Four finalists and two champions led the Washougal High School wrestling team to fourth place, and five medalists pushed Camas to sixth place, at the Gorge Invitational Saturday, in Stevenson. Two Panthers had a friendly tangle for the 160-pound championship. Brendan Casey beat John Barette 10-6 for first place, and Barrette settled for second place.
No finalists, no problem for the Papermakers. Marcus Hartman, Dakota Safford, Tyler Weiss and Miguel Salamanca all brought home third-place medals from the Clark County Championships Friday and Saturday, at Skyview High School in Salmon Creek. Gabe Wells grabbed fourth, and Tye Lommason and Lucas Nicacio finished fifth. These seven medallists propelled the Papermakers to fifth place at the 15-team event, with 120.5 points. "We got off to a really good start, and several of our kids made it to the semifinals. We were hoping for a little magic, but we were a little overmatched in that round," said head coach Glenn Hartman. "I was pleased that our kids did not give up, and they used that disappointment as motivation to finish as strong as they could."
One champion and seven other medallists put the Panther girls wrestlers in the running for another Clark County Championship Saturday, at Skyview High School in Salmon Creek. In just her first year wrestling, Allicia Cain pinned Heritage's Diana Chavez and Mountain View's Avery Miller for the 130-pound county championship. "My friend Tara Duey kept on encouraging me to go out for wrestling," Cain said. "She said, 'it's really fun, and you're going out for it [this] season.' And here I am. I can't believe I'm a county champion."
Whether they were in Washougal or Longview, the Panther boys and girls basketball teams got the best of the Lumberjacks and Jills Friday. The Washougal and R.A. Long boys traded baskets in a nail biter, but the Panthers held on for a 52-50 victory at Washougal High School. All nine Panthers contributed points, which made head coach Malcolm Estes smile. "So many kids are stepping up every time their number is called," he said. "All these kids care about is winning. Whatever it takes for us to win a game, I can count on these kids to do it."
There are many ways Odin Coe makes his presence felt on a football field. The Camas High School senior is a 6-foot-3, 265-pound wrecking machine built by all of those weight lifting sessions with best friends Erik Clay, Brent Hill, Damon Kosaki, Zach Marshall and Addison Owen. All of the years of commitment to football paid off for these Papermakers when they won their first state playoff game in school history. "Looking back, it was a good run," Coe said. "I hope we are not just remembered for our wins and losses, but as a group of guys who showed up, worked hard every day and paid their dues.
Washougal High School girls basketball captains Maddie Down and Darcy Akers are reunited, and it feels so good. In her first game back from an extended Christmas vacation, Down delivered 13 points for the Panthers on three 3-pointers. She also grabbed 11 rebounds and snatched four steals. Akers added 10 points on two 3-pointers, six rebounds and five assists. "It was very exciting in the first half. Everybody was contributing," Down said. "It was euphoric. I've never heard the crowd so loud at a Washougal game. Ever." The Washougal girls nailed eight 3-pointers in the first half, but the Woodland Beavers outscored the Panthers 30-20 in the second half to win 59-48 on a ferocious Friday night in the jungle.
St. Helens is about to blow, and the Papermakers are the magma. After a week without any seismic activity, the Camas High School boys basketball team plunged into the Ring of Fire and wound up in first place. Jacob Kaler scored 21 points and grabbed six rebounds, and Bryan Butler provided 14 points, to propel the Papermakers to a 58-45 victory over the Prairie Falcons Saturday night, in Camas. The Papermakers cracked through the magma chamber, after the Hudson's Bay Eagles lost to the Mountain View Thunder on the same night.
As if wrestling in the jungle on New Year's Day was not thrilling enough for the Panthers, Chism King and Michael Huck captured Washougal River Rumble championships. King pinned Union's Junior Godinho for the 112-pound title. He also pinned Ridgefield's Adrian Montiell and Union's Tiffany Hu to earn the opportunity to wrestle for the championship. "I was a little tired in that last match. I didn't get much sleep because of New Year's," King said. "My New Year's resolution is to push myself to the point of breaking."
Camas High School seniors Raya Klein and Drew White were selected with 76 other girls and boys to be on the National Soccer Coaches Association of America's High School All-American 2010 teams. After tearing her ACL during her sophomore season, Klein battled back to become a co-captain of the Papermaker team that placed third in the 2009 state tournament. She maintained her status as captain in 2010, and helped Camas win a league championship and reach the quarterfinals of the state tournament.
Word around town is the Camas and Washougal sports rivalry is not what it used to be, but 16 minutes of girls basketball between the two high schools on Dec. 28 showed everything it could still be. A strong fourth quarter propelled the Papermakers to a 48-41 victory at Camas High School, but not before the Panthers roared back from 10 points down to take the lead twice. "It's very exciting seeing our kids step up when it easily could have gone the other way," said Washougal head coach Charlie Boyce. "It reverberates the belief that we can compete every time we step on to the floor."
Login