Plus notes on Union, Heritage, Skyview, and Battle Ground
Here are the weekly football notes from the Class 4A Greater St. Helens League.
Camas Papermakers (1-0)
Week 1: Camas 24, Lincoln 14
The Revenge Tour is off to a 1-0 start for the Papermakers. A year ago, Lincoln topped Camas by two points.
Camas coach Jon Eagle said he saw a lot of strong performances from his players.
Jackson Clemmer is the deep threat Camas loves. He caught two touchdown passes from Jake Blair. The offensive line, with all the preseason hype, delivered. The Papermakers rushed for 290 yards against a very solid defense, Eagle said. And the Camas perimeter defense held an explosive offense to six points for most of the night.
The special teams played well, too, the coach said. The highlight: A 43-yard field goal by Bryce Leighton.
…
It was not only the opener for the high school football season, it was also the home opener for the Camas Papermakers. Which means a return to one of the greatest spectacles in all of Clark County sports: A football game at Doc Harris Stadium.
“The atmosphere was electric,” Eagle said. “It isn’t just about football. The event highlights everything good about high school activities. The band puts on a show; the cheerleaders are awesome; our student body goes all out; the alumni turns out. It just shows that if you put a good product on the field, at a quality venue, against a highly ranked opponent, fans will come and support you.”
Next: Camas is at Hazen, 7 p.m. Friday
Union Titans (1-0)
Week 1: Union 20, Mountain View 10
The defending state Class 4A champions got another win, but this one was just so different than any from last season.
Most of the skill-position players from a year ago have graduated and moved on, but remember, the entire program went undefeated last year, not just the varsity. A lot of guys had to step up into starting varsity roles, but those guys already knew how to win.
They proved it Friday night.
Union coach Rory Rosenbach said he could only remember one mistake by the defense in the entire game.
Mountain View ran 44 plays from scrimmage. Only three plays resulted in gains of double-digits. Six plays resulted in loss of yardage.
Then there was the Union rushing attack. New starting running back Isaiah Jones rushed 29 times for 206 yards and three touchdowns. New starting quarterback C.J. Jordan rushed for 67 yards.
One of the newcomers on the offensive line, Therman Bibens, had a strong debut. And he already knows what it’s all about, playing for the Titans.
“Play for those who played before you, and set the stage for those who will play after you,” he said.
Union has now won 15 consecutive games and 22 of their last 23 games.
Next: Travels to Lakewood for a 7 p.m. Thursday night gamst against Steilacoom.
Heritage Timberwolves (1-0)
Week 1: Heritage 35, Evergreen 28
The Timberwolves were up 21-0, then it was tied. Then it was tied again a 28. No matter. They did not panic. They got the go-ahead touchdown and the defense got the job done from there.
“More important than the win was the effort, the attitude, the grit that our guys showed,” coach Dennis Moody said. “They were digging into places they have never been before. It was great to see that.”
Heritage suffered injuries all game. They suffered from turning the ball over all game.
In the past, Moody said, a “whoa-is-me” attitude would have doomed the Timberwolves. They might have given in, then given up.
“Quite the opposite,” Moody said.
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Anthony Kee had himself an adventure Friday night. A lot of downs before the ups. But the ups were awesome, too.
Kee finished with 181 yards rushing and three touchdowns, including the game-winner.
Before all that, though, he lost three fumbles. He fumbled on consecutive touches in the first half, in fact.
But here’s the thing: He bounced back every time. He plays defense for the Timberwolves, too, and went to work.
And his coach believed in him.
“It’s important that the kids know they are going to make mistakes. If they make them going full speed, I’m not going to hold anything against them,” Moody said.
There were a lot of mistakes by a lot of players, in fact.
“Credit those guys for grinding through some stuff and battling through some negatives for the ultimate positive,” Moody said.
Next: home against Hudson’s Bay at McKenzie Stadium, the second game of the doubleheader, around 7-ish.
Skyview Storm (1-0)
Week 1: Skyview 33, Yelm 13
Jalynnee McGee is so, so talented. He also has had to deal with injuries and health issues the last couple of seasons. Even during this past offseason, there was some concern with a foot.
Coach Steve Kizer said the team has been real careful with McGee during the past few weeks of camp and preparation for Week 1. He said when McGee is on the field, the Skyview offense is special.
Well, he was on the field Friday night, and McGee was, indeed, special. He scored four touchdowns.
Didn’t get a chance to talk to Kizer this week, but quarterback Yaro Duvalko put up a highlights package, courtesy of Hudl. Here’s two minutes of Duvalko carving up the Yelm defense:
https://www.hudl.com/video/3/8309252/5d752cc0041dbd0f888b889f
Next: vs. Columbia River, 7 p.m. Friday at Kiggins Bowl
Battle Ground Tigers (0-1)
Week 1: Seattle Prep 48, Battle Ground 0
Not a whole lot to celebrate here for the Tigers, but they will get better, the coach said. They learned a valuable lesson.
“Practice makes permanent,” Battle Ground coach Mike Kesler said. “The last three weeks, the way they were practicing, that’s pretty much how they played.”
This week, the focus is helping the players understand their roles.
“Basically, worry about their own positions instead of other people’s positions, and play more as a team,” the coach said. “They got humbled. It was a wake-up call.”
Kesler said there were a few good moments in Friday’s game. A lot of players who had little or no varsity experience got that experience.
He added that with a better mindset, if the two teams played again, the Tigers would give Seattle Prep a better game.
This week, the Tigers get an extra day of preparation. The coach expects a better performance.
Next: at home, 3 p.m. Saturday against Burlington-Edison.
