Tag Archive for: Camas High School

, ,

Twice is Nice: Camas Boys Swim Team Clinches 4A State Title!

Federal Way, WA — The Camas Boys Swim team came back from a disappointing Prelims on Friday to win the 4A Swimming Championship Saturday — with 232 points — for the second consecutive year.

It was an incredible narrative as the Papermakers left Prelims Friday feeling shaky, lacking confidence, fatigued, and even experienced a little team infighting. Friday’s results left Coach Mike Bemis shaking his head, not convinced their team could bring the trophy back to Camas High School.

”Doing so poorly in the 200 Medley Relay shook the boys up,” said Bemis.  “And, I thought we gave it (the State title) away.”

So, he re-strategized, and the boys decided to take the pressure off themselves. It made all the difference.

Bemis sat down with the boys and explained what each one had to do in each event — down to the tenth of a second. They had a plan.

The boys turned up the intensity in their first Finals event — the 200 Medley Relay — scoring 1:37.91. They didn’t make the podium but it brought up their confidence. State Champion, Mark Kim, placed second in the 200 Free (1:41.48). Eric Wu would place second in the 200 IM (1:52.14). Chris Xia placed fifth in the 50 Free (21.89).

Prior to the 100 Fly, Bemis said with a slight grin, “we’re just one point behind Kamiak. It’s going to come down to the last event — the 400 Free Relay.”

In the 100 Fly event, Papermakers Eric Wu and Jaden Kim would place second (49.79) and third (50.20), respectively.

State

Jaden Kim.

That’s when Wu issued this comment: “Ernie, everything is going how we wanted it to be. As of right now, it’s all happening according to the plan.”

That plan, he said, meant each Papermaker had to meet or beat specific times in each event. Wu said everyone had to do their best. The plan also banked on Kamiak choking in a few events. They did.

Xia would place sixth (47.90) in the 100 Free — still according to the plan. Mark Kim placed third in the 500 Free (4:39.60), which thrust them even further ahead. Austin Fogel also racked up points for Camas in the 500 Free.

The 200 Free Relay team (Eric Wu, Jaden Kim, Chris Xia, Mark Kim) won with 1:26.53 — and that put the team at ease. And Finn McClone notched his best time in the 100 Back.

With two events left, the boys had 36-point lead. During the breastroke event (which Camas did not compete in) Wu, Xia, and Dave Peddie analyzed all the numbers and felt confident of an overall all team victory.

”We’d have to really screw up in the 400 Free Relay,” said Xia.

They didn’t.

McClone, Xia, Jaden Kim and Mark Kim won the 400 Free Relay (3:08.74) cementing their State title and making history again for Camas High School. It was Mark Kim’s last race as a Papermaker — and he made it count.

State

Mark Kim awaits the final results of his last swimming event for Camas — in the 400 Free Relay.

The feeling was euphoric. Teammates Dave Peddie and Luke Bales started crying as they hugged their teammates.

Just 24 hours prior Wu said “it’ll take a miracle to win State.” That miracle happened. The new strategy worked. Everyone did their part.

“After yesterday, we were seeded OK, but everyone was stressed out,” said Kim. “We asked Mike if he thought we could win. We came here with a mindset of winning. My individuals weren’t as good as I wanted them to be, but everyone else dropped a lot of time. Finn did great! I think all the little things added up, and wining the relays was spectacular! We really pulled it out this year. We went out with a bang! As a team we did awesome!”

Wu said they decided today to execute and he expressed gratitude to Bemis.

”On the Medley Relay, tonight we got lucky,” said Bemis. “Kamiak froze up a little bit and didn’t get the top place they had coming in so they lost six points. And then in the next event they lost four points. And, so they didn’t swim as well and kept losing points, and we swam better and made up those points. Once we got on a roll, it was contagious — it was all in.”

The coveted State trophy, which has been at Camas High for the last year, returns back on Monday. Papermaker Pride.

State

The 2018 4A State Swimming Champions. From left: Finn McClone, Mark Kim, Eric Wu, Chris Xia, Austin Fogel, Jaden Kim, Dave Peddie, Luke Bales, Brian Andrade.

Photo Gallery

 

 

 

 

/0 Comments/by
, ,

Camas Gymnasts Rock the Dome: Win Region’s First 4A State Title

By Dan Trujillo

There were wide eyes, big smiles, loud screams, lots of hugs and tears of joy.

