LYNDEN CHRISTIAN AT FRIDAY HARBOR
Time: 6:45 p.m., Friday, Sept. 7
Site: Friday Harbor High School
Lyncs update: LC opened the 2012 season with an impressive 39-0 victory at Omak last week. Will Scholten scored a pair of touchdowns on the ground, while Josh Friberg led the team with 59 yards rushing and a TD. He was one of four Lyncs to surpass 40 yards rushing, joining Blake Mellema (53 yards), Jordan Jansen (47) and Jake Van Berkum (43). Levi Vander Yacht was the top receiving threat, catching two passes for 98 yards, including a 74-yard TD.
Wolverines update: Friday Harbor traveled to Anacortes and got a shutout victory of its own, beating the Seahawks 21-0. Micah Powell led the way, rushing for 98 yards and two touchdowns on 12 carries. Nathan Steenkolk provided a second threat, with 66 yards on 18 carries. Quarterback J.C. Woods passed for 45 yards and a touchdown, all to Donald Galt.
Key to the game: The two teams split last year, with each team winning at home. Friday Harbor grabbed the game on San Juan Island 40-20. With both teams coming off shutouts, defense figures to be big.
Player to watch: Daulton Hommes started at quarterback for the Lyncs and had a nice game, going 6 for 8 for 141 yards and a touchdown. With performances like that, he'll likely see more time in a number of different roles.
SQUALICUM AT SEDRO-WOOLLEY
Time: 7 p.m., Friday, Sept. 7
Site: Sedro-Woolley High School
Storm update: Squalicum opened the season with a 27-10 non-conference victory over visiting Kingston last week. Luke Weber led the way, rushing for 94 yards and a touchdown on 21 attempts. Sophomore quarterback Clark Hazlett passed for 69 yards. Linebacker Sam Olney got the game started off right for the Storm, returning an interception 32 yards for a touchdown less than two minutes in, and Nathan Kamkoff added a blocked punt later in the game.
Cubs update: The Cubs started their season with a 35-21 loss to old Northwest Conference foe Mount Vernon last week. Jacob Kennedy rushed for 95 yards on 15 carries, while Clayton Johnson and Seth Noble each rushed for TDs in the game. Braden Blouin was the top Sedro-Woolley passer with 104 yards and a touchdown toss to Mason Elms. Sedro allowed 250 yards and two touchdowns through the air.
Key to the game: This is the first NWC 2A/3A game for both teams, so both teams desperately want a win to jump on top of the standings. Squalicum showed that it can win with defense and special teams.
Player to watch: Squalicum running back Brandon LeDoux rushed for 55 yards and two touchdowns last week, and is one of many talented Storm skill position players this year.
SEHOME AT FERNDALE
Time: 7 p.m., Friday, Sept. 7
Site: Ferndale High School
Mariners update: Sehome opened the season with a 17-6, lightning-delayed loss at Nooksack Valley last week. The Mariners did not get on the board until running back Titi Lamositele bulled his way in from a yard out. Quarterback Austin Rapp passed for 124 yards and rushed for a team-high 54, while Lamositele finished with 28 yards on six carries. Freshman Taylor Rapp had a nice debut, rushing for 33 yards and catching four passes for a team-high 55 more.
Golden Eagles update: Ferndale opened the season with a 49-21 victory over Vancouver (B.C.) Notre Dame last week. Alex Conley led the way, rushing for 175 yards and five touchdowns on 14 carries. Cooper Clark turned in a solid game in his first start behind center, hitting 3 of 6 passes for 67 yards and a 10-yard touchdown to Cameron Massey. The reworked Ferndale defense also held Notre Dame to 61 yards on 24 rushing attempts (2.5 average).
Key to the game: Ferndale plays its first meaningful game in the month of September in seven years, as both teams begin NWC 2A/3A play. Both teams made some big changes up front, so whoever makes the biggest Week 2 improvement could come up big.
Player to watch: Ferndale running back Daniel Ewald provided some very nice balance to Conley's big night, rushing for 107 yards on 16 carries.
BURLINGTON-EDISON AT BELLINGHAM
Time: 7 p.m., Friday, Sept. 7
Site: Civic Stadium
Tigers update: Burlington was impressive in its first game under coach Herb Lehman, as it handed him a 42-8 victory at Meridian. Sophomore running back Jae Evans led the way, rushing for 88 yards and three touchdowns on only seven carries. Quarterback Dalton Schwetz and running back Tyler Morrison also chipped in 35 and 36 yards on the ground, respectively. Schwetz passed for 87 yards and had touchdown throws to Brandon Stranksy and Daron Browning.
