Clark County Today reporter Paul Valencia remains grateful for the access granted him by the Camas girls basketball team for a special feature, one of his favorite projects from 2023; plus the debut of a sports podcast, and more profiles featuring sports enthusiasts.

From a special video for the Camas girls basketball team, to Catch 365, and to 40 years of CCYF, it has been a memorable 2023 for sports in Clark County

Paul Valencia
ClarkCountyToday.com

It has become a home away from home of sorts.

Every year, every March, for most of the last 22 years, the Tacoma Dome has been a destination for this high school sports reporter, to cover the Class 4A and 3A state championship tournaments for boys and girls basketball

I’ve witnessed, observed, reported, and experienced championship teams, runner-up finishes, trophy squads, and even teams that were just thrilled to get the opportunity to play in the dome.

None of the previous years compared to the access I was granted to cover the Camas girls basketball team in 2023.

Coaches. Players. Parents. They all welcomed me, and my camera. Of course, I was at the games, but this project was so much more than the results on the court.

We at Clark County Today wanted to get to know this team, to show the audience what a team experiences in its quest to win a state championship.

The Papermakers were all-in, sharing with me their schedule for practices, meal times, and down time at the hotel lobby. We interviewed every player, starter or reserve. The Papermakers allowed me in the locker room for the pre-game speeches, and post-game triumphs, and one post-game heartbreaker.

Clark County Today produced a special project, following the Camas girls basketball team during its quest at the state tournament in March of 2023. That included one of our favorite photos of the year, by our friend Heather Tianen. Photo courtesy Heather Tianen

Through game highlights, interviews, and other B-roll, we put together a 23-minute video: Camas Papermakers: In The Dome. (https://www.clarkcountytoday.com/sports/camas-papermakers-in-the-dome/)

The 2023 Papermakers fell one win short of a state championship. But their efforts, their teamwork, inspired an entire community.

The access they provided me allowed that community to get a closer look at what it takes to be a championship contender. “Camas Papermakers: In The Dome” is not only my favorite project of the 2023 sports year, it is one of my favorite reports I’ve ever been associated with in my decades of covering high school sports.

Thank you again Camas.

Other highlights from 2023:

Our high school sports podcast debuted in January. It features Tony Liberatore and Cale Piland, along with yours truly. We usually get together every couple of weeks and talk about the issues of high school sports, plus we opine on our favorite college and pro sports. And, of course, we get into personal tastes in music, movies, and the like.

What stands out is getting the opinion of Liberatore and Piland. Sure, I guess, maybe, some could describe me as an expert observer of high school sports in Clark County. Been doing this for more than 20 years. But Liberatore and Piland, well, this is their careers, working with students, in administration at local school districts.

Liberatore is a former assistant coach and former athletic director who is now an associate principal at Fort Vancouver High School. Piland is the former head coach for Evergreen and Union football, a state champion, who is now the athletic director for all of Evergreen Public Schools. When they talk, people listen.

We tackled the loss of school athletic director positions for Evergreen Public Schools. We interviewed Mick Hoffman, the executive director for the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association. And we talked about sideline behavior after a coach and a player had a split-second negative interaction.

Beyond the serious stuff, we sure had a lot of fun making fun of each other. (These guys really believed the Mariners were going to land Ohtani! Of course, I still believe the Raiders are going to the playoffs!)

Anyway, go here to check out our previous episodes: (https://www.clarkcountytoday.com/category/podcasts/)

And keep an eye for more episodes in 2024.

In another sports highlight, we took part in a story that went national. Well, it was already national by the time I played catch with Washougal’s John Scukanek. But it was one fun story for our community.

Scukanek, a huge Mariners fan and baseball guy, decided he was going to play catch with someone every day for at least a year. He called it Catch 365.

Washougal’s John Scukanec completed his mission of playing catch with someone every day for a year. Photo courtesy Jenny Valencia

John Scukanec completed his full year, playing catch with Ken Griffey Jr. Photo courtesy John Scukanec

Me, being a huge football guy, reserved a day to play catch with him. So on Super Bowl Sunday morning in 2023, John and I — who have been social media friends for years — met in person to play catch and go over his remarkable stretch. That was Day 350 of his quest, in February. https://www.clarkcountytoday.com/people/catch-365-one-mans-quest-to-play-catch-every-day-for-a-year/

A couple weeks later, he got to Day 365, and had a catch with Ken Griffey Jr. at T-Mobile Park in Seattle. https://www.clarkcountytoday.com/people/update-ken-griffey-jr-completes-washougal-mans-quest-for-catch-365/

From national story, to super local, we also highlighted 40 years of Clark County Youth Football, featuring Terry and Mary Hyde. CCYF stresses community-based athletics, not all-star teams, and that philosophy has turned into a winning formula for decades. https://www.clarkcountytoday.com/sports/celebrating-40-years-of-clark-county-youth-football/

We loved sharing the story of Terry and Mary Hyde running Clark County Youth Football. CCYF has been serving the region for 40 years now. Photo by Paul Valencia

And, of course, we noted the accomplishments of the state championship teams for high school sports from Clark County.

It was another incredible sports year for the county. And it is sure to be a fun 2024. In fact, there are some similar stories already brewing. Those Camas Papermakers? They have everybody back from last year’s second-place team.

And if you want a great atmosphere to kick off 2024, head to Union High School on Tuesday, Jan. 2. Union vs. Camas in girls basketball and then boys basketball. Great rivalry. Great environment. And a great way to start 2024 in high school sports.