Camas High School gymnasts Jacqueline Purwins, Shea McGee and Alyssa Shibata completed an uneven bars trifecta of dreams to cap off their state championship clinching performance at the Tacoma Dome Friday.

Purwins delivered a 9.475 on the bars to get the Papermaker gymnasts pumped up after they struggled on the vault. McGee followed swiftly with a 9.6 and Shibata put the finishing touches on a Camas sweep with a 9.725.

“It was pretty gnarly,” McGee said.

“That was my highest score ever for gymnastics,” Shibata said. “It was really exciting. It was just a great way to finish our season.”

“I started crying before Shea even finished,” Purwins said. “At that point, I didn’t even care if we won or not. They just did so good. I am so proud of them.”

The Papermakers had to wait through one more rotation, but things started to materialize. McGee earned second place in the all-around competition with 37.9 points. Shibata took fifth all-around with 37.35 points.

The final team scores left the athletes, coaches and fans on pins and needles. In the end, Camas outscored Woodinville 181.2-180.125 to become the first 4A high school from Southwest Washington to win the state championship.

“It could have gone either way, so we were just sitting there holding on to each other,” Shibata said. “When they said Woodinville was second, we were so excited. It’s cool because our team is so strong and supportive. We boost each other up. It’s amazing.”

Gymnastics

Jacqueline Purwins.

Shibata and McGee grabbed first and second on the bars, and Purwins placed sixth. McGee also earned second on the beam (9.475), fifth on the vault (9.325) and ninth on the floor (9.5). Purwins secured sixth on the floor (9.55) and eighth on the vault (9.25). Shibata took sixth on the beam (9.35).

This dream didn’t just start when these girls got to high school. Purwins, Shibata and team captains Joy Marsh and Madison Martin have trained together at the VEGA gym in Camas for years.

“VEGA is my family. It’s family for a lot of these girls, too,” Purwins said. “There’s no way I could ever be here without my coaches. They molded me from a 4-year-old to who I am now.”

Marsh, Martin, McGee and Shibata hope they can carry on this new tradition for Camas. Woodinville had won several state titles in the past, but now there are new kids on the block.

“It’s a new beginning,” Marsh said. “We’ve made history, and we can’t express how proud we are.”

“Next year, we are going to come back even stronger,” Martin said.

“I’m going to remember every single person on this team and how we did,” Shibata said. “It’s just like another family that I have.”

To see the video, visit Video: Camas Wins 4A State Title

 

Gymnastics

Celebrating State victory!

 

Gymnastics

Shea McGee.

/0 Comments/by
, ,

Camas District, High School Officials Respond to Papermakers Op-Ed

Camas, WA — Last Friday, I wrote an opinion article called “Respect the History — We’re Called ‘Papermakers’ For a Good Reason,” which addressed issues many in the community have with shortening the Camas High School mascot name from Papermaker to Maker. See the article here: Opinion

I asked for community members to respond and provide feedback, as I wanted to have an open conversation about this topic. The article reached 7,000+ and elicited hundreds of responses. It’s been a good, civil, passionate discussion.

It also brought an official statement from Camas Schools Superintendent, Jeff Snell, and an informative dialogue with Camas High School Athletic Director, Rory Oster.

Here’s Mr. Snell’s response:

Mr. Geigenmiller:

You asked for feedback on your recent article, Respect the History. I read your opinion and thought I would offer my perspective. I understand your first and second points and think that probably over time design and language have happened in various forms for various reasons similar to what you’ve articulated. I don’t believe any of that is done with the intention of trying to disrespect our history.

I wanted to comment specifically on your third point, attitude. “There is a concerted movement to erase the history,” is a strong statement. Our school district has never made an effort to erase history. In fact, we try to embrace it. Whether it’s Papermakers or any other part of our proud past we want to honor and celebrate it. Take for example the commons in CHS and all of the versions of Papermakers, or the school bell we placed at district office, or the anchor outside of Liberty Middle School. We have an award in the district called the Mill Town Pride Award. When presenting this award, we talk about how it represents the best of who we were, are and want to be as a community. We use the certificate below and have a pin of the mill that we hand out.

We understand and appreciate the passion about Papermakers. We embrace it along with the rest of our history. If you’d ever like to chat let me know.

