Down 13……1 Minute to Play,
Chiawana Comes Back to Win the
State Title?

See game recap below 

---

Down 13, 1 Minute to Play, Chiawana Comes Back to Win the State Title?
By Colin Caruso

I will spare you the details that can be spared. Chiawana played Camas in the Tacoma Dome for the 4A Washington state final on Saturday night, and neither team had ever played for a football state title prior to this game. The favorite, the Camas Papermakers, came into the contest winning every game by a minimum of 19 points and scoring an average of 56.6 points per game. The underdog, the Chiawana Riverhawks, held a perfect season with one blemish, a loss in Coeur d’Alene to Lake City High School.

Chiawana held the powerful Papermaker offense in check for the first half, with Camas’ only score coming on a 55 yard fumble recovery where the football looked like a pinball bouncing off bumpers. Unfortunately for the Riverhawks, the bumpers were Chiawana players. Chiawana had three players with legitimate opportunities to pick up this football yet they all somehow missed, and Michael Johnson for the Papermakers bolted the other direction with the football Camas’ only first half score.

The offense for the Riverhawks in the first half was pretty consistent. They scored two touchdowns; the first a Clifton Lozano run and the second a Clifton Lozano catch. Due to the kicking woes of both teams, Chiawana led 13-6 at the break.

Camas dominated the first 23 minutes of the second half, which equates to all but one minute of the remainder of the game. The Papermakers scored three touchdowns in this timeframe, two of which were passes from Reilly Hennessey, and the other a Nate Beasley rushing touchdown. Beasley also caught one of Hennessey’s two passing scores. Camas led 26-13, with their final offensive possession of the season resulting in a turnover on downs to Chiawana with just over a minute to play.

This is when Chiawana decided to win the football game, down 13 points, not having scored in the second half, with 1:05 on the fourth quarter clock and no timeouts.

On the next play, Chiawana quarterback Joey Zamora dropped back to pass and threw a 57 yard touchdown strike to Dre Dorton. After the successful PAT, the Riverhawks trailed 26-20 with 55 seconds on the clock. (There were four (4) PATs missed in this game, FOUR) I shrug my shoulders and ask who is this going to haunt?

Chiawana attempts an onside kick, the ball pops probably 15 feet in the air, 10 young men all leap for the ball, the Riverhawks recover on the Camas 43. This brought an urgent silence to the Camas sideline.

Joey Zamora’s next pass finds Camas’ only player, Dylan White, without two usable hands because one was so heavily casted, and amazingly pinballs (just like before, but this time in the air) into Chiawana’s WR, Blake Bishop’s hands for a completed pass and a first down. Zamora’s next pass is a heave into the end zone, but he benefits from a pass interference call, moving the ball closer to the goal line. Chiawana’s next play results in a Zamora rush up the middle for a first down on the Camas four yard line, followed by a spike to stop the clock at 5 seconds.

Everyone in the Tacoma Dome is thinking, “What in the world…..is going on here?!?!?!”

I watch as Zamora rolls right on the final play. Receiver Blake Bishop runs a slant, it’s covered, but he turns back outside to run parallel with his quarterback towards the Camas sideline. He’s open. Oh my goodness he’s actually open.

Zamora throws another strike, Bishop catches, looks down at both of his feet which are in bounds by a yard, and celebrates with the clock at 0:00. They are tied at 26 and need the PAT to win. The PAT which in this game is as rare as papa’s steak on the dinner table (and that’s rare).

Matt Winn steps up to take the kick.  What is going through his mind?  Winn kicks the ball, it whistles through the uprights.  Are you kidding me?

Chiawana scores two touchdowns in less than 1 minute to win by 1 point in the 4A Washington state final, 27-26. My hat goes off to the Camas team, coaches, fans, the whole town; this is the most difficult athletic loss they will ever endure.

No one could believe what happened; I’ve never seen so many people cry in agony on one side and in ecstasy on the other. This game reminds us why we play sports.

The 2014 football season is officially a wrap…….

Top Performers:
Chiawana
Joey Zamora – 17/32 for 301 yards, 3TD
Clifton Lozano – 28 carries for 162 yards, 1TD, 3 catches for 44 yards, 1TD

Camas
Reilly Hennessey – 10/22 for 184 yards, 2TD
Nate Beasley – 24 carries for 162 yards, 1TD, 1 catch for 74 yards, 1TD