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Sports

October 4, 2011
Gus Cooper lobs the tennis ball over the net for Camas Wednesday.

Cheesy snack fuels Cooper

Gus Cooper is becoming the big cheese around the tennis courts for Camas. On a windy Wednesday afternoon, Cooper struggled to keep the ball in play and lost the first set to Columbia River's Dylan Koester. After a pep talk with head coach Jonathan Burton, Cooper strung together an incredible 4-6, 6-1, 6-0 come-from-behind victory that had major ramifications on the Papermakers beating the Chieftains by the total number of games won. "The wind made it interesting, but I think I figured it out after the first set," Cooper said. "On one side, it pushes the ball deep so you have to put less power on it. On the other side, it takes more power or you won't get it over the net. "Knowing that I'm able to come back from losing a first set is a good feeling," he added. "I've always had that mentality. You take it point by point."

October 4, 2011

Camas golfers are tops in the league

The view from the top of the Greater St. Helen's League is grand, but the Camas golfers are looking for greener pastures. After losing to Prairie by a stroke in 2009 and two strokes last season, the Papermakers beat the Falcons by 10 strokes Sept. 15 at Camas Meadows. On Wednesday, the Papermakers topped Mountain View 162-168 to capture that elusive league championship with a 6-0 record. "It's nice to win league," said head coach Ed Givens. "It's been a while since we've done that. It was definitely one of our main goals this year. The next one is to try and repeat as district champions. It's going to be a tall order. We are going to need some kids to step up and play well under pressure."

September 27, 2011
Camas High School graduates Brent Richards (class of 2008), Quinton Beasley (2009) and Drew White (2011) love wearing purple and playing for the University of Washington's mens soccer team.

Purple Papermakers

They shared multiple state soccer titles as Camas Papermakers. Now back together in college, Brent Richards, Quinton Beasley and Drew White are helping the University of Washington men's soccer team shoot for a Pacific-12 Conference Championship. Richards is a senior, Beasley is a junior and White is a freshman.

September 27, 2011

Camas volleyball sets sights on Prairie tonight

The volleyball rivalry between Camas and Prairie is well-documented. Tonight in the Papermaker warehouse, it enters the next phase. "This is one of the biggest rivalries for our school," said Camas head coach Julie Nidick. "The ball will bounce the way it bounces. I want to come out and see our girls play Camas volleyball. Attack with everything." For the past three years, the Papermakers have defeated the Falcons for the district title. After Camas beat Prairie three times in 2010, the Falcons are looking for some payback. There is something about seeing Prairie on the schedule next that brings out the fire in the Papermakers.

September 27, 2011

Efraimson earns third at Nike Pre-Nationals

The Camas High School girls cross country runners turned it up a notch at the Nike Pre-Nationals Saturday, on the Portland Meadows race track. Freshman Alexa Efraimson amazed her coaches and teammates again by snatching third out of 98 competitors in the Jim Danner Championship. She completed the 5,000-meter course with a personal best time of 17 minutes, 58.2 seconds. "To know I'm just a freshman is exciting, but I still have a lot to learn and a lot to work for," Efraimson said. "Every race and every practice, I want to get better."

September 27, 2011

Happy Homecoming for Washougal football

Homecoming football games in Washougal have not always been fun, but this is a different year. A capacity crowd filled the seats at Fishback Stadium Friday night, to see the Panthers dismantle Clatskanie 40-14. The Washougal players and coaches looked up in the stands several times with smiles on their faces, and they just fed off the crowd's energy. "The place was packed. There wasn't an empty seat in the house, and people were lined up all along the rails," said head coach Bob Jacobs. "It's great for our kids and it's great for our town. We want to maintain that excitement, and bring everybody under one umbrella."

September 20, 2011
Stephen Camden escapes a trap set by Fort Vancouver Friday, at Kiggins Bowl. The Washougal senior blocked a punt and scored a touchdown.

Panthers solve Trappers

Twenty-three years of payback for the Washougal High School football team came out in those last eight minutes. The Panthers scored 31 points in the fourth quarter to blow Fort Vancouver out of Kiggins Bowl, by the score of 48-21. It's the first time the Panthers beat the Trappers in football since 1988. "It's amazing how we were able to flip the switch and score all of those points. Our conditioning really paid off," said Caleb Howard, a running back and a linebacker. "That second half is what Panther football is all about. We're willing to do anything to get that win on the board." Howard had a huge night on both sides of the field. After scoring a touchdown in the second quarter, the senior grabbed a fumble and snatched an interception in the fourth quarter. "It's a good feeling for everyone when one of us scores a touchdown or gets a turnover," Howard said. "It feels amazing to help the team out when I can, but it's a complete team effort. There's no 'I' in team."

September 20, 2011
Washougal runners Sean Eustis (right) and Isaac Stinchfield (left) finished in fourth- and sixth-place at the Saxon Invitational Saturday, in Salem, Ore.

Washougal runners thrive at Saxon race

Washougal High School juniors Sean Eustis and Isaac Stinchfield are pushing themselves to the top of the pack. On Saturday, at the Saxon Invitational in Salem, Ore., Eustis broke 16 minutes for the first time in his cross country career. He finished fourth in his first race of the season, with a time of 15 minutes, 59.13 seconds.

September 20, 2011
Zack Marshall (25) stamps a first down for the Papermakers Friday, at Chieftain Stadium.

Papermakers stamp a victory

On the road for the first time this season, the Camas High School football players got another stamp of approval from their fans. The Papermakers mashed Columbia River 38-14 Friday, at Chieftain Stadium. Zack Marshall led the charge with 60 yards rushing, 51 yards receiving and two touchdowns. "See this knot on my head?" Marshall pointed out after the game. "I can feel every part of this win on my body, I'm so sore.