Cameron Toomey-Stout, Hall o’ Famer? One of the easiest calls I’ve made. (Photos by JohnsPhotos.net)
The high-flying Toomey-Stout returns to Earth.
Camtastic being Camtastic.
He was the most unlikely of stars. And yet the most likely.
When Cameron Toomey-Stout was a freshman, he arrived on the football field barely tipping the scales at three digits. So, good thing 87 pounds of that was all heart.
As he grew, and outworked everyone expect maybe his own siblings, Camtastic went from being a novelty to one of the best athletes to ever wear a Wolf uniform.
So it should come as no surprise as to why we are here today, as we swing open the doors to the Coupeville Sports Hall o’ Fame and welcome our newest addition.
After this, if you pop up to the Legends tab at the top of the blog, you’ll find Toomey-Stout right where he should be, rubbing elbows with the record-busters and name-takers.
On the gridiron, Toomey-Stout earned his playing time the old-fashioned way – he worked for it.
He was the point of the spear on special teams, the first man down the field and the first to light someone up, every dang time.
It wasn’t until younger brother Sean showed up, two years behind him, that Cameron finally had a teammate who could match him in hauling tail down the field on a kick or punt, and then inflicting damage on the would-be returner.
Watching the Toomey-Stout brothers race each other to the ball, two heat-seeking missiles unleashed, was one of the great pleasures of my sports-writing career.
Win or lose, in the lead or trailing by 40, the brothers made every special team play just that – special.
For Cameron, once he got on the field, he refused to come off, turning into a consistently-dangerous player on offense and defense to go with his special teams prowess.
In the backfield, he teamed with fellow Hall o’ Famer Hunter Smith to disrupt and deny the game plans of rival QB’s.
Toomey-Stout used his speed and his hops to pick off his fair share of passes while sharing space with Smith, who retired as the school’s all-time leading interception man.
Working together, they gave QB’s nowhere to throw that was safe, and always seemed on the verge of taking a pick six to the house.
As a receiver, Toomey-Stout was again the perfect complement to Smith, until injuries to both his running mate and his brother left Cameron as the last man standing during his senior season.
During the second half of the 2017 season, Coupeville QB Hunter Downes had one weapon left to deploy, and the elder Toomey-Stout fought valiantly while being double and triple-teamed.
Camtastic endured, fighting to the final play, out-leaping defenders, twisting his body into a pretzel, and pulling in pass after pass while knowing other teams had him in their cross-hairs.
If Toomey-Stout had any fears, he never, ever showed them once he pulled down his helmet and tightened his chin strap.
Throughout the history of CHS football, there are other players who, after their run was done, may have looked back and wondered what could of have been if they had worked harder, played more consistently or just been tougher.
With Cameron, when he walked off the field for the final time and hugged sister Maya, there were no lingering questions.
He truly gave everything he had, from day one to the final whistle.
And while football alone would have likely earned him his induction into the Hall o’ Fame, Toomey-Stout was a true three-sport man, one of just four from his class to play all 12 seasons as a high school athlete.
On the basketball floor, he was the glue that held things together. A hustler, a scrapper, a fight-for-the-ball-on-every play support guy who showed, late in his career, he could singe the nets when he wanted to let the ball fly.
Toomey-Stout could knock down a three-ball with a fluid shot, could zip a pass through a maze of arms and have it land right on the fingertips of a teammate, or out-muscle a rival six inches taller for control of the ball.
And through it all, through the sweat and the wear and tear, his hair remained, uncannily, the best in the biz. Which has to count for some extra credit.
When spring rolled around, Toomey-Stout, also a crack student in his small slice of down time, bounced from baseball to track and field.
On the diamond, he was a speed demon in the outfield and on the base paths, part of the first CHS baseball squad to win a league title in 25 years.
But the track, where he was joined by twin siblings Maya and Sean, offered Cameron the ideal way to flash his often-extraordinary physical skills.
Toomey-Stout closed his prep career with a burst of speed and derring-do, competing at the state track meet in three events – the triple jump, long jump and 4 x 100 relay.
He PR’d in the long jump and claimed a medal in the relay, leading off a unit which also included his brother.
But, as we mentioned at the start of this article, Cameron was always about more than just results.
It’s true, he put up some nice numbers, across all of his sports.
What we will remember him most for, though, is how he did it.
The way he pushed himself, every day, getting quicker, stronger, more efficient. The way he conducted himself, attacking with the same intensity in wins and losses.
Rival players, coaches and fans respected him as much as Wolf Nation did, the ultimate testament to the impact he made in his four years in a Coupeville uniform.
He carried the Toomey-Stout name with pride, always, but he fully earned the nickname Camtastic.
If you have a young son or daughter, a student/athlete with dreams of accomplishing great things, have them study Cameron’s career. Then have them emulate his passion, his will, his drive, his class, his style.
Model yourself after the best, to be the best.
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