Camas football survives Skyview rally for key win

Tyler Forner wasn’t the only Camas Papermaker gassed in the postgame celebrations Thursday night.

But that’s a good thing, the senior running back and tailback said.

“It’s after those types of games,” Forner said, “you’re really tired. It’s that emotional, almost fighting-back-tears kind of thing.”

And it was for Camas, escaping with a 21-17 victory over Skyview in the teams’ 4A Greater St. Helens League clash of top 10-ranked teams.

Forner rushed for a game-high 162 yards on 18 carries, including two big first-down runs on Camas’ final drive to preserve the win after the offense was shut out of the end zone the second half.

So what did the Papermakers (8-0 overall, 3-0 league) learn about themselves in their closest game of the season filled with adversity and surviving a late-game comeback by its opponent?

A lot.

For starters, dealing with a next-man-up mentality. Starting quarterback Jake Blair and tailback Jacques Badolato-Birdsell each went down with injuries the first two series of the third quarter and never returned.

Forner, Sebastian Harb and Randy Yaacoub stepped up in the backfield.

Senior Blake Ascuitto filled in for Blair at quarterback.

UPDATE: on injury to Jake Blair

“We’re always going to bounce back,” Forner said. “Every time they made a big play, or a turnover … It showed how bad we wanted this. The next-man-up mentality. … The adrenaline is going and we don’t want to lose at all.

“We worked all together as a team, so it doesn’t feel any different having those guys step up.”

Ascuitto isn’t new to situations such as Thursday. It was the Week 8 game last season against Skyview when Ascuitto, then a third-string quarterback, entered the game for injured quarterback Andrew Boyle and helped Camas’ to a home win over the Storm.

Regardless of Blair’s status, Ascuitto is ready. He went 2 of 8 Thursday.

“My teammates have my back,” he said.

That third quarter, though, also is when Skyview (6-2, 2-1) turned it up offensively.

The Storm scored both third-quarter touchdowns — a 13-yard reception on fourth down by Mason Wheeler and a 38-yard score by Gavin Baskette — on its first two drives of the second half to pull within 21-17 with 8:58 left in the third. Quarterback Yaro Duvalko finished 13 of 34 for 193 yards.

And it nearly had the game-winning score in the fourth.

Trailing 21-17, Skyview’s drove 70 yards in seven plays to a second-and-goal opportunity at the 3 yard line. The next play, Charlie Bump stripped the ball and recovered by teammate Jack Gibson recovered for the touchback.

UPDATE: McGee tweets out video indicating he scored TD on pivotal fumble

Skyview had a final possession after that, but elected to punt on fourth-and-14 with two timeouts left and 3:02 remaining on the clock. The Storm never got the ball back.

Key player

• Tyler Forner, Camas: The senior now has more rushing touchdowns through eight games (five) than on special teams (four). He had a 78-yard touchdown run that extended the Papermakers’ lead by two scores in the first quarter after scoring the team’s first touchdown on a 1-yard run

Key moments

• Camas punted four times, had a turnover on downs and a turnover in the second half, but the final drive sealed the win. After Skyview punted with 3:02 remaining, Camas got two first-down runs by Forner on the team’s first five plays. The biggest came on a third-and-5 play with 1:36 left. Camas needed five yards for the first down, but instead, Forner and the offensive line got 10.

• Skyview’s best drive of the first half ended with a 23-yard field goal by Sliman Farran for its only first-half points. Xavier Owens’ 43-yard return off an interception set up first and goal from the 6, and on third down, Mason Wheeler was ruled out of bounds on a catch in the end zone. A play later, Farran drilled the field goal.

CAMAS 21, SKYVIEW 17

Camas 14 7 0 0—21

Skyview 3 0 14 0—17

First quarter

C — Tyler Forner 1 run (Bryce Leighton kick).

S — Sliman Farran 23 FG.

C — Forner 78 run (Leighton kick)

Second quarter

C — Jackson Clemmer 28 pass from Jake Blair (Leighton kick)

Third quarter

S — Mason Wheeler 13 pass from Yaro Duvalko (Farran kick).

S — Gavin Baskette 38 pass from Duvalko (Farran kick)

Individual statistics

RUSHING — Camas: Jacques Badolato-Birdsell 11-48, Tyler Forner 18-162, Jake Blair 6-19, Blake Ascuitto 1-2, Randy Yaacoub 3-18, Sebastian Harb 8-27; Skyview: Yaro Duvalko 1-0, Jalynnee McGee 22-80.

PASSING — Camas: Jake Blair 4-6-1-45, Blake Ascuitto 2-8-1-29; Skyview: Yaro Duvalko 13-34-1-193.

RECEIVING — Camas: Jackson Clemmer 2-39, Charlie Bump 2-17, Tyler Forner 1-14, Jackson Preston 1-4; Skyview: Xavier Owens 2-24, Cooper Barnum 4-24, Mason Wheeler 2-44, Micah Baylous 1-1, Ahmani Williams 2-33, Gavin Baskette 2-67.