"To give anything less than your best is to sacrifice the gift." The above is by far my favorite quote, spoken by University of Oregon running icon Steve Prefontaine, who died in a tragic car crash in 1975. But I never truly understood that statement until after completing the Boston Marathon on April 18.
Surrounded by 60 teams, 2,000 athletes and thousands of screaming fans, the Papermakers were in track and field heaven at the University of Oregon Relays Friday and Saturday, in Eugene. "The meet has a big atmosphere, big talent, big everything. It's a lot of fun," said head girls coach Alisa Wise. "How often do you get to compete alongside college athletes and see your name up on the big screen? You hope the kids appreciate the opportunity and the experience." "When you're one of 7,000 people in that one stadium, you really see how impressive this sport can be," added head boys coach Rod Raunig.
Prairie surprised Camas with a goal in the first minute of Friday's game at Doc Harris Stadium, before the Papermakers scored six times. The Falcons gained possession out of the gate, and pitched the ball into the upper right hand corner of the net. At the time, Camas senior goalkeeper Zach Anderson was looking directly into the sun and could not pick up the ball. Not even a minute passed before Camas tied the game on a corner kick. Wyatt Brown blasted the ball into the net on an assist from Chris Miller.
Harli Hubbard had a day to remember on the mound and at the plate for the Papermaker softball team. The freshman racked up 11 strikeouts in seven innings pitched. She also knocked in two runs on three hits to help Camas defeat Mountain View 10-1 to move into third place in the 3A Greater St. Helens League standings. "I felt like I was on my game. I reached my goal of not giving up many hits," said Hubbard, who held the Thunder to just two hits in the game. She also did her job in the batter's box with runners on base."
Several personal bests and strong performances from top to bottom propelled the Panther boys and girls track and field teams to first place at the Bruin Invitational Friday, in White Salmon. "We didn't have just one or two athletes who dominated across the board," said head coach Dave Hajek. "It definitely was a team win for both boys and girls." The Washougal girls racked up 135 points to win the 5-team event. Kelley Young and Kari Johnson grabbed the top two spots in the 100- and 300-meter hurdles. Young won the 100 in 16.39 seconds and the 300 in 48.99 seconds. Johnson followed in 17.45 in the 100 and 52.77 in the 300. Kaite Wright clinched first in the long jump (16 feet, 1 1/4 inches) and the high jump (5 feet). Michelle Greear notched first in the shot put (28-10) and second in the discus (88-6). Kaitlyn Johnson captured first in the triple jump (30-10) and third in the 100 dash (13.61).
Home on a sunny Monday felt like heaven for the Camas and Washougal girls tennis players. The Papermakers swept Hudson's Bay 6-0 and the Panthers prevailed over R.A. Long 5-1. Wins for Camas went to Lily Hsu (6-0, 6-1), Hana Li (6-1, 6-3), Brie Ilarde (7-6, 6-2), and the doubles teams of Sydney Schwartz-Annike Sumpter (6-1, 6-1), Kaliee Esser-Raya Klein (6-1, 6-1) and Alicia Hamlin-Danika Jones (6-0, 6-1). Wins for Washougal went to Elsa Dinsmore (6-1, 7-6), Katie Tkchenko (6-0, 6-3), Aviv Bresler (6-4, 7-6), and doubles teams Jenna Connolly-Cassie Helland (6-3, 6-3) and Amanda Acheson-Corrine Murphy (6-2, 6-2).
"Hang time" refers to how long an athlete remains in the air after leaping. Several Camas Papermakers and Washougal Panthers defied gravity in the rain Friday, during the John Ingram Twilight track and field meet at Columbia River High School. The 8-hour extravaganza featured hundreds of athletes from 14 different high schools in Southwest Washington. "We look forward to this meet because it's all in one night," said Camas senior Ciara Klein. "It's one of the last times we get to face all of the 4A and 2A schools from our area, and we wanted to give our all. Seeing all of this competition in one night is great, and it does make us better in the end."
Make it 13 wins and counting for the Camas High School baseball team. Jeremy Faulkner delivered a double dose of delirium for the Papermakers Monday. His 3-run home run in the bottom of the fifth inning erased Kelso's 3-run advantage with one swing of the bat. Faulkner smashed the baseball over the left field fence again to lead off the bottom of the ninth, and Camas celebrated a 7-6 victory and a doubleheader sweep of the Hilanders.
Hail pounded the Camas rugby players like a ton of bricks, but there was no stopping the Mean Machine. Call it icing on the cake, or a cold bath to sooth all of those aches and pains, but Camas was only minutes away from celebrating a 17-5 victory over Polk County April 2, at Skyridge Middle School in Camas. "I got a fat lip, but it was worth it for that first win," said Camas High School senior player Tanner Lupton. "Winning is the best feeling ever. It's fun for the whole team to experience this together.
Gymnast Nick McAfee fought hard during the recent state competition in Des Moines, and took home a slew of medals for his efforts. During the event in late March, the Camas High School freshman won gold medals in the vault and high bar, a silver on the rings, and a bronze in the all-around in the level 10 division. He also qualified for regionals in Tacoma. Competition at this demanding level is challenging, but particularly this year those successes did not come easily for the 15-year-old.
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