The Camas Papermakers are 10-0 and earned the No. 1 seed within the Class 4A state playoffs on Sunday.
And whereas some followers might spent Sunday learning the 4A bracket and the Papermakers’ potential path to the state remaining — a possible quarterfinal matchup towards Arlington or Graham-Kapowsin or a semifinal matchup towards probably Kennedy Catholic or Gonzaga Prep — the Camas gamers usually are not going to look previous Curtis.
Camas faces the Vikings from College Place at 7 p.m. Friday at Doc Harris Stadium in a 4A first-round recreation.
Senior quarterback Jake Davidson mentioned Camas’ first-round exit final 12 months towards Mount Si nonetheless resonates with the Papermakers. That loss got here after the Papermakers stumbled in a Week 10 playoff in 2022.
The reminiscence of what Camas misplaced prior to now two postseasons drives the Papermakers as they enter state.
“We’ve got to keep loving this,” Davidson mentioned. “We got to keep loving the temperature, the weather. We’ve got to keep loving the sport. We’ve got to stay dedicated and focuses on what we want.”
Coach Adam Mathieson mentioned the thought of specializing in the following recreation, subsequent play might sound like coach-speak, however it’s one thing his core group of seniors actually purchase into.
“They come to work, and they buy into the mental side of things,” Mathieson mentioned. “Like they ask good questions. ‘Coach, how do I not play with fear? How do I not let a turnover have a negative impact on me?’ They are hungry to do really good things, and that’s fun to be around.”
— Tim Martinez
For Skyview, retiring No. 70 ‘gives us motivation’
The No. 70 worn by beginning proper deal with William ‘Liam’ Sloan will without end be remembered and honored by Skyview.
The Storm have retired Sloan’s quantity and jersey. The junior proper deal with died unexpectedly in his sleep final month.
No. 70 is the second soccer quantity to be retired by Skyview. This system retired No. 85 worn by security Trey Foote, who died in 2006 after a two-year most cancers battle. Foote’s jersey hangs inside Skyview’s weight room. Quickly, Sloan’s jersey will cling within the weight room, too, a comforting feeling for Storm gamers.
“He left his legacy — that’s the best part,” senior defensive finish and operating again Levi Webb mentioned of Sloan after Skyview’s 33-0 shutout of Juanita on Saturday to advance to the 4A state playoffs. … “We’ll be looking at that as we go down this road and continue to grow.”
“For the offensive linemen, it gives us motivation,” middle Max Christiansen mentioned. “That was our brother. We’re all brothers.”
Christiansen performed proper guard for the Storm in 2023 earlier than transferring to middle this season. He shared how Sloan usually executed performs on the line of scrimmage to perfection.
“He was a dawg and we miss him,” Christiansen mentioned.
— Meg Wochnick
La Middle relishes bye week
Two-and-a-half months into the season, getting an additional week to organize for the state playoffs is a luxurious a choose few groups earned.
La Middle and Seton Catholic are two of these groups, as each have been awarded top-four seeds and a first-round bye within the Class 1A state playoffs.
The No. 3 seed Wildcats will play the winner of No. 11 Omak and No. 6 Montesano the weekend of Nov. 22-23 within the state quarterfinals. No. 2 Seton Catholic attracts the winner of No. 10 King’s and No. 7 Life Christian.
After Friday’s Week 10 state preliminary spherical win towards Elma, the Wildcats mentioned they plan to spend the additional week engaged on fine-tuning themselves and getting ready for each attainable opponents. They’ll additionally make the most of some additional relaxation to heal just a few nagging accidents.
“We hit special teams a lot, we work on fundamental stuff and we’ll prepare for two teams. We still want them to be mentally sharp and locked into what we’re doing,” La Middle coach John Lambert mentioned.
“In some ways, you want to keep rolling and you want to play. But, this time of year, guys (are) banged up a little bit, so the extra week of a little extra health doesn’t hurt us at all.”
— Will Denner
Evergreen’s prep for Stanwood includes no footballs
No Class 4A or 3A groups in Southwest Washington run a Wing-T offense, so Evergreen’s preparation for Stanwood, a Wing-T-based opponent in its Week 10 state preliminary spherical recreation, meant greater than additional movie periods.
“The first 2-3 days (of practice),” senior edge Makhi Miller mentioned. “We played with no football.”
Senior deal with Mo Maiava defined it additional.
“Coach grabbed that football,” he mentioned, “kicked it to the other side and said we’re never going to use a football again.”
The Wing-T is an offense that depends on misdirection and a various run recreation meant to make it troublesome for defenses. Class 2A Columbia River switched to the Wing-T this season beneath second-year coach Dewayne Patterson.
One other focus of apply? Communication.
“Practices were very quiet — just working on that communication,” Miller mentioned.
In Friday’s recreation at McKenzie Stadium, possessions and factors have been at a premium. Evergreen and Stanwood have been tied 3-3 at halftime, and Stanwood led 6-3 earlier than the sport’s first landing inside 1 minute left within the third quarter when the Spartans prolonged their result in 13-3.
Evergreen misplaced 20-17 to finish its season at 8-2 total. It included this system’s first league title since 2007 when it performed in Class 4A. The eight-win season is also essentially the most victories since 2007.
— Meg Wochnick