FOOTBALL
2020 Season
Most freshman have to wait a while to play varsity football. Usually, that’s due to the size and skill of a 14-year old that just isn’t ready to play with the upperclassmen. In Camden’s case, the only thing holding him back his freshman year was the threat of the entire schedule being wiped out because of COVID-19. Luckily, for all of us, a shortened schedule in the following spring took place, and Raymond started right away at defensive tackle.
Ferndale was one of the few teams that was able to schedule six games, with most teams only able to play four or five.
He made an impact immediately by posting a tackle for loss and a quarterback sack in his first ever varsity game, a 41-7 win over Oak Harbor.
The Golden Eagles followed that up with a 28-19 win over Lynden, but fell the next week to Sehome in a bizarre 10-5 game.
Ferndale then bounced back to win out the rest of the season, with a 47-14 win over Burlington-Edison, a 49-28 victory over Mount Vernon and a 40-21 stomping of Sedro-Woolley.
Camden posted a half of a sack against Mount Vernon, and was able to play in the final game ever played at the old football stadium.
He finished the season with 12 tackles, 1.5 sacks and a tackle for loss, and was one of very few freshman in school history to start.
2021 Season
Now a veteran of the defensive line, the 6-foot-1 270-pound sophomore was even nastier up front.
Bigger and stronger, and with extremely athletic feet, he clogged up the middle all season, which allowed for his teammates to rack up the stats.
With their new stadium being built, the Golden Eagles played their home games at Blaine High School.
Ferndale began the season with a 55-35 win over Monroe, and followed that up with a 35-25 victory over the eventual 2A state champion Lynden Lions.
After squeaking by Arlington 18-17 in an instant classic, the Golden Eagles won their fourth game in a row to start the season 42-7 over Mount Vernon. Raymond had three stops in the game, including a quarterback sack.
Ferndale suffered its first loss of the season in the following week against Marysville-Pilchuck, but then bounced back to defeat Oak Harbor 51-14. Camden had another three tackles and batted down a pass at the line of scrimmage against the Wildcats.
The Golden Eagles then defeated Stanwood 48-30 and dominated Marysville-Getchell 46-7, and it was at this time when Raymond was also inserted into the starting lineup on the offensive line.
Despite a knee injury, Camden was starting both ways by the end of the season, and he picked up another quarterback sack against Monroe, but the Bearcats won 29-27, which ultimately gave the Golden Eagles a road game against Garfield the following week.
Ferndale struggled to get things going in that game, and fell 20-7, which ended its season.
He finished with 16 tackles, two quarterback sacks, a tackle for loss and a pass deflection, and for his efforts he was ranked #75 on the Whatcom Preps Top 100 list at the end of the season.
2022 Season
As a junior, Raymond and his teammates were poised to make a big run. He was now a staple on both sides of the ball as a guard and defensive tackle.
Despite losing two of their first three games (both non-conference opponents), the Golden Eagles trampled through the WesCo 3A North with relative ease.
The closest game was a 27-24 win at home against pass-happy Arlington, and the statement game was a 28-7 win on the road over Stanwood, in which Camden posted 7.5 tackles and two tackles for loss.
He had a sack against Marysville-Pilchuck, and another against Monroe in the WesCo 3A crossover game, this time with Ferndale coming out on top 34-28.
Even more impressive were the holes that were opened up by Camden and his offensive line teammates. The Golden Eagles went on to gain over 4000 yards that season and score 53 touchdowns.
Ferndale went on to face Seattle Prep for a chance to get into the 3A state tournament, and the Golden Eagles won 35-14.
In the state-playoff opener against Kelso, Camden had one of his best defensive games as he totaled six tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss and he also forced a fumble in the 44-14 win.
Raymond had another three tackles the following week, but Ferndale fell 35-18 to Eastside Catholic in the quarterfinals of the state tournament.
