Camas finishes regular season undefeated

CAMAS — An efficient first half performance on offense was enough for the Camas Papermakers to cap a fourth consecutive perfect regular season.

Liam Fitzgerald threw four first-half touchdown passes as top-ranked Camas beat Heritage 44-10 to finish the regular season at 9-0. The Papermakers will begin what they hope is a long and productive postseason next Friday, with Bethel of Spanaway visiting Camas.

“It’s such a huge accomplishment,” senior receiver Jared Bentley said of the four consecutive perfect regular seasons. “All the credit goes to Coach (Jon) Eagle and what he’s done here. This program used to be nothing like this.”

Fitzgerald threw touchdown passes to three different receivers in the first half, two to sophomore Drake Owen including a 64-yard connection that saw Owen spin out of a tackle at midfield and outrun the defense.

The Papermakers scored on their first four drives, beginning with a 13-play, 78-yard march that included two long fourth-down completions. The second of those fourth-down plays was a 28-yard pass over the middle to Bentley for the game’s first touchdown.

“I feel like we executed well. We got off to a little bit of a slow start. It was wet and rainy, but we still found a way,” sBentley said after catching seven passes for 106 yards in the Papermakers’ 34th consecutive league win. “Liam is such a good quarterback, and it helps having other good receivers around me, too.”

Fitzgerald finished the night 15 of 27 for 250 yards and the Papermakers piled up 328 yards on the ground led by 138 yards and two touchdowns for senior Jordan Del Moral.

Heritage, which finished 2-7 overall and winless in the Class 4A Greater St. Helens League, had its moments on offense. Quarterback Gavin Lee threw for 125 yards and ran for 96. The Timberwolves had three drives inside the Camas 20, scoring on a 23-yard Kyle Hood field goal in the first quarter and a 4-yard pass from Lee to Nickolas Samboun early in the second quarter that made the score 21-10.

Camas, which had clinched a sixth consecutive league title prior to Friday’s Homecoming game, responded with a four-play, 80-yard drive, the touchdown coming on Owen’s 64-yard catch and run.

That was the kind of big play Camas is in the habit of making. The way Bentley sees it, those plays should keep coming as the season turns to playoff time.

“We’re doing a lot of good stuff. Liam’s reading everything and it’s pretty straight forward,” Bentley said. “We’re firing on all cylinders. It’s up from here.”

CAMAS 44, HERITAGE 10

Heritage 3 7 0 0—10

Camas 14 21 6 3—44

First quarter

Cam — Jared Bentley 28 pass from Liam Fitzgerald (Michael Boyle kick)

Cam — Blake Roy 20 pass from Fitzgerald (Boyle kick)

Her — Kyle Hood 23 FG

Cam — Drake Owen 8 pass from Fitzgerald (Boyle kick)

Second quarter

Her — Nickolas Somboun 4 pass from Gavin Lee (Hood kick)

Cam — Drake Owen 64 pass from Fitzgerald (Boyle kick)

Cam — Jordan Del Moral 22 run (Boyle kick)

Third quarter

Cam — Del Moral 4 run (kick blocked)

Fourth quarter

Cam — Boyle 22 FG

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

RUSHING — Heritage:  Lee 18-96, Lafi Sosene 5-23, Race Bynum 8-11, Somboun 1-26, Hayden Klimas 3-6. Camas: Del Moral 18-138, Manase Nguamo 4-27, Fitzgerald 5-9, Jack Colletto 3-47, Hunter Crandall 5-68, Tyler McClellan 4-11, Will Schultz 2-20, Elias Bashir 1-9, Isaiah Abdul 1-(minus 1) .

PASSING — Heritage: Lee 11-28-3-125. Camas: Fitzgerald 15-27-0-250, Colletto 0-1-0-0, Kyle Allen 1-1-0-(minus 3).

RECEIVING — Heritage: Somboun 7-89, Bynum 1-14, Taryn Yarnell 1-11, Sosene 1-7, Tyler Vanbuskirk 1-4. Camas: Jared Bentley 7-106, Drake Owen 4-82, Hunter Bruno 1-21, Blake Roy 1-20, Del Moral 2-21, Michael Jurna 1-(minus 3).