Doc Harris Stadium crew in Camas works overtime for special playoff doubleheader

Camas football players during pre-game intros Saturday before their state playoff game with Skyline. Photo by Paul Valencia

There is a lot of work to prepare a stadium for one playoff game, let alone two with four fan bases, but the Doc Harris Stadium crew got the job done as the stadium played host to Skyline’s win over Camas in a 4A playoff and Seton Catholic’s win over La Center in a 1A playoff

Paul Valencia
Clark County Today

It was going to be a long, long day for those who work at Doc Harris Stadium.

A 2 p.m. state playoff football game.

A 7 p.m. state playoff football game.

Even that does not really tell the whole story.

For the stadium managers, and for many of the workers doing all the little and big things to make everything work accordingly, it was a 13-hour day.

Some arrive three hours before the first game. Some will stay until roughly three hours after the last game.

They don’t complain, though.

They take pride.

“We like to think this is the football experience in the Northwest,” said Rick Stainbrook, who along with Mark Hagensen manage the stadium during big events.

Rick Stainbrook and Mark Hagensen share the duties as stadium managers at Doc Harris Stadium in Camas. On Saturday, they and all who work with them, were busy with two state playoff football games. Photo by Paul Valencia

“The facility is all about pride. It’s historic. It’s Doc Harris. It’s a beautiful stadium. It’s a beautiful facility. It kind of embodies what our community is about,” Stainbrook said. “Whoever comes in, we want to give them the best experience we possibly can.”

On Saturday afternoon, there was the home crowd rooting on the Camas Papermakers and also plenty of fans who showed up from Sammamish — some three hours away — to support the Skyline Spartans. The two teams were playing in the first round of the Class 4A state playoffs.

Later that night, Seton Catholic fans were on the home side of the stadium and La Center took over the visiting side. The Cougars and Wildcats — Trico League rivals — were playing in the first round of the Class 1A state playoffs.

“It’s great to have great people who want to be here to support our sports teams, to make it a great event for whoever is coming in from out of town,” said Stephen Baranowski, athletic director for Camas High School. “We want to put Camas on display for anyone who is coming, whether it’s 15 minutes away or three hours away.”

Marcia Johnson, who has worked for Camas athletics for 16 years, is in the ticket booth for football games. She loves greeting familiar faces.

Marcia Johnson’s day job is working with Camas Athletics in the high school. But she is also in the ticket booth for big events at Doc Harris Stadium. Photo by Paul Valencia

“We see the same people every week, we see the same senior citizens who are waiting at the gate who are so excited,” Johnson said. “The students are excited. The cheerleaders are wonderful. The coaches. Everybody’s great.”

Mary Taylor and Beth Filion welcome fans at one of the entry gates. They chat with every fan, no matter what colors those fans are wearing.

Mary Taylor greets every visitor who walks through her gate with a smile at Doc Harris Stadium. Photo by Paul Valencia

“They’re guests in our home,” Fillion said, adding that “Papermaker hometown pride” is what makes the stadium experience so special.

“A lot of people from up north say this is the most beautiful stadium they’ve been to,” Taylor said.

Hagensen arrives three hours before a game when the stadium is hosting a team from a distance. Skyline, for example, might arrive at 11 a.m. for a 2 p.m. game so someone has to be there. He has been doing this for years.

Newcomers to the stadium, he said, are surprised.

“When they come in, they say it looks like a junior college,” Hagensen said.

The stadium crew is responsible for a number of things in preparation for a game. They work extra on the rare occasions when the stadium has two games on the same day. On this Saturday, a cleaning crew rushed to clean the locker rooms as well as the seating areas between games. It takes more than 15 people, Hagensen said, to make it work.

“You can get by with less people, but it’s not really doing it right,” Hagensen said.

He added that the sports teams at Camas are so good that they inspire the adult stadium workers.

“It makes you want to do a better job here, presentation-wise,” Hagensen said.

Which is why when the athletic director sent out a message that Camas would be hosting two playoff games Saturday, all associated with the stadium said bring it on.

“I really love Camas, and I love the community. We’re more than happy to oblige,” said Lisa Schneider, concessions manager.

Lisa Schneider is the concessions manager at Doc Harris Stadium and Sean Tamura is the “grillmaster.” Photo by Paul Valencia

It is her job to coordinate all the volunteers who run the concessions. On Saturday afternoon, members of the pickleball club and the girls basketball team helped. Saturday night, it was the sports med club.

“We always have awesome, excited teenagers who want to show off Doc Harris,” Schneider said. “I’ve been doing this for about seven years, and every year it just gets more fun. I cannot see myself not doing this.”

Doc Harris Stadium is now closed for the season in terms of high school athletics. Camas girls soccer lost in the state playoffs last week. Camas football lost Saturday. And Seton Catholic, after winning Saturday night, will be on the road next week in the quarterfinals.

The crew members at the stadium can take a much needed break, knowing they made Camas proud.

Again.

Game notes

Kolten Gesser threw two touchdown passes in the third quarter, erasing a deficit and giving Seton Catholic a 14-7 lead Saturday at Doc Harris Stadium in Camas. Seton Catholic would beat La Center by that score to advance in the Class 1A state football playoffs. Photo courtesy Chris Barker

Skyline 33, Camas 20: Skyline jumped out to a quick lead and never relinquished it in the opening round of the 4A state playoffs.

The Spartans scored on their first possession, then got a gift of a touchdown after a Camas special teams miscue.

The Papermakers, though, were not done. They rallied to pull within a touchdown on two occasions before Skyline took advantage of a late first-half turnover to take a 26-14 lead at the half.

Skyline got an early touchdown in the fourth quarter. Camas responded and even recovered the ensuing onside kick, but would not score the rest of the way.

Camas finishes the 2025 season with an 8-3 record and another Class 4A Greater St. Helens League championship.

Seton Catholic 14, La Center 7: The Seton Catholic Cougars put on a clinic in the third quarter Saturday night, dominating every phase of the game in those 12 minutes to erase a seven-point deficit and take a seven-point lead.

With the way the Cougars defense was playing, that was enough.

Seton Catholic’s Uriah Carlston intercepted a La Center pass near the goal line in the game’s final minute to secure the victory.

This was the second defensive battle between the Trico League rivals this season. Seton Catholic won the league championship with a 12-7 victory in Week 9, a game that was secured by the Cougars stopping the Wildcats on four plays in the red zone.

In this state playoff game, La Center got to the 5-yard line in the closing minutes. Penalties pushed the Wildcats back to the 15-yard line, and then Carlston picked off the pass.

Seton Catholic improved to 9-2 this season and will advance to the Class 1A state quarterfinals next week to play top-seed Royal. Seton Catholic and Royal played in the state championship game last year, with Royal prevailing.

La Center’s season ends with an 8-3 record.