He finished with 33.5 tackles, seven tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks and one forced fumble. He was named by the coaches in the WesCo 3A North to the All-Conference 1st Team as an offensive lineman, and to the All-Conference 2nd Team as a defensive lineman.
He also finished #18 on the Whatcom Preps Top 100 list.
2023 Season
As a senior, a lot was depended on Raymond, but he was one of very few returning starters for the Golden Eagles.
Now 6-foot-2 and 280 pounds, he was the main focus on both sides of the ball from opposing coaches. One coach had even told me he was the best pulling guard that he had ever seen at the high school level.
Ferndale started out the season with a bang by defeating the two-time defending 2A state champion Lynden Lions in a thrilling 17-14 contest.
The Golden Eagles then upended Oak Harbor 26-6, and Raymond added another sack to his career totals against Glacier Peak in a 22-16 win to go 3-0 on the season.
Ferndale dropped its first game of the season the following week to Arlington, 46-14, but came back to defeat Marysville-Pilchuck 47-28 in a game which Camden had six tackles.
The following week was a heartbreaker for Raymond and his Golden Eagle teammates as Marysville-Getchell grabbed the 14-13 upset win, which meant that Ferndale would likely have to win out for any chance to get back to the state playoffs.
They then beat Mount Vernon 49-14, and behind what might be Raymond’s best single game performance on defense (8.5 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss) the Golden Eagles beat Stanwood 34-7, which set up a crossover game at home against Edmonds-Woodway.
This game would be another must-win for Ferndale, and it was especially important for the four-year starters who had been willing his team to get back into the state playoffs. Unfortunately, moments before kickoff, a medical mishap caused Raymond’s right foot to be sliced open, and just like that, the top lineman in the league was unable to play.
Ferndale rallied, and won 49-14, and the toughness of Raymond came through a week later as he suited up against Timberline at home in the state play-in game. Not only did he suit up, but he gutted his way through the game, picked up the final quarterback sack of his career, and the Golden Eagles won 42-14.
Unfortunately, Ferndale lost 21-7 in the first round of the state playoffs to a young talented Mount Tahoma team, and Raymond’s football career came to a sudden halt.
He was named All-Conference 1st Team at both offensive line and defensive line. He was also ranked #8 on the Whatcom Preps Top 100 Countdown. The accolades didn’t end there, as he was also named the Whatcom Preps Lineman of the Year.
He finished his senior season with 30 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss, two sacks and one fumble recovery.
He also played in the All-State Cleats vs. Cancer game on the offensive line.
Football Career
There are few players in Whatcom County history that accomplished what Camden Raymond did. He was a four-year starter at a powerhouse 3A team that reached the state playoffs twice, and would have likely reached it in his freshman year if there was a playoff that season. He finished with 91.5 tackles, 11.5 tackles for loss, eight sacks, one forced fumble, one pass deflection and one fumble recovery, all while being constantly double-teamed. He also battled through knee, back and foot injuries throughout and his team went 28-9 in the games that he played in. ALso, and I might need to double-check this, I think he’s the only player that played on the old football field, then had Blaine has a home field, and played on the new football field.
BASEBALL
2021 Season
As a freshman, the power-hitting lefty played very little on the varsity squad but he made the most of it. In his four at bats he struck out twice, but also singled and tripled. He also drove in four runs and scored twice.
2022 Season
In his first full varsity season, Raymond fit right in with the powerful lineup that Ferndale provided.
The Golden Eagles averaged 8.4 runs per game, the most in the Northwest Conference, and they finished with a 12-8 record, but failed to make the postseason.
After starting the season 1-1, Ferndale ripped off five wins in a row, and in those five games Raymond had at least one RBI in each of those games, he also pitched in relief in two of them.
However, the next three games were all lost by a combined four runs, and he struggled a little bit by taking the loss in two of the games.
They would be the only two losses he took all season as Ferndale got back on track, as did Raymond, who went on an 11-game hitting streak to finish the season, including a two-hit effort against Lynden Christian in a 19-3 win.