Jeff Snell

 

Mill Town Pride

Mill Town Pride Award Certificate.

I also sat down for an hour with Mr. Oster, who provided insight on this topic. During the discussion he also talked about the uniform design process.

”I want to make sure the community understands that the students are very proud to be called Papermakers,” said Oster. “We’re not ashamed of being Papermakers. There have been thousands of conversations about this, and we embrace the history. Regarding the phrase ‘Roll Makers’ the first time I heard the phrase was four years ago — one of our volleyball student athletes gave an interview and said it at the end of the interview. It really took off with our students and coaches from there. It was about the same time frame as Russell Wilson saying ‘Go Hawks’ after every interview.”

Camas School District Communications Director, Doreen McKercher, offers a different perspective on the shortening to ‘Maker.’ She said that it happened during the Fall of 2011 when students created a spirit campaign called “Meet Your Maker.” The theme was present at many CHS athletic events.

McKercher emphasized it was a student-driven effort, and not an official movement to change the mascot name.

Papermaker Uniform Design Process

One of the things that offend many in the community is using the term “Maker” on official school uniforms.

So, Oster explained the uniform design process.

”Every three years, each team captain, along with their coaches re-design their team uniform,” said Oster. “They use design websites like Nike Uniform Builder, and decide what to put on the home uniform and on the away uniform.”

The students decide what to put on the sleeve, on the front of the jersey, and they can change colors and lettering, but that there is a standard Camas red that is used. They generally put “Camas” on the home jerseys and Papermakers or Makers on the away jerseys. Or sometimes they put the Camas “C” on.

He said sometimes the name “Papermaker” is too long to fit across the jersey — and sometimes that depends on the font used, as well.

“They copy what they see happening at the collegiate level,” he said. “And once the coach and captain make their design decisions, they submit those to me for final approval.”

The next round of uniform design changes will appear on jerseys this Fall. The football updates are already done, and volleyball and girls soccer are in the works.

”I really do want to emphasize these kids are proud of being called Papermakers,” he said.

Papermaker

Rory Oster explains how uniforms are selected using a Nike website.

 

Papermaker

The State championship football team is a source of pride for Camas.

/0 Comments/by
, , ,

Camas High Students Gather For National Letter of Intent Day

Camas, WA — Fourteen scholar-athletes took part in National Letter of Intent Day today at Camas High School.

Here’s what they’re all doing:

PAYTON BATES will be signing to play softball for the College of Idaho Yotes in Caldwell Idaho. Payton will finish her high school career earning seven varsity letters from Camas High School. Payton lettered three years in slow pitch softball, and will be a four-year letter award winner in fast pitch softball. In the fall during slow pitch, Payton has led her team to three straight league championships, a district championship in 2016 and 2017, and to the Papermakers first ever state birth in 2017. She was GSHL first-team all-league and voted Papermaker MVP for all three years and was capped by being recognized as the GSHL Player of the Year during her senior year in 2017. In the spring, Payton has been recognized as GSHL first-team all-league in 2016 and 2017. She has been a big part of the Papermaker fast pitch success that has earned league titles in 2015, 2017 and two 4th place in state finishes. Payton is a three-time GSHL scholar-athlete award winner and while in Caldwell will study Marketing.

Parents Jay and Brenda Bates – All three State Championship Tournament appearances. She wants one more this spring!

PERRIN BELZER will be traveling South to join former teammates with the Grand Canyon University Women’s Soccer program. Perrin has played the past four years on the girls soccer team which has been the most dominant run in the programs history at Camas High School. In those four years, her Papermakers have won four league titles, three district titles, two 3rd place state trophies, one state championship in 2016 along with a Maxpreps National Championship in 2016. Like her team, Perrin has also racked up numerous accolades over the past four years that include: 2014 and 2016 GSHL All-League 2nd team, GSHL All-League 1st team in 2015, and capped by a senior season that saw her awarded GSHL defensive player of the year, Columbian All-Region team, and 4A 1st team All-State. Perrin has been a GSHL all-academic team member all four years. While playing for the Lopes, Perrin will be pursuing a degree in sports management.