Red Raiders update: Bellingham was not as fortunate in its first game under Steve Wilson, falling 55-12 at Mount Baker in its opener. Quarterback Justin Pruett passed for 135 yards and a touchdown, but was intercepted twice and saw two of his top threats - running back Marques Reynolds and receiver Kyle Redmond - go down with injury early. Isaiah White returned an interception 101 yards for a touchdown.
Key to the game: Bellingham simply has to get more production from its ground game, after being held to 12 yards on 21 carries last week. Losing Reynolds to an apparent shoulder injury hurt, but somebody else needs to step up.
Player to watch: Bellingham receiver Darice Haywood caught five passes for 110 yards and a touchdown, and Bellingham will need another big game from him, especially if Reynolds and Redmond are still banged up.
LYNDEN AT ANACORTES
Time: 7 p.m., Friday, Sept. 7
Site: Anacortes High School
Lions update: Lynden had to do some last-minute schedule shuffling, drew a showdown with King's and BYU-bound quarterback Billy Green and lost 42-39. Green touched the Lions' veteran secondary for 259 yards and five TDs through the air. Running back Luke Christianson and quarterback Josh Kraght each rushed for 138 yards for Lynden, and Kraght threw for 159 yards and two TDs. John Shine and Jaremy Martin were on the receiving end of those scoring throws.
Seahawks update: The Andy Haynie era at Anacortes opened with a 21-0 loss to visiting Friday Harbor last week. The Seahawks moved the ball with some efficiency, gaining 208 yards of total offense, but couldn't push it into the end zone, as they came away empty deep in Friday Harbor territory three times. Quarterback Tristen Hayes passed for 115 yards, while Rich Postera was the top Seahawk running back with 67 yards on 18 carries.
Key to the game: In spite of the short preparation time, Lynden made no excuses for seeing its 14-game win streak come to an end. But the Lions obviously want to bounce back quickly in their first NWC 2A/3A game of the season.
Player to watch: Senior Dak Shagren was Lynden's top receiver, catching four passes for 50 yards. He also was 4-for-4 on extra-point attempts and booted a 26-yard field goal in his first game replacing Santiago Lopez at kicker.
TERRY FOX (B.C.) AT BLAINE
Time: 7 p.m., Friday, Sept. 7
Site: Blaine High School
Ravens update: The 2,000-student school from Port Coquitlam will be playing its first official game of the season, though it traveled to Ottawa and beat the St. Mark's Lions 42-7 in a controlled scrimmage last week. The team is ranked No. 5 by The Province in its Big 5 rankings. Coach Tom Kudaba has served as the head coach for the British Columbia provincial under-18 team the past three years.
Borderites update: Blaine opened the season against another Canadian team, beating New Westminster (B.C.) 50-16. Running back Mario Gobbato picked up where he left off last year, rushing for 217 yards and five touchdowns. The impressive thing, though, was it took him only 15 carries to post those numbers. Receiver Isaiah Jackson also added a 45-yard touchdown run, as Blaine rushed for 303 yards. Sophomore quarterback Nate Kramme passed for 59 yards and a touchdown.
Key to the game: The level of competition is expected to step up this week for the Borderites. Their defense, and in particular their pass defense, was impressive in Week 1, allowing only 155 yards of total offense.
Player to watch: Running back Cole Muder is expected to take some of the pressure off Gobbato this year. He only carried the ball five times for 11 yards last week, but he also caught two passes for 40 yards.
MERIDIAN AT LAKEWOOD
Time: 7 p.m., Friday, Sept. 7
Site: Lakewood High School
Trojans update: Meridian struggled in its opener, as it lost 42-8 to Burlington-Edison. Quarterback Max McGuinn threw for 110 yards and a touchdown, but was intercepted four times. Relijah McMillen caught four passes for 47 yards and the Trojans' only touchdown. Meridian was held to negative-6 yards on the ground on 15 attempts, as Letrez Jones was the Trojans' top back with 15 yards on five carries.
