CAMAS — To the casual observer, the 41-6 final score in Camas’ victory over Curtis in Friday’s Class 4A football first-round state playoff win doesn’t reflect what it took to get there.  It wasn’t that easy. A 9-6 halftime lead was Camas’ slimmest in all 11 victories.  Behind 32 unanswered second-half points and a defensive performance that held the Vikings’ offense out of the redzone, top-seed Camas (11-0) is back in the state quarterfinals for the first time since 2021.  “You can see how football is both sides,” said senior receiver and defensive back Anthony Forner, who had an interception and the team’s first touchdown. “We knew we needed both sides to bring it back.”

Friday, the Papermakers put the past two seasons of early-round playoff exits behind them by overcoming a slow start and getting touchdowns from six players. They’ll host the winner of Saturday’s Graham-Kapowsin/Arlington game in next weekend’s state quarterfinal.  As head coach Adam Mathieson cautioned, Curtis (6-5), out of the 4A South Puget Sound League, might not be a typical 16 seed. The coach highlighted the team’s previous defensive performances; three of its four losses entering Friday came by a combined 11 points, including a 14-12 loss to eventual No. 2-seed Sumner.  At Doc Harris Stadium against the Papermakers, that defense in the opening two quarters sparked the Vikings early. Xavier Ahrens’ 50-yard interception return for a touchdown off a tipped pass by quarterback Jake Davidson gave Curtis a 6-2 lead.  Camas has led at halftime in all 11 games, but the 9-6 advantage Friday at the half was the slimmest of margins in all the would-be victories. Its opening three possessions of the game resulted in consecutive punts and a turnover on downs after failing to convert on a fourth and 14 from the Curtis 14. 

The second half was a different story. The defense had interceptions by Anthony Forner, Jared Forner, and on the Vikings’ final drive, Kyler Jacobson. In-between were multiple players registering at least one sack and tackle for losses. What makes the defense so special is their continuity and cohesiveness, senior Jack Macdonald said.   “We are so together,” said Macdonald, whose 66-yard touchdown pushed the lead to 28-6 to open the fourth quarter and also had two pass breakups. “We’re so locked in at practice — always. We just love each other so much.” Naturally, a turnover by the defense fuels the offense. In both interceptions by a Forner, the Camas offense had short field and cashed in both times with touchdowns by Titan Brody (9 yards) and Thor Brody (4).  How much does a turnover boost the offense? A lot, Forner said, and did in a big way Friday to reach the final eight. 

“It’s crazy,” he said. “You know right away when you get (an interception) and you’re running off the field and the whole (offensive line) is coming to give you hugs. You can just tell it means the world to them to that head start on the field.” — CAMAS 41, CURTIS 6 Curtis 6 0 0 0 – 6 Camas 2 7 12 20 – 41 First quarter Cam — Safety (fumble in end zone) Cur — Xavier Ahrens 50-yard interception return (kick good) Second quarter Cam — Jared Forner 3 pass from Jake Davidson (kick good) Third quarter Cam — Titan Brody 9 run (kick failed) Cam — Thor Brody 4 run (kick failed) Fourth quarter Cam — Jack Macdonald 66 pass from Jake Davidson (kick failed) Cam — Anthony Forner 12 pass from Davidson (kick good) Cam — Thor Brody 4 run (kick good) INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS RUSHING — Curtis: Jayden Rice-Claiborne 8-24, Sam Patterson 10-(minus-34), Xavier Aherns 7-33, Micah Yanos 1-0; Camas: Titan Brody 13-47, Thor Brody 13-71, Jake Davidson 3-9, Beau Harlan 2-(minus-2)

PASSING — Curtis: Sam Patterson 5-13-2-61, Xavier Aherns 2-5-1-10; Camas: Jake Davidson: 14-24-1-262 RECEIVING — Curtis: Xavier Aherns 1-2, Jayden Rice-Claiborne 1-11, Parker Mady 5-47; Camas: Jared Forner 1-3Jack Macdonald 2-68, Titan Brody 3-44, Ryder Jacobson 1-18, Chase McGee 4-86, Nikko Speer 2-32