Parents Michael and Kathy Belzer – Memorable moment was winning the 2016 Washington State Championship.
TREVOR BENTLEY is headed across the river to play baseball for Mt. Hood Community College. Trevor has lettered in football and baseball for three years and has been an active participant in Camas High School Unified Basketball. Trevor has been the starting center fielder for the Papermakers for three straight years and helped lead his team to the playoffs in 2016. Trevor was a part of the first ever Papermakers football state championship in 2016, and was recognized as GSHL All-League 2nd team defensive back in 2017. Trevor is undecided on what he will focus his studies on while playing for the Saints.

Intent

Fourteen scholar-athletes gathered Wednesday for National Letter of Intent Day at CHS. Photo by Dan Trujillo.

Parents Brian and Rachel Bentley – Memorable moment winning the football state championship in 2016.

COURTNEY CLEMMER will be a part of the Fighting Owls women’s basketball team at Oregon Institute of Technology in Klamath Falls Oregon. Courtney has lettered in basketball for four years, along with one year in volleyball. Courtney has been a four-year starter on the hardwood for the Papermakers and has led them to two straight league titles in 2017 and 2018, and to the programs first ever trip to the Tacoma Dome to compete in the state tournament. Courtney has been recognized as GSHL All-League 2nd team in 2016, GSHL All-League 1st team in 2017 along with the All-Region 2nd team, and has already added the GSHL Player of the Year award in 2018. Courtney is a four-time scholar athlete award winner and plans to focus on studying communications in Klamath Falls.

Parents Casey and Traci Clemmer – Memorable moment playing in the state tournament at the Tacoma Dome.

ALEXA DIETZ is off to soak up some sunshine at San Diego State University as a member of the Aztec Rowing team. Alexa lettered two years in the Papermaker track and field program and one year in gymnastics before focusing on rowing. Alexa was part of a women’s track and field team that won two league and district titles and was a large part of the 2017 Papermaker gymnastics record-setting team that won a league title, district title and a state championship runner-up finish. Alexa is scholar-athlete award winner and is planning on studying environmental sciences and nature conservation in San Diego.

Parents David and Nancy Dietz – Memorable moment winning 2nd place at the State gymnastics meet in 2017.

KENNEDY FERGUSON will also be headed south. She will join the Lobos of New Mexico University softball program. Kennedy will letter three years in fast pitch at Camas High School. Kennedy was voted as GSHL All-League 1st team in 2016, GSHL Pitcher of the Year in 2017, All-Region Player of the Year in 2017, and will be looking for more awards this spring. Kennedy led her team to the league championship in 2017 and a Washington state 4A 4th place state finish in 2017. Kennedy will be focusing on physical therapy in New Mexico.

Parents David and DeAnn Ferguson – Memorable moment creating memories with a group of girls that have come up and gone through the program with me.

DOMINIC FEWEL will attend Oregon State University next fall to play soccer for the Beavers. Dominic will be a four-year letterman for the Papermaker soccer team, and has been a three- time scholar athlete award winner. Dominic has anchored a team that has compiled three league and district titles and have been a state participant all three years. Dominic has been chosen as a team captain in 2016 and 2017 along with receiving accolades as GSHL All-League 2nd team in 2015, GSHL All-League 1st team in 2016, 2017, All-Region team in 2017, and All-State honorable mention in 2017. While in Corvallis, Dominic will be studying Mechanical Engineering.

Parents Heath and Jennifer Fewel – Memorable moment scoring diving header goal against Skyview to win the game.

MADISON FREEMON is signing to play basketball with California State Fullerton University. She is a four-year letterman in basketball for the Papermakers. Madison has started for the Papermakers for three years before suffering a season ending injury her senior year early in the season. She was recognized as GSHL All- League Honorable Mention in 2017 along with the team captain honor. Madison helped guide the Papermakers to the first ever state championship tournament appearance her Junior year, and has been recognized on the All-League academic list for four straight years. Madison will be studying education while playing for the Titans.

Parents Gary and Sandy Freemon – Memorable moment scoring the winning buzzer beater basket against Prairie her sophomore year.

MARK KIM will be taking his talents to swim for the United States Military Academy at West Point. Mark is the most decorated swimmer in Papermaker history as he has won two state championships in both the 500 and 200 freestyle events, with one more state meet to go later this month. He has numerous district championships and guided his team to four straight league titles, a 2015 2nd place state finish, 2016 4th place state finish and the Papermakers first ever state championship in 2017, and he still has his senior season to finish. Mark was recognized as the 2016 February Camas High School student-athlete of the month, and is equally as impressive in the classroom with a near perfect GPA. While swimming for the Black Knights, Mark will study Mechanical Engineering.

