‘They make a play, we’re going to make a better play’ — Camas withstands Skyview’s surge to claim 4A GSHL title

Beau Harlan disagrees with the notion that momentum can swing the outcome of a football game.

The Camas senior, in fact, doesn’t believe in its existence at all, echoing a mantra that Papermakers defensive coordinator Dan Kielty instills in the team.

“You talk about momentum, coach Kielty, we don’t believe in momentum, it’s not real,” said Harlan, a senior. “They make a play, we’re going to make a better play. It doesn’t matter.”

To capture a 24-14 win over rival Skyview and the 4A Greater St. Helens League title on Friday at Kiggins Bowl, those were the Papermakers in a nutshell.

The Storm surged back to get within three points twice during the second half, including a fourth-quarter drive ending with a 6-yard Toren Baker touchdown reception from Doogie Poindexter to get Skyview within 17-14.

Time to make another bigger, better play, the Papermakers thought.

The visitors methodically marched down the field, burning nearly six minutes of clock, until their drive stalled and a 4th-and-16 at the Skyview 29-yard line stared them down.

Camas coaches rolled the dice and players proved their decision right.

Quarterback Jake Davidson lofted a 26-yard pinpoint pass hauled in by Jack Macdonald, setting up a Harlan 2-yard touchdown run two plays later with four minutes left.

Harlan halted Skyview’s ensuing drive with an interception to effectively put the game out of reach. The win was Camas’ 14th in a row of the rivalry series, a streak that began in 2012.

“It took our whole hearts,” Harlan said. “What makes me so proud of these guys — every single guy was laying their hearts out.”

The Papermakers finished a perfect 4-for-4 on fourth-down conversions, all coinciding with scoring drives. In the second quarter, Davidson picked up two first downs with his legs. The first one led to a Titan Brody 21-yard touchdown run and the second, a 33-yard field goal kicked through by David Abbott, sent the Papermakers to halftime with a 10-0 lead.

“You feel like your kids can make plays, right?” Camas coach Adam Mathieson said. “Again, (Skyview is) super well-coached, I have all the respect in the world for coach (Steve) Kizer. … You go through our personnel and you’re like, somebody’s got to be able to make a play, let’s take a shot here.’ We felt pretty comfortable about it.”

Camas coaches trusted their players in those crucial moments, and in turn, Papermakers players gained confidence.

“It means everything to us,” Camas senior Nikko Speer said. “We put in the hard work during the offseason, and they see that. To have them trust us means a lot to everyone.”

In an epic coaching chess match between Kizer’s Skyview defense and a Mathieson-led Camas offense, the Storm forced three turnovers and limited the Papermakers’ speedy receiving corps, led by senior Chase McGee, who came into Friday leading all Southwest Washington schools in receiving yards (955) and touchdowns (15).

At tight end, Speer carved up the Storm for a team-high 111 receiving yards on seven catches, while senior Titan Brody led Camas’ ground attack with two rushing touchdowns on 41 rushing yards.

Speer was also one of several unsung heroes on a Camas defense that captured four turnovers.

Skyview’s Levi Webb ripped off runs of 30 and 15 yards on the Storm’s opening drive, but after marching into the red zone, Speer put a big hit on a Skyview ball-carrier to force a fumble recovered by teammate Anthony Forner. Not a momentum swing, mind you, but a moment that fired up the Papermakers early.

“Everyone out there has heart,” Speer said. “I messed up on the first play, they got a big run, but that didn’t matter. Just like I said, the next play matters more. I just kept playing and made a play.”

Though Skyview was unable to get a win against Camas for Kizer in his final year coaching the Storm, both teams entered Friday’s showdown having already clinched Week 10 playoff berths. Matchups will be announced on Sunday.

Camas, meanwhile, enters the postseason as the No. 1 ranked Class 4A team. But after early playoff exits in each of the last two seasons, the Papermakers are focused on staying grounded in the midst of a stellar stretch of play.

“We should be 0-0 (and) we got to keep going. We should get no confidence from our record in the regular season,” Harlan said. “We should go into it humble.”

CAMAS 24, SKYVIEW 14

Camas 0 10 7 7—24

Skyview 0 0 7 7—14

Second quarter

C — Titan Brody 21 run (Alex Hroza kick)

C — David Abbott 33 field goal

Third quarter

S — Rex Allinger 11 run (Lawrence Tang kick)

C — Brody 2 run (Hroza kick)

Fourth quarter

S — Toren Baker 6 pass from Doogie Poindexter (Tang kick)

C — Harlan 2 run (Hroza kick)

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

RUSHING — Camas: Titan Brody 19-41, Thor Brody 4-13, Jake Davidson 10-9, Beau Harlan 1-2. Skyview: Levi Webb 6-59, Rex Allinger 7-29, Gavin Packer 4-27, Doogie Poindexter 6-0.

PASSING — Camas: Jake Davidson 20-26-2-238. Skyview: Doogie Poindexter 6-13-3-71.

RECEIVING — Camas: Thor Brody 5-59, Nikko Speer 7-111, Chase McGee 4-22, Titan Brody 1-3, Jack Macdonald 2-33, Anthony Forner 1-10. Skyview: Micah Robison 3-48, Gavin Packer 2-17, Toren Baker 1-6.