Greatest Camas rivalry comeback ever? Papermakers stun Skyview with 22 unanswered points in fourth quarter

VANCOUVER, Wash. - There have been many close calls during Camas’ 4A Greater St. Helens League winning streak against Skyview.

Three years ago, the Papermakers staved off the Storm for a 21-17 win.

During the COVID spring 2021 season, they kicked a tying field goal on the final play of regulation, then won in double overtime.

But nothing will top how the Papermakers kept the streak alive Friday night at the Kiggins Bowl.

Trailing by 19 points early in the fourth quarter, they mustered every ounce of resolve they had to rally for a 36-33 victory over the ninth-ranked Storm, capping the comeback with Konnor Limnell’s 4-yard touchdown pass from Taylor Ioane with 7.6 seconds remaining.

Camas (4-3, 1-0) scored three touchdowns over the final 6½ minutes to win its 12th consecutive game in the series — including a 2016 playoff game — and remained unbeaten against Skyview since the Papermakers moved up from 3A in 2012.

As Limnell’s teammates dog-piled him in the northeast corner of the field, his mind raced a thousand miles a minute.

"I can’t even explain what was going through my mind," he said. "All the effort. I don’t even know. It was crazy."

The Papermakers scored twice in a 2½-minute stretch to close to within 33-28, then forced a quick three-and-out to get the ball back with 2:58 remaining. They methodically moved downfield and called their final timeout with 38.7 seconds to go, facing first-and-goal from the 7.

A short gain on first down kept the clock ticking down, but the Papermakers didn’t panic, setting up a short out for Limnell along the goal line.

"I was pretty confident, because they’d been having trouble guarding it all night, so I knew it was going to be there," he said. "I just kept my cool. End of the game, so I had to focus up and make the play."

"I saw nobody on the outside, so I threw it there hoping he’d catch it," Ioane said. "I threw a little high, so I was kind of scared, but I’m glad he came down with it."

For Ioane, the comeback erased the memory of a difficult first 30 minutes of the game, during which he turned the ball over three times — including a 98-yard interception return for a score by Colby Warner with 38 seconds remaining in the first half.

"Honestly, it started with me, especially from what I did in the first half, so I had to make a comeback myself," said Ioane, who finished 25-of-33 for 360 yards with three touchdowns and two interceptions.

“I calmed down a lot, especially from the two picks I had thrown. It really boosted me up that everybody’s picking me up and telling me, ‘Don’t worry about it. Don’t let it faze you the rest of the game.’”

Camas coach Jack Hathaway called his senior quarterback’s performance “very gritty,” but also not surprising.

"He always had confidence, and so he just stayed with it and made the plays in the end," Hathaway said. "He had some moments in the first half and third quarter where we gave them a few possessions. It’s tough to go through that and stay level-headed and grounded, and he was dialed in."

As exuberant as the Camas huddle was following the game, the Skyview players trudged to their locker room, save for one player — senior linebacker Jalen Salavea, who sat by himself at the 25-yard line for several moments, a warrior who’d given his all for 48 minutes, making a game-high 16 tackles.

"We had a great first half, but we just needed to finish in the second half," Salavea said. "That’s what we took away from this big game we had today. Until the fourth quarter and the buzzer sounds, that’s when our job’s done. We’ve just got to finish in the second half."

The Papermakers (4-3, 1-0) will savor this latest escape act that put them in the driver’s seat for a third consecutive 4A GSHL title - and 10th league title in 12 seasons.

They’ve now won four consecutive games since starting the year 0-3, and junior Reid Tennant said persevering through that opening stretch helped them overcome the daunting deficit they faced after Jake Kennedy hit Gavin Poffenroth for a 70-yard touchdown with 11:49 to play.

"We’re just thinking, ‘We’re not going to let this happen,’" said Tennant, who rushed for 100 yards. "We’re going to keep pushing, keep putting in the work. We’re not getting down. We’re hyping each other up."

Following Poffenroth’s score, the Papermakers drove 65 yards in 11 plays, with Tennant plunging in from the 1-yard line with 6:28 to go.

Then, the Papermakers went for an onside kick, with Trenton Swanson leaping to grab the high bounce at the Storm 49. Seven plays later, Ioane hit tight end Nikko Speer on a short pass, and Speer broke a tackle and rumbled 35 yards for a touchdown with 4:03 remaining.