He also picked up a win on the mound in his lone start of the season as he pitched 6 and 1/3 innings against Sehome, allowing just three hits and striking out a career-high eight batters.
He finished the season with a .311 batting average with 19 hits, four doubles and 11 runs batted in. His on-base percentage was .447 and he slugged .377. He also went 1-2 on the mound with 29 strikeouts and 13 walks over 20 2/3 innings and a tiny 1.01 ERA.
After the season he was ranked #31 in the Whatcom Preps Top 50 list for baseball.
2023 Season
As a junior he quickly moved into the #3 spot in the lineup and continued to rake as a first baseman. He was also relied up much more often on the mound on one of the best Ferndale teams in recent memory.
The Golden Eagles began the season on an 8-game winning streak, and it kicked off with Raymond picking up his first career complete game victory, a 4-2 win over Stanwood, where he also went 2-for-4 at the plate.
In the fifth game of the season, the Golden Eagles took down Lynden on the road, 4-0, which was highlighted by a two-run homerun from Raymond.
He picked up his second win of the season on the mound against Sehome where he struck out five batters in the complete game victory, while batting 2-for-4.
Camden also enjoyed an 8-game hitting streak early in the season, and had multiple hits in three straight games during the streak.
His record went to 3-0 after going the distance against Nooksack Valley, and he picked up his second save of the season a few games later in a 1-0 thriller against Bellingham.
He followed that up with his fourth straight win, this time in a six-strikeout effort against Sedro-Woolley, and he hit his second homerun of the season a game later against Mount Baker.
He had a monster game against Burlington-Edison where he picked up the win on the mound after going five innings and striking out five, and he also went 3-for-4 at the plate with three runs batted in and a double.
The Golden Eagles made the playoffs, but were eliminated by O’Dea, 7-2.
Raymond finished the season with a 5-0 record, and two saves to go along with his 31 strikeouts in 34 1/3 innings and a 4.29 ERA. He also batted .385 with 25 hits, seven doubles, two homeruns and 19 runs batted in. He also walked 19 times and had an OPS of 1.135.
He was named All-Conference 2nd Team at first base, and was ranked #6 on the Whatcom Preps Top 50 list.
2024 Season
As a senior, it was a lot like football, as Camden was relied upon heavily as one of the only returning starters. This time he was the ace of the pitching staff, and was eventually moved up to the #2 spot in the order.
He took multiple tough-luck losses on the mound early on as he was 1-2 after three starts, but hadn’t allowed an earned run to that point.
The win was a complete-game three-hitter against Lynden Christian where he also tripled and drive in two runs.
He hit his third career homerun in a 13-9 win over Nooksack Valley, and he had his first multi-hit game of the season in a 6-0 loss to Oak Harbor.
He finished the season on an offensive tear, with a six-game hitting streak, which started against Mount Baker when he had a career-best four hits and six runs batted in. He also hit his fourth, and final, varsity homerun in that game.
His average continued to climb, and by the end of the season he finished with a .364 batting average.
Ferndale finished the season winning five out of six games, but ended with a 10-10 record, and didn’t make the playoffs.
Despite a 1-4 record on the bump, Raymond’s ERA was at 2.17 by season’s end. He also struck out 32 batters in 38 2/3 innings. He finished with 20 hits, including five doubles, a triple and two homeruns. He also drove in 17 runs and walked 18 times, and again had an incredible OPS, this time of 1.151.
He was named All-Conference 1st Team as a first baseman, and was ranked #4 on the Whatcom Preps Top 50 list.
Baseball Career
It’s hard to say if he was a better football or baseball player, as I’ve heard both from numerous people. He finished his high school career with a .357 batting average, scored 44 runs, had 66 hits, 16 doubles, two triples and four homeruns. He also had 51 runs batted in, 48 walks and he was hit by a pitch 14 times. He also went 7-6 on the mound with two saves in 93 2/3 innings. He also struck out 92 batters and had a career ERA of 2.69. He went on to Edmonds College to play baseball.
