Easily the top-scoring Beasley at Camas

CAMAS — They are his numbers. They are his team’s numbers.

And the numbers are, well, they are impressive.

o 2011 (13 games, backup running back): 8 touchdowns (6 rushing, 1 receiving, 1 interception return)

o 2012 (13 games): 30 touchdowns (24 rushing, 6 receiving)

o 2013 (Thru 12 games): 135 carries, 1285 yards, 25 touchdowns, 10 receptions, 236 yards, 5 TDs.

o ALL IN THE FAMILY: Via The Columbian’s archives, the Beasley brothers —- Greg, Quinton, and Nate — have scored 122 touchdowns for the Papermakers over seven seasons.

Nate Beasley has scored 68 touchdowns in his three years on varsity for the Camas football team, 30 in each of the past two seasons as the starting running back.

There was a time, though, when the numbers were used in a friendly competition with some older Beasley football players.

Nate is the third Beasley running back in the Camas football family. Greg Beasley scored 27 touchdowns in two seasons, 2005-06. Quinton Beasley matched that number, 27 touchdowns in two seasons, 2007-08.

Nate remembers growing up, being asked if he was as good as those guys.

“I took it as encouragement to one-up them,” Nate said. “They were always beating me in video games, so I had to try to beat them at something that matters, like football.”

Funny line, but the sibling rivalry no longer drives Beasley.

“That got old,” he said. “I wanted to write my own story. I wanted to have my own achievements.”

And he wanted to do that with his teammates, for his teammates.

The Papermakers will be playing in the Tacoma Dome for the third consecutive season, facing Bellarmine Prep of Tacoma in the Class 4A state semifinals at 7:30 p.m. today.

All the touchdowns, all the yards, they are way down on the priority list right now. Camas has fallen short in the past two semifinals. Beasley and the Papermakers want to make their own mark by becoming the first team in program history to play in a state championship game.

“I don’t need more motivation because my team is my family,” Beasley said.

As with any family, there can be disagreements.

Beasley started the season with five touchdowns against Oregon power Jesuit. But he suffered a hip injury in Week 3, and because the Papermakers were winning so easily, there were several games when he barely touched the ball.

“I mistakenly blamed some other guys and got frustrated with myself. I was all in my head,” Beasley said. “I wasn’t handling it that well.”

He gave himself a wake-up call, realizing all teams, all players, go through tough times in such a demanding sport.

“I’d rather keep good trust with my teammates than put myself on a pedestal,” Beasley said.

As his hip healed, Beasley had to make adjustments.

“My mind was thinking faster than my body would react,” he said of the games after the injury.

Later in the season, teammates told him he had his “old style” back.

The numbers back that theory. Beasley did not have a 100-yard rushing game in the first six weeks. The fewest he has rushed for since then is 133 yards. He also has 17 of his 25 rushing touchdowns in the last six weeks.

Still, according to Beasley, the numbers are just the byproduct of a lot of work by a lot of people.

“Just do my job. As a running back, my goal is to get as far as I can,” Beasley said. “If the touchdowns happen, that’s the extra benefit.”

The benefits are good running with Beasley.

As a backup running back as a sophomore, he had six rushing touchdowns and one receiving touchdown, plus as a starting defensive back, he returned an interception for a TD. As a junior, he had 24 rushing touchdowns and six receiving touchdowns. This season, he has 25 rushing TDs and five receiving.

Known for his offense, Beasley also has been a standout on defense for the Papermakers. Last week, his hit forced a fumble that led to a defensive touchdown in a 47-28 win over Eastlake of Sammamish.

Beasley called it a love-hate relationship.

“I love playing both ways but it does wear you down a little bit,” Beasley said.

Quickly, he realized the wear and tear is worth it, to accomplish those team goals.

“You’ve got to realize these are the last games,” he said. “You’re not going to be doing this a lot more.”

Beasley and the Papermakers are hoping for two more games, two more victories.

That would mean more to them than all the touchdowns Beasley has scored through the years.

Because they really aren’t Beasley touchdowns, anyway. They are Camas touchdowns, with one gifted running back finishing all those plays in the end zone.