CAMAS — The Camas Papermakers never stopped believing. Well, not until after they completed a remarkable comeback in the final two minutes to stun their guests from Idaho.
“It’s surreal right now. I can’t even believe that just happened,” Camas quarterback Kyle Allen said.
Oh it happened.
And the streak was saved.
Camas scored two touchdowns — Allen to Drake Owen for both scores — in the final 64 seconds, beating Coeur d’Alene 28-25 for the program’s 54th consecutive win in the regular season.
With 2:30 left, it sure looked like that streak was going to end at 53.
“Our coaches believe, and that definitely made it easier for us to believe,” Allen said. “The ball bounced our way. It was good to be in that situation to win the game, to have a chance.”
Allen found Owen on a fourth-down, 4-yard touchdown pass with 20 seconds left to give Camas the lead.
That, in retrospect, might have been the easy part.
Camas had to stop a fourth-down play on the other end of the field, trailing 25-14 inside three minutes. The Papermakers got the ball at their own 3-yard line, then went 97 yards in 1 minute, 17 seconds to make it a five-point game (at 25-20) with 1:04 remaining. Owen made an amazing catch, keeping his feet in play as he fell out of bounds.
Owen, back in uniform after missing the past two games, was just getting started.
He recovered the onside kick, putting in motion the most thrilling finish of all those 54 wins.
“That’s when I knew we had a shot,” Allen said. “That’s when we knew we were going to do it. We had hope. We had the momentum. Our O-line was light’s out. It was just an awesome feeling.”
A 10-yard pass to Ja’Michael Shelton got Camas moving in the right direction. Then a 19-yard pass to Isaiah Abdul, plus a penalty on the Vikings. A moment later, another penalty moved the ball to the 5-yard line. After a 1-yard run and a timeout, the Papermakers had two more plays to score. Incomplete pass, then fourth down.
“Crazy. Can’t describe the feeling,” Owen said. “I’m glad our preparation came through for us.”
Camas senior Ryan Rushall missed the last nine minutes after suffering an injury. But he was on the sideline for an incredible view. As a senior leader, he knew he could not get down, even when things looked down.
“As long as we had time, we had hope,” Rushall said. “We were quiet on the sidelines. We realized being quiet wasn’t going to help us win. “We knew we weren’t done yet.”
Camas coach Jon Eagle had a big smile after this one.
“I’m just so proud of the players. At no point did I see anyone anywhere think the game was over,” he said. “Good teams execute when they need to.”
“I was proud of the way they battled,” Coeur d’Alene coach Shawn Amos said of his Vikings. “We had our opportunities to win the game. (Camas) just made the last play.”
Coeur d’Alene took a 25-14 lead with 9:30 left in the game when quarterback Colson Yankoff, who expects to sign with the University of Washington, broke free for a 65-yard touchdown run. The Vikings tried to put the game away inside three minutes, but they fumbled the ball on a fourth-down play in the red zone. Camas recovered at its 3-yard line, still trailing but with a little life.
“We never lost hope,” Owen said. “You always gotta keep trying. Something will work eventually.”
Coeur d’Alene did little with the ball in its final three desperation plays. The Camas crowd rushed the field, celebrating not only the streak, but how the streak continued. The Papermakers have not lost in the regular season since 2011, and that now includes two wins over one of the best programs in Idaho.
Yankoff threw for 251 yards and one TD, and he rushed for 182 yards and a score. Shilo Morgon rushed for 120 yards and a score for the Vikings.
Allen threw for 235 yards and three touchdowns to lead Camas. Will Schultz had 132 yards rushing and a touchdown for the Papermakers.
Morgon gave Coeur d’Alene the lead in the first quarter on a 13-yard touchdown run.
Camas took the lead at the half on a 13-play, 86-yard drive. Ja’Michael Shelton caught a 10-yard pass from Allen.
It took just three plays in the second half for the Vikings to regain the lead. Yankoff found Kyler Prendergast, who ran most of the 57-yard touchdown play and a 12-7 lead.
Caleb Beggerly made it 19-7 when he got out of a jam and ran for a 38-yard score late in the third quarter.
Camas would get three fourth-quarter touchdowns, though, to continue its streak.
CAMAS 28, COEUR d’ALENE 25
Cd’A 6 0 13 6 — 25
Camas 0 7 0 21 — 28
First quarter
Cd’A – Shilo Morgon 13 run (run failed)
Second quarter
Cam – Ja’Michael Shelton 10 pass from Kyle Allen (Andrew Boyle kick)
Third quarter
Cd’A – Kyler Prendergast 57 pass from Colson Yankoff (run failed)
Cd’A – Caleb Beggerly 38 run (Seth Harrison kick)
Fourth quarter
Cam – Will Schultz 35 run (Boyle kick)
Cd’A – Yankoff 65 run (run failed)
Cam – Drake Owen 13 pass from Allen (pass failed)
Cam – Owen 4 pass from Allen (Owen from Allen)
Individual statistics
RUSHING: Coeur d’Alene: Morgon 16-120, Cole Yankoff 17-182, Caleb Beggerly 6-57. Camas: Will Schultz 13-132, Semisi Schultz 6-35, Allen 4-(minus 14), Team 1-(minus 9).
PASSING: Coeur d’Alene: Yankoff 21-34-2-251. Camas: Allen 25-43-2-235.
RECEIVING: Coeur d’Alene: Cole Ramseyer 2-8, Derek Gove 4-27, Kyler Prendergast 5-153, Beggerly 3-38, Ross Chadderdon 3-16, Ryan Linehan 1-7, Morgon 1- (minus 1), Sam Matheson 2-3. Camas: Shelton 7-93, W. Schultz 1-(minus 3), Ryan Rushall 5-30, Luc Sturbelle 1-5, Drake Owen 8-68, Shane Jamison 1-11, Isaiah Abdul 2-31.
This week’s scores
| Team | Score | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| Camas | 28 | Coeur d’Alene | 25 |
| Skyview | 49 | Mountain View | 22 |
| Prairie | 21 | Battle Ground | 20 |
| Redmond | 38 | Heritage | 20 |
| Union | 33 | Tumwater | 29 |
| Evergreen | 9 | Black Hills | 6 |
| Hudson’s Bay | 16 | Woodland | 15 |
| Benson (Ore.) | 18 | Fort Vancouver | 0 |
| Hockinson | 42 | Ridgefield | 15 |
| Washougal | 20 | Mark Morris | 14 |
| Columbia River | 25 | R.A. Long | 13 |
| Kalama | 44 | King’s Way Christian | 7 |
| Seton Catholic | 36 | Elma | 28 |
| La Center | 30 | Hoquiam | 19 |
