Papermakers two wins away from an undefeated regular season

Camas Papermakers (7-0, 3-0 4A GSHL)

Week 1: Camas 35, Central Catholic (Ore.) 13
Week 2: Camas 34, Sherwood (Ore.) 13
Week 3: Camas 52, Davis 19
Week 4: Camas 28, Coeur d’Alene (Idaho) 25
Week 5: Camas 35, Battle Ground 0
Week 6: Camas 38, Skyview 20
Week 7: Camas 63, Battle Ground 13
Next: at Sunnyside, 7 p.m. Friday

A combination of great play and some serious struggles by the opponent led to a 35-0 first quarter and a 56-0 lead at the half against Heritage.

Streaks:

Make it 57 consecutive wins in the regular season. Last regular-season loss was Sept. 23, 2011.

Make it 21 consecutive wins in a row. Papermakers went 14-0 in 2016 to win the state championship and have seven in a row this season. Last loss was in the 2015 state quarterfinals.

Make it 41 consecutive league wins. Last league loss was Oct. 30, 2009.

Three offensive plays, three TDs:

The Camas Papermakers needed seven plays to go 83 yards for score the first touchdown of the game. The last play of that drive was a simple 2-yard touchdown run by Will Schultz.

The next time the offense was on the field, the ball was already at the 2-yard line after a Heritage snafu on special teams. Semisi Schultz then scored on a 2-yard touchdown run.

A few minutes later, Heritage punted the ball and Camas took over on its own 33-yard line.

The first offensive play was a touchdown pass from Kyle Allen to Drake Owen.

That meant that the Camas offense scored three consecutive plays from scrimmage.

Then the delay on offense:

That outburst put Camas up 21-0. Then the Papermakers figured they didn’t even need offense for a while.

Heritage had to punt again, but this time Drake Owen made his incredible return for a touchdown. I wrote about it in the game story, but it should be repeated: When he got to the punt, he was immediately in the grasp of a would-be tackler. Owen escaped that player, then found a crease and was gone, making it 28-0.

Heritage’s next possession ended on a lost fumble. Ryan Rushall scooped it up and returned it 25 yards for a Camas touchdown.

So that Camas offense that had scored on three consecutive plays for a 21-0 lead did not return to the field until Camas was up 35-0.

Stats:

Drake Owen had huge numbers for a receiver, even if he only played a half. He finished with 133 yards and two touchdowns.
But for the most part, all the other Papermakers did not have big numbers. Clearly, the team scored big – 63 points! – but in a game this lopsided, it is rare for any individual performances to leap off the stat page.

For example, Kyle Allen was on pace for a 300-yard passing game, with 158 in the first half. Well, his last pass attempt, though, came with 8:56 left in the second quarter.

Will Schultz, the starting running back, got two touchdowns, but only five carries. Semisi Schultz got four carries.

Five other ball carriers got at least one attempt the rest of the game.

By the way, no one from Camas is complaining about this. Under problems, this is a good one to have. So much talent, so many scoring plays, so many big plays on defense and special teams. Those add up, but they do not add up to a whole bunch of individual standouts on the stat sheet.

Coach Speak:

What did Jon Eagle think about his team’s performance in Week 7? “Our players are beginning to see what they are capable of doing. Our defense gets better each week – playing physical and with great energy. Fun to watch.

“Drake Owen was spectacular in all phases of the game; Kyle Allen continues to operate at a high level; our running back crew ran the ball tough; out offensive line continues to play with more tenacity and fierceness.
“Great thing about coaching – getting to see confidence grow each week.”

Thoughts on Week 8 vs. Sunnyside: “Sunnyside is well coached,’’ Eagle said. “Physical. Tough. Talented. Great road trip for us. I love football fields that have no track around them. Fans are right on you. Great environment at Sunnyside.”

Eagle also gave us a fun fact: Scott Linehan, current offensive coordinator for the Dallas Cowboys, is a 1982 Sunnyside graduate.