Parents Mark and Dannelle Kim – Memorable moment winning the 4A team state championship trophy for a school south of Tacoma for the first time in 50 years.

Swim

State Champion swimmer, Mark Kim.

HAILEY OSTER will be playing golf for the Bobcats of Montana State University. Hailey has been a Papermaker varsity golfer all four years and has anchored her team to two straight league and district titles heading into her senior season this spring. Hailey has finished in the top 10 at the past two Washington State tournaments which has helped her team secure a 2nd place team finish in state her sophomore and junior year. Hailey has been recognized as the 2017 GSHL Player of the Year, All-Region 1st team, and received the Camas High School student-athlete of the month award and the WIAA player of the week award her Junior year. Hailey will study elementary education while in Bozeman.

Parents Ernie and Debbie Oster – Memorable moment taking 2nd in state the past two years with my team.

MADISON PFAFF will take her skills to Salem to play volleyball for Corban University. She has lettered in the Papermaker volleyball program for three years and received GSHL All-League 1st team honors her senior season. Madison also received the following CHS volleyball awards: coaches award in 2016, defensive award in 2017 and team captain in 2016 and 2017. Madison helped her team earn league championship titles all three years, and has been recognized with the scholar-athlete award for three years. While playing for the Warriors, Madison will be studying education.

Parents Jeremy and Heather Pfaff- Memorable moment beating Battle Ground in 5 sets my sophomore year.

Intent

Singing at National Letter of Intent Day. Photo by Dan Trujillo.

MADALYN SHERWINSKI will be traveling East to swim for the University of Mary in Bismark North Dakota. Madalyn lettered in Papermaker swim for three years and guided her team to a league championship in 2015 and 2016 as well as a district championship in 2015. Madalyn was a team captain in 2016 and 2017, and recognized as GSHL All-League 2nd team in the 500 freestyle in 2016. Madalyn is a perfect GPA scholar athlete and will study either chemical or mechanical engineering as a Marauder.

Parents Paul and L’Rae Scherwinski – Memorable moment winning district swim team title in 2015 at Kelso.

JOSHUA SCHNEIDER will attend Willamette University to play soccer for the Bearcats. Josh will be a three-year letterman for the Papermakers and has helped his team accomplish league and district titles his sophomore and junior season with his senior season coming up. The Papermakers have also been state tournament participants his sophomore and junior year that was capped with a state quarterfinal appearance in 2017. Josh was recognized as a GSHL All-League 1st team player as a junior, and will be a four time GSHL scholar-athlete award winner. While in Salem, Josh will be studying physical therapy.

Parents Joe and Lisa Schneider – Memorable moment when I crossed the ball for an assist for a double overtime win.
ABBIGAIL WONG will be attending University of Puget Sound in Tacoma to play softball for the Loggers. Abbi will letter in fast pitch four years for the Papermakers and has been a part of two league championship teams so far. Her Papermakers have two 4th place state championship tournament trophies, and she is looking to add another one this spring. In 2017 Abbi was recognized as GSHL All-League 2nd team, and received the 2017 defensive player of the year award for the Camas High School fast pitch program. While playing for the Loggers, Abbi will be focusing her studies on Exercise Science.

Parents Wade and Kim Wong – Memorable moment placing 4th at state tournament freshman and junior years.

/0 Comments/by
,

Raising The Bar: CHS Gymnasts Are On The Upswing To State

By Dan Trujillo

The Camas High School gymnasts keep raising the bar.

Propelled by a school record team score of 181.7, the Papermakers won the 4A district championship by more than 20 points Saturday at Battle Ground High School.

Senior Jacqueline Purwins clinched the all-around championship with 37.825 points. She finished first on the vault (9.475), second on the floor (9.7) and the beam (9.65), and fourth on the bars (9.0).

“It’s crazy because we’re not even at our best yet. There’s still some little things that we can clean up,” Purwins said. “It just kind of all came together. When you have a good first event, the rest of it is a lot easier to follow.”

Freshmen Shea McGee and Alyssa Shabata followed Purwins’ lead.

