, at Fishback Stadium. The ladies leaped over Mark Morris by 25 points, as well as six other schools, for the first-place trophy.

Washougal track teams go for more glory

A special Friday night in Washougal sets the stage for an even better today for the Panther track and field teams. They could both be coming home from Longview as the league champions. "That would be a very good ending to our regular season," said head coach Dave Hajek. "Winning league is a goal, but it is not the only goal these kids have. It would definitely be something nice for both teams to achieve, but if it doesn't happen it's not the end of the world. Just to have the opportunity for both teams to be in that spot is pretty good." The Washougal teams increased their potential by performing well for their hometown in the Panther Invitational Friday, at Fishback Stadium. The Washougal girls leaped over Mark Morris by 25 points, as well as six other schools, for the first-place trophy. The Panther boys rose up to second place, and finished just 10 points shy of Mark Morris.

May 1, 2012
Austin Barr laces a single into right field Friday, at Mountain View High School. In the first inning, the Camas High School senior crushed a 3-1 pitch over the left field fence for his 100th hit.

Austin Barr has more career hits than any Camas baseball player

As Austin Barr rounded the bases after hitting a home run in the first inning, it felt like it was going to be a better day for the Camas baseball team Friday. But then Mountain View scored four runs in the bottom of the first to put the Papermakers in another hole they could not dig themselves out of. On Thursday, the Thunder shocked the Papermakers with a 10-0 victory on the Camas field. On Friday, they defeated the Papermakers 7-2 on their home field to capture the league championship. "It definitely hurts. You get that choked up feeling in your throat after two tough losses," Barr said. "The important thing to remember is, we're not done yet. As much as this hurts right now, we can get another shot at Mountain View if we come back and play a great game on Wednesday. That's what we want." Camas (12-5) has already locked up a spot in the bi-district tournament. This week is about redemption and playing for a higher seed in the district tournament. On Wednesday at Propstra Park, the Papermakers will play in the semifinal game at 4 p.m. If they win, they get another crack at Mountain View in the championship game Thursday at 4 p.m.

May 1, 2012

Prairie softball rattles Camas in rematch

The Camas softball team took one on the chin Monday, at Prairie. After the Falcons tied the game up at 4-4 in the bottom of the fifth, the Papermakers loaded the bases and Cailyn Grindy came off the bench and delivered a pinch hit 2-run single into left center to give Camas a 6-4 advantage. But those pesky Prairie batters nibbled for three runs in the last two innings to win the game 7-6. "You want to try and get a lead on them early and keep adding on," said Camas head coach Ken Nidick. "I don't think there's ever a comfortable lead against them because they have so many quality hitters. And so do we. The fact that we can play at a high level like Prairie has for so many years shows the growth of our program."