Camas advances to state football title game

VANCOUVER — For the second time in the past four years, the Camas Papermakers will play for the Class 4A state high school football championship. Camas scored the final 21 points of the game, all in the fourth quarter, to pull away from Sumner to register a 45-21 victory in a semifinal playoff game Saturday …

VANCOUVER — For the second time in the past four years, the Camas Papermakers will play for the Class 4A state high school football championship. Camas scored the final 21 points of the game, all in the fourth quarter, to pull away from Sumner to register a 45-21 victory in a semifinal playoff game Saturday at McKenzie Stadium. The Papermakers will advance to the 4A state championship game against Richland at 7:30 p.m. Sat., Dec. 3 at the Tacoma Dome.

Camas, ranked No. 1 in the Associated Press state poll for much of the season, improved its season record to 13-0 with the win over Sumner. Richland, also 13-0 on the season, earned its trip to the title game with a 35-7 win over Skyview Saturday in a game played at Kennewick. Sumner cut the Papermakers’ lead to 24-21 late in the third quarter with an interception return for touchdown. However, Camas responded with a score of its own, a 1-yard touchdown run by quarterback Jack Colletto, to push the lead to 10 points at 31-21 early in the fourth quarter.

Camas was able to control the line of scrimmage in the fourth quarter, adding touchdown runs from Michael Matthews and Elias Bashir to close out the scoring. Matthews finished with three touchdowns on the day. Camas coach Jon Eagle’s teams have been knocking on the door of a state title ever since he took over the program in 2008. He was an assistant coach with the Papermakers for four years prior to that. Camas has won at least 10 games in each of the past seven seasons.. It’s also the sixth time in the last seven years that Camas as advanced at least as far as the quarterfinals of the state playoffs.