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Sports

February 22, 2011
Miguel Salamanca (right) gets ready to throw Matt Owens during the championship match Saturday, in the Tacoma Dome.

Salamanca is unstoppable at state

Fueled by an "unstoppable will" to be a state champion, "Mean Machine" Miguel Salamanca did not stop until there was nobody left to drive into the mat. After a triple overtime victory over Sunnyside's Josh Romero in the semifinals, it was full steam ahead. The Papermaker capped off his high school career by beating Hanford's Matt Owens 9-7 to win the Class 3A 145-pound state championship Saturday, at Mat Classic XXIII in the Tacoma Dome. "I always wanted to be a state champion, and it finally happened," Salamanca said. "I worked hard in practice this week, last week and all season long for this moment. It's a dream come true."

February 22, 2011
Brendan Casey grabbed sixth place for Washougal in the 2A 160-pound bracket at Mat Classic XXIII, in the Tacoma Dome.

Barrette and Casey medal at state for Washougal

John Barrette and Brendan Casey wanted to wrestle each other one more time in the Tacoma Dome. After Casey pinned Mount Baker's Levi Wigg in the opening round, and Barrette beat Joel Trujillo of Burlington Edison 13-2, the two Washougal High School seniors were just a victory away from facing each other in the semifinals. If that happened, it guaranteed at least one of them would be wrestling for a state championship Saturday night and the other would still be going home with a medal.

February 22, 2011
Amy Siebenthaler captured second on the floor at the Class 3A state gymnastics meet Saturday.

Siebenthaler comes full circle for Camas at state

Amy Siebenthaler's four years as a Camas High School gymnast have come full circle. She finished eighth as freshman in the floor exercise, but experiencing her first high school state gymnastics meet was more rewarding than anything she accomplished or failed at on that day. Sophomore year got even better, when she captured a state championship on the balance beam.

February 17, 2011
Sydney Allen provided plenty of points, rebounds and assists to help the Camas girls basketball team beat Kelso and Mountain View for second place in the district tournament.

Savvy Papermaker girls place second

What a week for the Camas High School girls basketball players. The Papermakers captured second place in the 3A district tournament, at Hudson's Bay High School in Vancouver. Camas knocked off Kelso twice in four days, and then defeated Mountain View for the first time this season to play for the championship against Prairie. "You never want to lose in the end, but I'm proud of what the kids accomplished this week. We played four games, we took second and we're going to region," said Camas head coach Chuck Knight. "We want the kids to understand if you persevere through the difficult times, the good times are going to far outweigh the bad times."

February 17, 2011
Brendan Casey captured second for Washougal in the 160-pound bracket of the 2A regional wrestling tournament Saturday, at Tumwater High School.

Camas-Washougal wrestlers are destined for the Tacoma Dome

To be one of the 1,300 wrestlers competing for a medal this weekend, at Mat Classic XXIII inside the Tacoma Dome, is the thrill of a lifetime. Only five Washougal High School wrestlers, and four from Camas, get to experience it. Leading the way for the Panthers are seniors John Barrette, Brendan Casey, Michael Huck, LaDwana Jurgens and Chism King. "If you let down at all at state, you're not going to be able to come out with a win," said WHS head coach John Carver. "When this weekend is over, we want every Washougal wrestler to know they gave all they had and that they didn't hold anything back."

February 16, 2011
Kevin Li was one of several Papermakers who propelled the Camas boys swimmers to the district championship Saturday, at Kelso High School.

Aquatic avengers

Revenge tasted sweet for the Camas High School boys swimmers Saturday, at Kelso High School. The Papermakers racked up 368 points, left league champion Mountain View in their wake, and captured their third district championship in the past four years. The Camas quartet of Ian Ulmer, Jake Yraceburu, Kevin Li and Trent Harimoto clinched first place in the 200-meter medley relay. Harimoto finished first with a time of 1 minute, 44.53 seconds. Robert Short of Mountain View was right behind at 1:44.58. "It was bang, bang! [Harimoto] beat him on the reach to the wall," said Camas head coach Mike Bemis.

February 13, 2011
Kevin Li was one of the many Papermakers who propelled the Camas boys swimmers to the district championship Saturday, at Kelso High School.

On the sidelines: Camas swimmers capture district championship

Revenge tasted sweet for the Camas High School boys swimmers Saturday. The Papermakers racked up 368 points during the 3A district swimming meet at Kelso High School, left league champion Mountain View in their wake, and captured their third district title in the last four years.

February 8, 2011
Amy Siebenthaler finished first on the floor and third in the all-around for Camas at the 3A district gymnastics meet Friday, at Naydenov.

Six Camas gymnasts qualify for state

After the Camas gymnasts captured second place at districts Friday, six Papermakers are on their way to the Tacoma Dome. Amy Siebenthaler took home the floor district championship with a dynamic performance that rated a 9.7. She also finished second on the beam (9.525), fourth on the vault (8.5) and fourth on the bars (7.85). Siebenthaler snatched third all-around with 35.575 points.

February 8, 2011
Kevin Basilio and the Camas High School boys basketball players are on the fast track to the district championship game. On Friday, the Papermakers beat Mountain View 60-37 to win their first league title in 49 years.

MAKING CAMAS HOOPS HISTORY

Bryan Butler will never forget this birthday, and neither will his best friends on the Camas basketball team. "I had the ball in my hand as time was running out, and I couldn't stop smiling," Butler said. "I couldn't believe this was happening." On a night when Butler turned 18, 1,800 screaming fans stood on the bleachers and the track above Friday to watch the Papermaker boys beat Mountain View 60-37 for their first district championship in 49 years. "I don't know how to describe how I'm feeling right now. It was the perfect birthday present for me," Butler said. "To win districts with these guys is amazing. This is something we've been dreaming about since fifth grade, and it's been a great road."