Hopefully the Camas Papermakers do not give game balls to their most valuable players after each game.
That would get too expensive.
Jordan Del Moral would get one. The senior rushed for 191 yards and a touchdown.
Quarterback Liam Fitzgerald would get one. The senior threw for 266 yards, including 227 in the first half Friday night.
Every Camas linemen would get one, too. The team had 570 yards of offense.
Oh, and every single Papermaker who played at least a down of defense would get one. Yeah, they were that good, holding Skyview to 118 yards for the game.
The score?
Camas rolled to a 41-10 victory over Skyview at Kiggins Bowl in a matchup of undefeated teams in the Class 4A Greater St. Helens League.
It was a come-from-behind victory, too, as Skyview led 10-3 after the first quarter. Then it was all Camas (5-0, 2-0 GSHL and ranked No. 1 in the state).
“We started off slow but we bounced back strong and kept fighting,” offensive lineman Dakota Napierkowski said. “Good things happen if you don’t stop.”
It was Skyview (4-1, 2-1) that had a tough time stopping the Papermakers.
Del Moral carried the ball 29 times for his 191 yards. His 1-yard TD run in the second quarter tied the game, then he had all three second-half touchdowns to ice the game.
“It means a lot because we played a really great team today,” Del Moral said. “It shows we have a pretty great o-line here at Camas. I’m lucky to run behind them. And I worked hard all summer for this. Coach called me out at camp, said I better work hard. I hope I showed that I did.”
Think it’s safe to say that he did.
“Tough. Great feet. Great instincts,” Camas coach Jon Eagle said of Del Moral. “He picked up third downs when we had to have it. I can’t say enough good things about how he played.”
While Del Moral credited his linemen, Napierkowski gave the credit back to the running back.
“He just tries hard every single play. He’s a shifty guy. He can see the gaps that no one else can,” Napierkowski said. “He’s a perfect player.”
High praise. And while no player is really perfect, the Papermakers remain perfect on the season.
Defensive lineman Manase Nguamo said it really is about all of the Papermakers. It’s never one guy on defense nor on offense. He had a strong outing, pressuring the Skyview quarterback for much of the night, and stopping the Storm running game.
The Papermakers had to rely on that defense, too, in the first half. Camas had three turnovers, but the defense forced a field goal after one and forced a fourth down that went awry for the Storm on another.
“Everyone’s the hype man,” Nguamo said. “It’s not just one. It’s all of us.”
All the Papermakers knew they had to keep Skyview from taking advantage of the early miscues. When Nguamo and the Papermakers forced an incomplete pass on a fake punt midway through second quarter, it was all Camas from there.
Hunter Bruno caught a 12-yard TD pass from Fitzgerald to make it 17-10, and then Michael Boyle connected on his second field goal of the game — this one a 28-yarder — with five seconds to go in the half for a 20-10 lead.
Sean Ramage intercepted a Skyview pass two plays into the second half, and Del Moral scored on the next play for a 27-10 lead.
Braden Hadfield scored all the points for the Storm. He kicked a 39-yard field goal to tie the game in the first quarter, then hauled in an 18-yard touchdown pass from Brody Barnum to give the Storm the 10-3 lead.
Camas would get its 17 second-quarter points, the Camas offensive line took over in the second half, and the Camas defense didn’t allow Skyview over the century mark in yards until the final minute of the game.
“The Camas defense came to play,” Eagle said. “Kudos to our players who stepped up and our coaches who put up a great plan.”
CAMAS 41, SKYVIEW 10
Camas 3 17 14 7—41
Skyview 10 0 0 0—10
First quarter
Cam — Michael Boyle 30 FG
Sky — Braden Hadfield 39 FG
Sky — Hadfield 18 pass from Brody Barnum (Hadfield kick)
Second quarter
Cam — Jordan Del Moral 1 run (Boyle kick)
Cam — Hunter Bruno 12 pass from Liam Fitzgerald (Boyle kick)
Cam — Boyle 28 FG
Third quarter
Cam — Del Moral 21 run (Boyle kick)
Cam — Del Moral 2 run (Boyle kick)
Fourth quarter
Cam — Del Moral 34 run (Boyle kick)
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING — Camas, Del Moral 29-191, Fitzgerald 11-58, Manase Nguamo 4-36, David Aarhus 4-19. Skyview, Blake Ingram 8-14, Barnum 8-17, Hayden Froeber 4-35, Tavis Chunphakvenn-Pinkney 1-1, Team 1-(minus 1).
PASSING — Camas, Fitzgerald 22-34-1-266. Skyview, Barnum 7-28-1-52 Hadfield 0-1-0-0.
RECEIVING — Camas, Blake Roy 7-92, Jared Bentley 7-84, Bruno 3-36, Manase Nguamo 1-6, Drake Owen 1-3, Sean Ramage 2-38, Ryan Rushall 1-7. Skyview, Sklyer Martin 2-9, Hadfield 3-30, Trevor Burns 1-6, Jayden Chatman 1-13.
