Camas-Washougal logo tag

Sports

January 17, 2012

Dreams do come true

The kid from Camas who dreamed of becoming a professional soccer player is getting his opportunity close to home. On Jan. 4, Brent Richards signed the dotted line on a Major League Soccer contract with the Portland Timbers. "It's definitely a dream come true, and something I've always wanted to do since I was little," Richards said. "I couldn't think of a better place to start my career. A lot of people in Camas and Vancouver have helped me along the way. It's going to be a privilege to play in front of them professionally. I'm real happy I came from this community."

January 17, 2012
The Panther girls wrestlers stand on the podium

Washougal girls are best in Clark County again

The Washougal girls kicked off the championship round of the Clark County tournament with a bang Saturday, at Union High School. Sophomore Erin Locke sang the National Anthem before her teammates Jessica Eakins and Emily Alder-Storm wrestled for the 100-pound championship in the first match. Eakins and Haven Camden each won county championships, Locke, Alder-Storm, Tara Duey and Jessica Biron also wrestled in the finals and finished second. All of their performances added up to a county team title for the Panther girls over 14 other schools. "From the top to the bottom of the pile, every single girl was pulling for the benefit of the team," said head coach Heather Carver. "We love living in Clark County and representing Clark County. We might live on the fringe, but it’s nice to prove to everyone where we come from."

January 10, 2012
Jenka Stiasna (52) is surrounded by Prairie Falcons Saturday, at Camas High School. The junior scored 14 points and grabbed 9 rebounds for Camas.

Too hot to handle

Neither Camas nor Prairie netted a basket in the first 3 1/2 minutes of Saturday's game, at Camas High School. For the remainder of the first quarter, Prairie outscored Camas 25-5. Jenka Stiasna made her second of two foul shots to give the Papermakers a 1-0 lead. The Falcons then scored 13 straight points and kept adding on for a 65-35 victory. "Their score went from 0 to 10 in about a minute," said Camas head coach Chuck Knight. "When they get a rebound, and you have even a quarter of a second of hesitation, they are going to beat you up the floor. "You can never hesitate. You have to sprint and you have to locate," he added. "A lot of their points came off our turnovers. We have to handle the pressure better."

January 10, 2012
Anthony Fallin (13) curls around a Prairie defender Saturday, at Camas. Fallin finished with 15 points.

Gaining valuable experience

The Camas High School boys basketball team lost its lucky charm down the stretch Saturday. The Papermakers led by six points heading into the fourth quarter, but a 23-9 run by Prairie during those final eight minutes propelled the Falcons to a 51-43 victory in Camas. "We played hard," said Camas head coach Skyler Gillispie. "In the end, we made too many mental mistakes that Prairie was able to capitalize on and win the game." The Papermakers looked good in the second and third quarters. Anthony Fallin chased down a loose ball, put it off the glass for two points, drew a foul shot and made it for a 3-point play to tie the game.

January 10, 2012

CHS swimmers clinch first at Kelso Invite

The Papermaker boys swimmers racked up 844.5 points and captured first place at Saturday's 12-team Kelso Invitational. Camas swept all three relay races. John Utas, Ian Ulmer, Lucas Ulmer and Nick Kabel set a state qualifying time of 1 minute, 32.91 seconds in the 200-meter freestyle relay. Ian Ulmer, Yraceburu, Trent Harimoto and Xiangyang Yan won the 200 medley relay (1:49.75). Kabel, Kasey Calwell, Ian Ulmer and Lucas Ulmer won the 400 freestyle relay (3:27.52). Lucas Ulmer also clinched first place in the 100 backstroke with a state qualifying time of 56.16 seconds. Yraceburu earned first in the 100 breastroke (1:05.06).

January 10, 2012

Washougal girls play harder for injured captain

It was a simple lay up on a fast break. Kendall Utter had done it a hundred times. But when the Washougal High School senior landed awkwardly on her knee during a Dec. 28 game against Molalla, she severed her ACL and tore her MCL and her meniscus. "I've played with Kendall for six years. Our game has grown up with each other," said fellow senior captain Maddie Down. "To be on the court without her just doesn't feel right. It's unbalanced."

January 3, 2012
WHS sophomore Austin Tran (14) has been a bright point in the Panthers' recent string of losses, after starting the season with eight consecutive wins. Against Kennewick on Friday, he scored a team high 9 points, and against Centralia the night before he scored a career high 18 points.

Panthers look to bounce back from series of tough losses

Washougal boys basketball coach Malcom Estes is looking for his team to bounce back after being dealt a few tough losses during the past couple of weeks. On Friday, the Panthers (8-3) were handed their third consecutive loss as Kennewick used its strength and speed to put on the defensive pressure and a tough offense to earn a solid 87-37 win on Washougal's home court. On Thursday, the Panthers were overcome 58 to 51 at Centralia after being ahead for most of the game and tied going into the fourth quarter. Estes said in part the lopsided loss against Kennewick can be attributed to the Panthers having to deal with some injuries. Aaron Diester is nursing a sore foot, and Karsten Short is not yet at full strength after injuring his knee in Washougal's win against Camas on Dec. 20. In addition, the team's leading scorer David Crowley has missed the past few games due to a family commitment.

January 3, 2012

CHS wrestlers compete at Pacific Coast Championships

After already traveling to tournaments in Yakima and Coeur d'Alene, Idaho this season, Camas High School boys wrestling coach Glenn Hartman said it is nice to compete closer to home every once in a while. Fourteen Papermakers participated in the Pacific Coast Championships Thursday, at Hudson's Bay. The tournament, which involved 35 teams from throughout Washington and Oregon, continued Friday and was co-sponsored by Evergreen High School. Team finishes included Union in first place, followed by Kelso. Evergreen placed sixth as a team. Camas finished in 26th place, ahead of Heritage and Columbia River. "It was a pretty tough tournament," Hartman said.

January 3, 2012

Papermaker girls go 2-2 at Nike Interstate tournament

The Papermaker girls basketball team was working hard during Christmas break, with four games in four days at the Nike Interstate Shootout in Lake Oswego, Ore. Camas won two games and lost two. According to coach Chuck Knight, they were playing against mostly bigger schools and without two of their lead players due to injuries. "Overall, we were disappointed with the results," he said. "We really felt that we were capable of winning every game. But without Lauren Neff and McKenna Jackson, putting up shots was harder. You're talking about teams who were bigger and more physical than us." Neff is on personal leave from the team, but is expected to come back this week when the Papermakers resume league play. Jackson will return as well.