McGee grabbed second place all-around with 37.675 points. She finished first on the floor (9.8) and the bars (9.3), and third on the beam (9.35) and the vault (9.025).

“You just have to relax and pretend like it’s any other meet,” McGee said. “That was pretty snazzy,” she added about the team score. “We pulled out our best. I had so much fun.”

Shabata took third place all-around with 36.95 points. She earned second place on the bars (9.2) and the vault (9.1), fourth on the beam (9.55) and fifth on the floor (9.3).

“It was cool standing up on the podium with my friends,” Shabata said. “We’ve been working hard for this.”

Gymnasts

Jacqueline Purwins dazzles on the floor for the Papermakers. Photo by Dan Trujillo.

Joy Marsh claimed fourth place on the vault (8.7) and ninth place on the floor (9.2). Madison Martin notched fifth place in the beam (9.05) and seventh place on the bars (8.2). Lizzy Wing gained fifth place on the floor (9.3) and 10th place on the vault (8.15). Sienna Brophy placed eighth on the beam (8.5) and Annika Afleck took eighth place on the bars (8.15).

Head coach Carol Willson couldn’t be more excited the Papermakers. They all get the opportunity to represent Camas at the 4A state meet, Feb. 16 and 17, at the Tacoma Dome.

“We were hoping for a 180. We beat that by almost two points,” Willson said. “We are in a good position.”

Although Purwins enjoyed competing at state as a sophomore, she said there’s nothing like being there with her teammates. The girls achieved that dream together for the first time last season and finished in second place. They’re very talented gymnasts.

“The biggest goal for all of us is winning as a team,” she said.

Purwins will be the only one to graduate from this program after this season. Marsh and Martin should be back to lead the team again as captains. Gymnasts McGee and Shabata are just getting started.

 “Have fun. Don’t get caught up in the competition because it always makes it worse. That’s the biggest lesson I’ve learned,” Purwins said. “Senior year is all about having fun. If we’re winning along with that, that’s great. But as long as I’m having fun, I’m OK with it.”
Gymnasts

Camas team captain Joy Marsh and head coach Carol Willson cheer for a Papermaker during the floor exercise. Photo by Dan Trujillo.

Stevens makes history for Washougal

Katie Stevens became the first gymnast from Washougal High School to qualify for state, and she did it in all four events.

The freshman finished third on the vault, with a 9.175, fifth on the floor, with a 9.4, and fifth in the all-around, with a 33.775. Against seniors and juniors, no less.

“I really wanted to make it to state in at least one event,” Stevens said. “To get in all four is really insane.”

Stevens started the season with a brace on her foot, after straining tendons in her tibia and fibula. She returned to competition a few weeks ago.

“She had an amazing meet,” said head coach Carol Willson. “To see her come off at injury and get to state in all four events in very exciting. She’s starting something special for Washougal High School.”

Stevens knows the Camas gymnasts and coaches well. She has trained and performed with them at VEGA since she was 5.

“I’m very grateful that the Camas girls treat me as one of their own,” Stevens said. “They embrace that I’m from Washougal, and they’re not mean about it.”

Although she has no idea what to expect at the Tacoma Dome, Stevens embraces her opportunity to perform for Washougal on the big stage at state.

“I want to show them that little schools can do big things.”

To learn more, visit www.chs.camas.wednet.edu

 Gymnasts Photo Gallery

/0 Comments/by
,

Boys Basketball: Battle Ground Abruptly Ends Camas Season

By Dan Trujillo

The Camas High School boys basketball players learned a lot of lessons this season. They just wish it could have lasted longer.

Battle Ground defeated the Papermakers 55-40 Friday to secure the final slot into the 4A bi-district tournament. Camas finished with a 13-8 record, after starting out the season 8-0.

“At the beginning, our swagger was awesome. I just wish we could have kept it going in league,” said senior captain Tre Carlisle. “I’ll remember the fight that we showed every single day.”

This was just not the Papermakers’ day. They were held to an uncharacteristically low 15 field goals and just two 3-pointers.

Battle Ground jumped out to a 26-14 advantage at halftime. The Camas crowd did everything it could to get the Papermakers back into the game, but the Tigers would not be denied.

“The crowd came out and made a little tunnel for us,” Carlisle said. “That was awesome. That was the most touching thing I’ve ever seen from a crowd.”

