Camas shuts out Meadowdale, 40-0

CAMAS — The Camas Papermakers parlayed four first-half fumble recoveries Saturday into a reservation for the Tacoma Dome.

The Papermakers defeated Meadowdale 40-0 at Doc Harris Stadium in the quarterfinals of the Class 3A state football playoffs, advancing to a semifinal matchup Friday in Tacoma against O’Dea of Seattle. For Camas, it will be the first trip to the final four in school history.

“It feels great; it’s amazing,” quarterback Tony Gennaro said after throwing three touchdown passes. “It’s an incredible moment.”

There were plenty of moments for the Papermakers (11-1) against previously unbeaten Meadowdale (11-1). But the most significant one came in the final minute of the first quarter.

With both defenses dominating the early going, Camas got on the scoreboard when Anthony Fallin scooped up a fumble on one hop and ran 50 yards for a touchdown.

“I felt like there was a little lack of composure early on,” Camas coach Jon Eagle said. “That gave us confidence that we can do this.

“It’s a teachable moment. We hadn’t been in a game where our offense was getting shut down.”

On Fallin’s touchdown, Meadowdale had attempted a direct snap to the running back, but the snap was high and got deflected into the air.

“He didn’t see it; he was looking around for it,” Fallin said. “I didn’t expect a perfect bounce.”

That proved to be all the points the Papermakers needed, as Camas’ defense shut down Meadowdale’s power running game.

“They’re big and strong, and we couldn’t get a push,” Meadowdale coach Mark Stewart said. “We’ve been able to move the ball, and we’ve moved it on everybody all year.”

But not Saturday. The Papermakers held the Mavericks to 72 yards on the ground and to 155 yards of total offense.

“I expected a lot closer game; I really did,” Eagle said. “The film we saw they just dominated.

“I think the turnovers got them behind real quick. When you run a power offense, you have to control the ball.”

Following Fallin’s touchdown, Camas’ Zach Marshall recovered a fumble on Meadowdale’s next play from scrimmage. That led to a missed field-goal attempt by the Papermakers, but the carnage was just beginning.

Camas added a 13-yard scoring run by Marshall and a 25-yard TD pass from Gennaro to Jonathan Warner for a 21-0 halftime lead, with each score coming after fumble recoveries.

“We’d been watching Meadowdale on film all week, and we came in here prepared for a battle,” defensive lineman Kamari Brown said. “When we came out and scored, we gained momentum and we just took it to them.”

That continued in the third quarter, as Camas scored on three consecutive plays from scrimmage:

— John Norcross caught a 16-yard TD pass from Gennaro.

— John Ashford tackled Meadowdale quarterback Brian Marty for a 13-yard loss and a safety.

— And Warner caught a 34-yard TD pass from Gennaro, with the extra point making it 37-0.

More than two minutes remained in the third quarter, but the Papermakers could start thinking about next week’s trip up north.

“Our motto for a while was ‘home, home, dome, dome,’ ” Eagle said, referring to the sites of Camas’ four potential playoff games. “Now it’s just ‘dome, dome.’ “

CAMAS 40, MEADOWDALE 0

Meadowdale 0 0 0 0– 0

Camas 7 14 16 3–40

First quarter

C — Anthony Fallin 50 fumble return (Roldan Alcobendas kick)

Second quarter

C — Zach Marshall 13 run (Alcobendas kick)

C — Jonathan Warner 25 from Tony Gennaro (Alcobendas kick)

Third quarter

C — John Norcross 16 from Gennaro (Alcobendas kick)

C — John Ashford safety, tackle quarterback in end zone

C — Warner 34 from Gennaro (Alcobendas kick)

Fourth quarter

C — Alcobendas 25 field goal

Individual statistics

Rushing — Meadowdale — Giavani Shepard 14-59, Kyler Larsen 7-19, Kyle Newsom 3-13, Brian Marty 4-(-18); Camas — Zach Marshall 23-81, Cole Roberts 5-22, Tony Gennaro 4-(-16).

Passing — Meadowdale — Brian Marty 9-17-83-0; Camas — Tony Gennaro 12-25-189-1, Roldan Alcobendas 0-1-0-0.

Receiving — Meadowdale — Ryan White 2-21, Tyler McGuire 2-21, Kyler Larsen 1-20, Giavani Shepard 3-12, Baylin LeHuquet 1-9; Camas — Jonathan Warner 3-89, John Norcross 3-40, Zach Eagle 2-26, Connor Maloney 1-18, Zach Marshall 3-16.

Video highlights from Camas v. Meadowdale, courtesy of GSHLfootball.com special to 360Preps. Full highlight videos are available at gshlfootball.com.