In the on-field celebration after Ferndale's 55-14 NWC 2A/3A victory over Burlington-Edison on Friday, Sept. 21, one of Kameron Mckay's cousins got hold of him around the waist and picked him up. It marked the first time all night that anybody had been able to contain the senior defensive tackle.
Mckay was a fixture in the Tigers' backfield, turning in big play after big play. In all, he made four tackles for loss, had two quarterback pressures and deflected two of Dalton Schwetz's pass attempts.
Seemingly the only time he didn't get across the line of scrimmage was when teammate Richmond Baardson deflected a pass, and Mckay made a heads-up play to grab it for an interception.
"I just watched a lot of film this week and worked hard in practice," said Mckay, who was visibly tired but grinning from ear to ear. "We all practiced really hard this week. I just wanted to follow through on all the preparation I put in to get ready for this game."
At 6-foot-3, 200 pounds, Mckay isn't a prototypical defensive tackle, but his slashing speed allows him to "do what I can do," he said.
"He's extremely quick and can create a lot of problems for teams," Ferndale coach Jamie Plenkovich said. "I thought our whole defense played a great game. They were aggressive and got a lot of big hits and made a ton of big plays for us. We have a lot of speed on that side of the ball, and I think that showed tonight."
DAVID RASBACH
PRUETT DISCOVERS NEW TARGET IN REDMOND
From Week 1 to Week 3, Bellingham wide receiver Kyle Redmond hauled in one catch for two yards.
Darice Haywood surpassed 100 yards receiving against Mount Baker and last week against Squalicum. Nicholas Estrada eclipsed the 100-yard mark Week 2 against Burlington-Edison. Friday night, Sept. 21, against Blaine, it was Redmond's turn.
Trailing 24-14 in the third quarter, Bellingham needed a playmaker to step up. Redmond answered the call and became quarterback Justin Pruett's No. 1 target.
Redmond caught seven passes for 189 yards, including a 48-yard TD reception with 1 minute, 4 seconds left in the third quarter to cut Blaine's lead to 24-21.
After the Borderites went up two possessions early in the fourth, Redmond created more fireworks. On a must-have fourth-and-17 on the Blaine 32, Pruett scrambled to his right and heaved a ball into the back of the end zone. Redmond snatched the ball out of the air to give Bellingham new life.
Unfortunately for the Red Raiders, on Bellingham's final drive, trailing by eight with fewer than three minutes left, Pruett couldn't connect with Redmond on a fourth-and-2 on the Blaine 14.
Pruett was 21 for 41 with 320 passing yards and three TDs. He may have also found a new favorite target.
ANDREW LANG
LYNDEN BACKUPS GIVE STRONG MINUTES
Scooter Hastings, a 6-foot-6 sophomore receiver and the last of three tall and talented Hastings brothers in Lynden sports, tantalized fans with his potential when he caught three passes for 48 yards in the second half of the Lions' 42-12 win over Sedro-Woolley. Hudson Gratton, an improving senior backup at numerous positions, threw the passes and finished 4 for 7 for 62 yards, including his first touchdown pass - a 14-yarder to John Shine.
Gratton played the entire second half -- the Lions were up 35-0 at intermission -- because junior quarterback Cameron Wainwright, one of two talented backups behind all-state signal caller Josh Kraght, was out with a shoulder separation. Lynden coach Curt Kramme said he hopes Wainwright will be available again soon, though Gratton showed Kramme has yet another reliable athlete in his talent-rich senior class.
Meanwhile, Trent Postma, a 180-pound sophomore who started Lynden's first three games on the defensive line, said he hopes to be back in the lineup when the Lions face Sehome on Friday, Sept. 28, at Civic Stadium. He is recovering from a dislocated kneecap.
"That's what we're shooting for, next week's game," said Postma, who also filled in to rush for 62 yards against Mount Baker last week before being injured late in the first half. Postma was pleased to see returning standout Luke Christianson return from an injury to gain 129 yards rushing and 59 receiving on a combined 20 touches against the Cubs -- an average of nearly a first touchdown every time he touched the ball.
MICHELLE NOLAN
ANACORTES PENALITES NEGATED LC'S TURNOVERS
Despite turning the ball over five times, the Lynden Christian football team was able to defeat Anacortes 21-14 with a come-from-behind touchdown and two-point conversion in the fourth quarter. The Lyncs had the ball stripped repeatedly, fumbling four times and losing each fumble to the Seahawks.
Lyncs quarterback Daulton Hommes also threw an interception on his first drive of the game, filling in for injured starter Isaac Reimer.
Fortune smiled on the Lyncs, however, as the Seahawks racked up penalty after penalty for a total of 13 flags, resulting in 100 penalty yards. A key penalty came in the fourth quarter as the Lyncs threw the ball downfield. It was a desperate attempt to come back from one point down.
A Lynden Christian receiver found his feet tangled with an Anacortes defensive back, drawing a flag from the official. After much conversation, the officials decided on a 15-yard penalty on the Seahawks, resulting in an LC first down at the Anacortes 34-yard line. From there, the Lyncs pushed the ball all the way to the 1-yard line, where Will Scholten ran the ball into the end zone.
Lynden Christian coach Galen Kaemingk said the Lyncs would have to work on discipline and run defense to defeat Blaine this Friday, Sept. 28, in Blaine.
ALEX PETERSON
AMES RETURNS TO SIDLINES TO WATCH TROJANS WIN
The Meridian sideline had a familiar face once again as coach Bob Ames returned to the field for the first time after two weeks of being out with a sickness.
The Trojans rewarded him with a late game-winning touchdown with 16 seconds left.
"I can barely stand on the sidelines very well," Ames said. "It's going to be a month or so until I'm better. It's all I can do to go to practice."
Ames had to sit down after the game, but will look forward to recovering fully in the next few weeks.
KYLE ELLIOT
ZAVALA BREAKS SCHOOL KICKING RECORD
On a night Mount Baker rushed for 399 yards and accumulated over 400 yards of total offense, it was the kicker who found his way into the record books.
Senior kicker Edgar Zavala broke the school record for most extra points in a game with eight Friday, Sept. 21, against Cedarcrest.
"We've got about seven guys tied with seven PAT's in a game, and he's done it three times in his career," Mount Baker coach Ron Lepper said of Zavala, "It was really nice to get that for him."
ALEX BIGELOW
NWC 2A/3A GAME OF THE WEEK
SQUALICUM AT FERNDALE
7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 28
Two of the three teams with unbeaten NWC 2A/3A records meet when the Storm and Golden Eagles square off. Ferndale will certainly be flying high after its big win over Burlington-Edison on Friday, Sept. 21.
NWC 1A GAME OF THE WEEK
NOOKSACK VALLEY AT MOUNT BAKER
7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 28
The old Whatcom County League rivals meet again after posting matching 3-1 non-conference records. Both teams have spent the first four weeks answering questions, and now it's time to see what they learned.
