For many of the positive things Evergreen has accomplished as an overall football program in recent years, head coach Christian Swain said the Plainsmen weren’t checking enough boxes as a team on the field.
Leading up to the season, they talked a lot about ways to address those inconsistencies, and the Plainsmen are seeing results. Following Friday’s 36-7 win over Prairie, Evergreen is now 6-1, including 3-0 in the 3A Greater St. Helens League with two weeks left in the regular season.
“It’s the things we choose to do on a daily basis — how hard we choose to practice, how hard we choose to study film, how hard we work at being good teammates, having a strong culture and holding each other accountable,” Swain said in a September interview. “And those things without question have gotten better over the last year.
Evergreen started the season with a program first — defeating district rival Union — then opened 3A GSHL with a crucial win against Kelso, a team that had been a thorn in the Plainsmen’s side in the last few years. With Friday’s win over Prairie, the Plainsmen have defeated Kelso and Prairie in the same season for the first time since the spring 2021 campaign.
In their chase for the 3A GSHL title, Plainsmen control their own destiny with games against Heritage and Mountain View left to play.
“I’m thrilled with where we’re at,” Swain said. “We’ve got a chance to win the (program’s) first league title in 17 years. We’ve done a lot of firsts this year and checked a lot of boxes. We beat Union, we turn around and beat Kelso, this was a big one (against Prairie), so I’m proud of all those things. But I think we need to continue to focus on continuing to get measurably better every week and continuing to improve.”
— Will Denner
Camas, Hroza embrace defensive focus
Whenever Camas’ Alex Hroza made a big play Friday, and there were plenty to choose from, the junior inside linebacker celebrated with a flex and a roar.
Hroza continues to shine as a first-year starting inside linebacker after making the off-season switch from back-up tailback. His three sacks in Friday’s 63-7 win over Battle Ground to open 4A GSHL play helped set the tone for a Papermaker defense that limited the Tigers in the ground game.
As a sophomore last season, Hroza primarily played offense in a back-up role. In last year’s regular-season finale against Battle Ground, Hroza got the start and rushed 27 times for 149 yards and a touchdown in a game that locked up another league title for Camas.
An off-season conversation with new head coach Adam Mathieson had Hroza accepting a new primary assignment.
“At first, I was confused why,” Hroza said, about the change from running back to linebacker. “But after talking to (coach Mathieson), they wanted me on defense more, so I accepted that.
“I play my heart out on defense now.”
To date, Hroza has 56 tackles, and seven tackles for loss on a Camas defense that’s allowing 11.2 points per game.
— Meg Wochnick
Event to support Skyview player’s family
The Skyview football program will be hosting a pancake feed at Applebee’s in Salmon Creek on Sunday, Oct. 27 in support of the family of William “Liam” Sloan.
Sloan, a Skyview junior lineman, died suddenly on Oct. 10.
Tickets to the pancake feed cost $10 a person or $30 for a family of four. The feed includes pancakes, eggs, sausage, coffee and juice.
Proceeds will benefit the Sloan family.
The feed will run from 8 to 11 a.m. at the Applebee’s Grill and Bar Restaurant at 13006 NE Hwy 99 in Salmon Creek.
Tickets can be purchased through Venmo account @Stephanie-Hamilin-3 or account.venmo.com/u/Stephanie-Hamlin-3.
— Tim Martinez
La Center, Stevenson celebrate 100 years
Prior to La Center’s 58-6 victory over Stevenson, the two teams came together Friday to honor each other as the longest-tenured members of the region’s first league for small schools. In celebration of the 100-year anniversary of the Tri-County League’s origins, La Center and Stevenson posed for a group photograph in front of fans at La Center Community Stadium as the league’s remaining members of its inaugural year.
In 1924, the Trico League, first named the Clarke-Skamania League, debuted as Southwest Washington’s league for its small schools. In its first year, the league featured six schools for football and nine in basketball. La Center, with a town population of 215, was a basketball-only member until its first football season in 1929.
Stevenson owns the all-time series 31-26 after the teams’ first meeting in 1930 that resulted in a 51-0 Stevenson win. In 1989, La Center’s 28-19 win at Stevenson snapped the Wildcats’ 37-game losing streak.
— Meg Wochnick
Upperclass freshman
“He’s just a freshman,” said just about everyone on the Mark Morris sideline Friday referring to Avery Elliott, who didn’t play like your average freshman.
This freshman was in the right place at the right time on several occasions in the Monarchs’ 18-14 win at Hockinson. Twice Elliott found the end zone to give his team the lead, and had a key interception to preserve the lead.
“Never in my 16 years have I ever started a freshman (on varsity),” said Mark Morris coach Mike Peck, who pointed out Elliott has been a starter all season. “He’s a big team player and that’s special. He just shows up every day and gives it his all.”
In the second quarter, Elliott took a toss from quarterback Nathan Stephens and turned it into a 53-yard touchdown run to give the Monarchs a 12-7 lead.
With Hockinson ahead 14-12 In the third quarter, Elliott came up with a ball that was juggled by a Hockinson receiver and turned that into a 45-yard interception return for the go-ahead TD.
And on Hockinson’s first possession of the fourth quarter with the score sitting at 18-14, Elliott had his second interception of the game. This one was on a third-down play from the 25-yard line that was overthrown in the end zone and he caught it to end the threat.
So, yeah. … Just a freshman.
— Jeff Klein
