CAMAS — Kong rises high into the air. Football in hand. Anger in his eyes.
And here come the Camas Papermakers.
The players rush through the air-inflated tunnel — Kong’s legs — onto the field at Doc Harris Stadium, and a packed house screams in anticipation for the big game.
The expression on Kong, the giant Papermaker, never changes. Focused. He looks fierce. Just like the players.
The fans, though, are encouraged to smile, to enjoy, to embrace more than a football game. This is a community experience.
Most high school football teams have memorable moments at their stadiums.
Camas, though, is unique among the Class 4A and 3A schools in Clark County. Camas is the lone program with one school in its district, one school in its city, and one stadium all its own. That combination makes for quite an atmosphere.
Camas High School is the Camas high school.
At Camas, hundreds of graduates regularly return — ranging from last year’s students to students from the last century. Papermakers of the 1950s and 60s, for example, are still Papermakers today.
Doc Harris Stadium has been around for decades. When the stadium was refurbished, then rededicated in 2010, it became a newer, up-to-date center of the Camas sporting world.
The gates usually open 90 minutes before kickoff. Want your pick of the best seat? Probably better get in line two hours before kickoff. At Camas, older fans, parents, and students arrive early.
It’s not just a game. It’s a celebration.
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Scott Higgins understands the importance of his job on game nights. Sure, he is the city’s mayor, but on most Fridays, he is a member of the stadium’s chain gang.
He played for Camas, graduating in 1990. Back then, Camas was not a powerhouse. (Since the renovation of Doc Harris Stadium, the football team is 66-6, 38-2 at home.)
“The Doc Harris experience has changed a lot. It’s one of the things that makes it so special. We have vivid memories of when it was not like this. We savor it,” Higgins said.
For the past 11 seasons, Higgins has been a part of the chain gang. He has only missed one game. He will not be there this week because he is in Japan, visiting Camas’ sister city, Taki.
“It’s killing me,” to miss the playoff game, he said.
But he did delay his trip two days to make sure he was there for Homecoming.
Higgins enjoys his view from the visiting sideline on the chain gang.
“I get to stand there and look back at the community. It really takes your breath away,” he said.
Camas, he said, still has the small-town feeling at Doc Harris on Friday nights and any downtown festival.
“Those are the two places the whole community comes together,” Higgins said.
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Chase Lea played for the Papermakers last year. Now a student at Eastern Washington University, he made it back in town once this season to watch his team.
“It was a completely different experience, living that Camas atmosphere,” Lea said. “It really hit me to see how many people are there every Friday night. As a player, you don’t recognize it because you are so focused on the game. As fan, it’s shocking.”
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Bruce Anderson is the activities coordinator at the high school, which includes managing the stadium. He was there the first night of the reopening of Doc Harris.
“I knew our first game would be big just because of the new stadium. What really struck me is in the next few weeks, we were filling that up every time,” Anderson said. “I was like, ‘Wow.’ ”
Now it’s been going on for years, not weeks.
“It’s incredible the way the community has come together,” Anderson said. “I’m very proud and happy to be a part of it.”
