For the fourth time, McKenzie Stadium will be the site of high school football state semifinal games, and for the third time it will host a doubleheader.
Top-seeded Camas (12-0) will meet No. 5 Gonzaga Prep of Spokane (11-1) at 1 p.m. Saturday in a 4A state semifinal.
That game will be followed by a 1A state semifinal between No. 2 Seton Catholic (11-0) and No. 6 Montesano (9-3) at 4 p.m.
Camas advanced to the semifinals with 35-21 win over Arlington on Saturday, while Seton Catholic advanced with a thrilling 42-41 win over Life Christian of Tacoma.
McKenzie Stadium was first the host site of state semifinal games in 2016 when Camas beat Sumner 45-21 in a 4A state semifinal. The Papermakers would go on to win the state title the next week by beating Richland 24-14.
Also in 2016, La Center fell to Connell 24-7 in a 1A semifinal at McKenzie Stadium.
McKenzie hosted its second semifinal doubleheader in 2018 when Union beat Puyallup 35-28. The Titans would claim the 4A state title that season by beating Lake Stevens 52-20.
Hockinson also won a 2A semifinal at McKenzie in 2018, beating Liberty of Sammamish 27-24. The Hawks beat Lynden that season 42-37 for their second consecutive 2A state title.
McKenzie also hosted the 2019 4A semifinal with Camas beating Mount Si 35-14. The Papermakers would claim their second state title the next week, beating Bothell 35-14.
Camas defense bends, doesn’t break
The Camas Papermakers got into a first-quarter track meet with the Arlington Eagles on Saturday afternoon in their Class 4A state semifinal before the game settled down in the second quarter.
In a span of 15 plays in about 3 minutes of clock time in the first quarter, the two teams scored three touchdowns. Camas scored, Arlington answered, and then Camas scored to essentially take the lead for good at 14-7.
Then came the longer drives that would test both defenses.
“Whether you run or throw 40 times, the game takes shape by what the defense was doing,” Camas coach Adam Mathison said. “The defenses were just settling in. We held (running back Caleb Reed) to minimal yards, getting him out of his comfort zone.”
Reed rushed 15 times for just 41 yards and a touchdown a week after going for 166 yards and three TDs against Graham-Kapowsin in the first round of state. That was his third straight 100-plus yards rushing game.
And both sides made key defensive plays to stop the other in the second half.
Camas opened the third quarter with an 11-play drive that ended with a 30-yard field goal attempt that was blocked, keeping the score 28-14 in favor of the Papermakers.
Arlington’s next two possessions were three-and-out with quarterback Leyton Martin mostly being chased by Camas defenders. Twice on third down the Papermakers pressured Martin into running for all of 1 yard and the Eagles punted both times.
Camas quarterback Jake Davidson was sacked for a 5-yard loss on a third-and-3 play, and on the Papermakers’ next possession, Davidson was stopped for no gain on a third-and-10 run.
After Arlington got to within 28-21 with 9:39 to play, Camas took over with its back-breaking nearly 7-minute drive that Davidson finished with a 12-yard touchdown run to make it a two-score game again.
“We just had to drive and not give the ball back,” Mathison said.
Arlington did get the ball back on last time, but it was the Papermakers’ game. The Eagles made it down to the 8-yard line for first-and-goal and that would be it.
Alexander Hroza stopped Reed for no gain on first down and Martin threw three incomplete passes, the last knocked away from the intended receiver in the end zone by Camas’ Anthony Forner.
“We just need to keep doing what were are doing, but do it harder,” Davidson said as the Papermakers advanced to the state semifinals against Gonzaga Prep.
Late flags help Seton
Two late penalties and two pivotal decisions off those penalties proved pivotal in Seton Catholic’s 42-41 win over Life Christian.
A.T. Nuu scored on a 28-yard touchdown run with 2:28 left to give Life Christian a 41-35. On the play, Nuu stopped at the 1-yard line and stared at a Seton Catholic defender before stepping into the end zone, drawing a penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct.
According to high school rules, the touchdown counted and the penalty could be assessed on the conversion try or the ensuing kickoff.
It originally appeared as if the penalty would be assessed on the kickoff, but at Life Christian lined up for the PAT kick, play was halted as Seton coaches asked officials to assess the penalty on the conversion play.
That moved the ball back to 18-yard line, turning a normal 20-yard PAT kick into a 35-yarder. Lacking confidence its kickoff game, Life Christian opted to go for two, and the ensuing pass was broken up by Seton, leaving the score 41-35.
On the kickoff, Life Christian intentionally kicked the ball out of bounds, rather than give Seton Catholic the chance at a return.
Normally, following a procedure penalty, teams opt to take possession of the ball at their 35.
But the Cougars decided to make send Life Christian back five yards and make the Eagles kickoff again.
The Eagles’ second kickoff went to Joe Callerame, who made a reverse fake to Ryker Ruelas, before returning the kickoff 48 yards to the Life Christian 28.
That set up Jacob Williams’ 1-yard touchdown run with 43 seconds to play. Dalton Woods made the PAT kick to put Seton up 42-41.
Skyview’s seniors depart with 34 wins
With their high school football careers over following Saturday’s 41-0 state quarterfinal loss to Sumner, seniors Kaden Hamlin and Riah Tua reflected on the past, but also looked to the future of Skyview football.
“These younger guys,” said Hamlin, Skyview’s middle linebacker, “I think they’re going to take over and prove a lot of people wrong next year. This is a special group.”
Skyview’s departing seniors are a special group, too. In addition to 34 wins since 2021, no prior Skyview teams made deeper postseason runs in back-to-back seasons than 2023 and 2024. Only Skyview’s Class of 2012, which reached the 2011 4A title game and two years earlier made the semifinals, has more wins in a four-year stretch (37).
But consecutive final-8 runs are a first behind what head coach Steve Kizer called the “hardest schedule we’ve ever had” in 2024.
“No one thought we’d make it this far (this year),” Hamlin said. “We put in the work; we had a lot of fight.
“This was a hell of a ride.”