Cougars update: Lakewood, which advanced to the Class 2A state quarterfinals last year, opened its season with a 35-7 victory at Tacoma Washington last week. Quarterback Justin Peterson rushed 15 times for 151 yards and two touchdowns, while Donovan Evans rushed for 91 yards and a pair of scores on 12 carries. Peterson, who had an interception on defense, also passed for 102 yards and TD to Paulmer Gregory.
Key to the game: After replacing a number of pieces up front and star back John Murphy, Meridian has got to get its running game going. The good news is the Cougars allowed 217 yards on the ground last week.
Player to watch: Meridian junior Sam Chambers was Meridian's top offensive threat in Week 1, as he caught five passes for 58 yards.
SULTAN AT MOUNT BAKER
Time: 7 p.m., Friday, Sept. 7
Site: Mount Baker High School
Turks update: Sultan played North Mason, the team that played Lynden beat in the first round of the 2A state playoff last year, tough, losing 14-12. The Turks had a chance to win on the final play of the game, but a field goal attempt went wide left. Quarterback Antonio Rivas threw for 134 yards and two touchdowns and added 42 yards on the ground.
Mountaineers update: Mount Baker was impressive in its season-opening 55-12 victory over visiting Bellingham last week. Jake Schleimer rushed for 143 yards and two touchdowns on 16 carries, while Izaiha Schwinden added 130 yards and two more scores on 11 carries. Andrew Zender passed for 110 yards and a touchdown, while the defense forced three turnovers and scored touchdowns on all three.
Key to the game: Mount Baker is probably going to be tested a little bit more this week, meaning the Mountaineers will have to cut down on the four turnovers and nine penalties they committed last week.
Player to watch: Senior Zan Roman caught two passes for 67 yards and a touchdown and returned a fumble 47 yards for the first score of the game last week.
LUMMI AT LA CONNER
Time: 7 p.m., Friday, Sept. 7
Site: La Conner High School
Blackhawks update: Lummi broke in its new FieldTurf playing surface with a sparkling offensive display in a 64-28 victory over Pomeroy last week. Four Blackhawks scored touchdowns rushing and four scored receiving. Deion Hoskins led the Lummi ground game with 58 yards and a touchdown on eight carries, and added three catches for 45 yards and another score. Dimitry Sampson also scored on the ground and through the air, while Jared Tom passed for 183 yards and three touchdowns.
Braves update: La Conner, which advanced to the 2B state playoffs last year, opened the season with a 63-20 victory at Life Christian Academy last week. The Braves had three players go over 100 yards rushing, led by Dahlton Zavala's 116 yards and two touchdowns. Quarterback Sean Hurlbert rushed for 115 yards and a touchdown and threw for 106 yards and three scores, while Jimmy Garcia rushed for 109 yards. Jamall James caught all three TDs from Hurlbert.
Key to the game: This will be Lummi's first 11-man game in nearly two years, since it lost to Sehome 27-8 in a game that was scheduled midweek on Sept. 17, 2010.
Player to watch: Dino Williams proved to be a threat both on the ground and through the air, rushing for 52 yards and catching five passes for a team-high 102 yards and a touchdown last week.
FORKS AT NOOKSACK VALLEY
Time: 2 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 8
Site: Nooksack Valley High School
Spartans update: Forks opened its season by winning 45-0 at Chimacum. The Spartans scored on all four of their second-quarter drives, and none of those drives lasted more than five plays. Tre Harris caught a pair of touchdown passes, while Brett Pederson had a couple of touchdown runs. The Spartans ran the ball effectively, even with All-Peninsula running back Shane WhiteEagle out for the season, and obviously their defense played well.
Pioneers update: Nooksack Valley survived a late Sehome rally and a 30-minute delay for lightening in the distance to grab a 17-6 season-opening win last week. Sophomore quarterback Tanner Myhre looked good in his first start, passing for 135 yards and two touchdowns and rushing for a team-high 92 yards. Joey Scheffer caught three passes for 36 yards, and Bret Rediger nabbed four for 32, while Joe Luton and Tyler Warner combined on a game-clinching sack.
Key to the game: The Pioneers would like to get a little more offensive production, especially against a team that scored 45 points and pitched a shut out last week.
Player to watch: Trey Handy proved he can do more than catch the ball, as he rushed three times for 29 yards last week. He also caught a team-high six passes for 48 yards and two touchdowns.
Reach DAVID RASBACH at david.rasbach@bellinghamherald.com or call 715-2271.