Isaiah Sampson led Camas with 18 points. Kyle Allen and Carson Bonine each added five. Shane Jamison earned four points and won some impressive battles for rebounds.

Carlisle said there is a lot for the Papermakers to be thankful for. He and Sampson led a team with very little varsity experience to a tie for third place in league.

Ryan Josephson inherited the program, and brought a lot of knowledge and passion from his days as a Camas High School basketball player and a junior varsity coach.

“It was a quiet locker room, but we got a lot of ‘thank yous’ out there,” Carlisle said.

The future looks bright, as long as these Papermakers can stick together.

“I just want them to be aggressive. Go at each other in practice. Outside of practice, be friends,” Carlisle said. “Just go hard. Put it all on the line.”

in To learn more, visit www.chs.camas.wednet.edu

Camas Basketball Photos

/0 Comments/by
, ,

Events: National Letter of Intent Day Coming Up February 7

Camas, WA — National Letter of Intent Day is Wednesday, February 7th, 2018, we have an impressive group of athletes that will be signing at 9:00 am at the Camas High School North Commons. Family and friends are invited.

Here’s the list of 14 talented scholar/athletes and where they will be attending college:

  • Payton Bates, College of Idaho, Softball
  • Perrin Belzer, Grand Canyon U., Soccer
  • Trevor Bentley, Mt. Hood, Baseball
  • Courtney Clemmer, Oregon Tech, Basketball
  • Alexa Dietz, San Diego State, Rowing
  • Kennedy Ferguson, U of New Mexico, Softball
  • Dominic Fewel, Oregon State, Soccer
  • Maddie Freemon, Cal State Fullerton, Basketball
  • Mark Kim, West Point Military Academy, Swim
  • Hailey Oster, Montana State U., Golf
  • Madison Pfaff, Corban U., Volleyball
  • Madalyn Scherwinski, U of Mary, Swim
  • Joshua Schneider, Willamette U., Soccer
  • Abbi Wong, U of Puget Sound, Softball

Schools across the country are taking part in the letter of intent event.

To learn more, visit www.chs.camas.wednet.edu

Here’s a gallery of some of the athletes that will participate at the signing.

Football

Trevor Bentley runs to score one of the Papermaker TD’s at the season home opener.

 

Volleyball

Madison Phaff (with the ball).

 

Basketball

Courtney Clemmer.

 

Soccer

Perri Belzer. Photo by Kris Cavin.

 

Swim

State Champion swimmer, Mark Kim.

/0 Comments/by
, ,

Science Olympiad Team Prepares for Weekend Camas Invitational

Camas, WA — Fresh off a fifth place performance at the ultra-competitive Golden Gate Tournament in California, the Camas Science Olympiad team is preparing to host its annual Invitational — right at Camas High School this Saturday.

The team meets weekly in a club-like setting to learn, talk, strategize and just have fun in an effort to win Science Olympiad tournaments, all with an eye on winning another State title. They’ve clinched the Washington State title for seven of the last eight years, and team President, Wilson Ho, a senior, is hungry for another major win.

“We are very competitive,” said Ho, “but we also have a good work ethic, and we really can’t procrastinate. You have to set yourself up to study time management and organize yourself. Plus, we have fun while we do this, and we always get along well.”

The Olympiad students work together to prepare for the competitions, which include chemistry labs, test labs, material science labs, aviation, astronomy, thermo dynamics, and build sessions, such as hovercraft, Ruve Goldberg, robotics, and mousetraps.

“With the hovercraft you build a small device to control speed,” said Abigail Jiang. “With astronomy, we do tests of space objects.”

Olympiad

Robotics

 

Led by head coach Matthew Chase, the students say they are well supported by parents who come to the study sessions, and chaperone their various tournaments.

During those tournaments, the Olympiad students are paired up for three to four events throughout a single day. Team captains strategize the partnerships and the path to a team victory.

”We love to win,” said Ho. “And yes, it’s a ton of work, but you learn so much, and a lot of times we’ll get just three hours of sleep the night before a tournament.”

Jiang said they get excited about the awards, and explained that scoring is like golf.

”The lower the score the better,” said Jiang. “It’s a team effort, and motivation comes from the team. We want everyone to do well.”

Ashley Teng loves the personal element.

“You get to understand people more,” said Teng. “You see how people respond, and we have fun while we do it.”

Their Camas Invitational starts this Saturday at 8 am at Camas High School. Their regional tournament is on March 3, and the big State tournament is in April.

We’ll report on Satuday’s results. Stay tuned.

Olympiad

Building a tower during a competition.

 

Olympiad

Robotics competition.

 

Olympiad

Winning a recent tournament.

 

Olympiad

At a tournament — during awards.

 

Olympiad

All dressed up.

/1 Comment/by
,

Camas High School Gymnastics Team Keeps Eye On The Prize

Camas, WA — On a cold winter day during Christmas break, as most people were on vacation, the Camas Gymnastics team was hard at work practicing their floor routines, beams, vaults and bars — all with their eye on winning the State championship this season.

The talented team, lead by experienced gymnastics coach, Carol Willson, hasn’t lost a district meet in five years, and placed second last year at State, against perennial winner, Woodinville.

“They’re just amazing kids,” said Willson. “They’ve been doing this since they were little bitty. It’s about talent and experience. Lots of experience. Hard work, and lots of social time.”

The 22-member practices at least five days week, two or more hours at a time, and most compete in all four events (floor, beams, vaults, and bars).

Catching her breath after a floor routine practice, Joy Marsh explained how team bonding is a big contributor to their success.

“Most of us compete together in club so we know each other well,” said Marsh. “We just get along with each other. Everyone works really hard — we’re a very focused team.”

Sophomore Lizzy Wing made a return to the sport after a four-year hiatus.

“I did gymnastics until I was 11, then I did competitive cheer, and took a break from that,” said sophomore, Lizzy Wing. “Then I did football cheer, and then I had nothing to do, so I thought I’d do gymnastics.”

And, they love having her on the team.

“She has a lot of talent and drive,” said Willson, of Wing. “We happy to have her.”

Willson said she’s excited about what’s happening with their team, as new athletes have joined the team. She’s also excited about the future.

“We have several girls in middle school right now that are really good,” said Willson. “We’d really like to win State, and these girls are driven. They’re focused. The future is bright.”

Their next meet is Saturday, January 6 at Naydenov in Vancouver. We will post details from those events.

Gymnastics Team Roster

This year’s team includes:

  • Shea McGee
  • Alyssa Shibata
  • Jacqueline Purwins
  • Madison Martin
  • Joy Marsh
  • Morgan MacIntyre
  • Michaela Lasher
  • Amber Harris
  • Kaitlyn Blair
  • Annika Affleck
  • Siena Brophy
  • Annie Danielson
  • Rachel Nicacio
  • Quyen Do
  • Hallen McCallum
  • Abby Martin
  • Grace Alonzo
  • Lyne McGee
  • Lizzy Wing
  • MacKenzie Merritt
  • Katie Stevens (Washougal)
  • Hannah Sturgis

Photo Gallery

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

To learn more visit, www.chs.camas.wednet.edu

/0 Comments/by
, ,

CHS Girls Soccer Team Heads to WIAA Final 4 Tournament

The Camas High School Girls Varsity soccer team qualified for the WIAA Final Four Tournament for the third consecutive year by defeating Skyline of Sammamish by a score of 4-1 last weekend. They will next compete against Issaquah at Puyallup’s Sparks Stadium in the semi-final on Friday in their drive to defend their state title. This is the third time this team has been down this road.

The girls made it to the state semifinals by averaging 4.2 goals per game, led offensively by junior Maddie Kemp (who’s scored 40 goals this season). Defensively, Perrin Belzer is the team’s defensive anchor, which has been an essential ingredient to the team’s success this season, and throughout Belzer’s high school soccer career.

Camas has only allowed nine goals this entire season. In 2015, Issaquah beat Camas in a shootout following two overtimes. The match was scoreless until the shootout.

This weekend’s state games will be broadcast on www.nfhsnetwork.com

The games begin at 8 pm Friday.

Last Saturday’s Soccer Match

Here are some of the statistics from last weekend’s Skyline match at Doc Harris:

Goals (assists):

Carla Jooste (Jazzi Paulson)

Maddie Kemp (Paulson)

Kemp (Liz Parker)

Kemp

Saves in Goal: Falissitie DePasquale 6

Soccer Image Gallery

Photos by Kris Cavin

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

/0 Comments/by