Lynden gets running game going at right time | The Bellingham Herald

Lynden has developed a reputation as owning dynamic offenses during its reign as one of the top Class 2A prep football powers.

This year has been no different, but while the Lions have thrived passing the ball, Lynden hasn’t generated a whole lot outside of Sterling Somers with their run game.

But running back Dalton Ohligschlager, who received a season-high 16 carries, showed he’s capable of churning out yardage when given strong workload during Lynden’s 37-14 NWC win over Blaine on Friday, Oct. 30.

The senior back carried 16 times for a season-high 101 yards and scored on a 12-yard TD run. Lesser-used Ben Colwell also scored on a 4-yard touchdown run, and the duo, combined with Somers could be clicking at the right time.

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“It’s really good,” Lynden coach Curt Kramme said. “We ran the ball well, and it’s always nice to be able to run the ball well coming into the postseason, so we are where we want to be.”

Golden Eagles played keep away to beat Cubs

Ferndale had a nice solution to slow down Sedro-Woolley’s high scoring offense.

The Golden Eagles played keepaway.

One of the many luxury’s of Ferndale’s grinding, run-heavy style of play is the Golden Eagles can drain time off the clock, and they used a ton of time against the Cubs.

Running back Austin Honeycutt’s 224 yards and the Golden Eagles’ 307 rush yards as a team had a lot to do with that.

“It really helps keeping them off the field,” Ferndale coach Jamie Plenkovich said when asked how his team was able to shut down the Cubs’ rushing attack. “To control the clock and not give them as many opportunities was everything we wanted to do tonight.”

Arguably Ferndale’s most important drive was a 16-play, 73-yard drive during the Golden Eagles’ first possession of the second half. Honeycutt ended the more than nine-minute odyssey with his third TD of the game, putting Ferndale in front 20-3.

Hielkema proves to be Mount Baker’s kryptonite

Lost in Lynden Christian’s loss to Mount Baker on Friday night was an incredible performance from wide receiver Nate Hielkema.

The senior pass-catcher hauled in eight balls for 196 yards and two touchdowns, the first of which was a 50-yarder from Ty Van Dyken to keep the game within reach.

He ran the same post route on nearly every one of his eight catches and was able to shred a stingy Mountaineers’ defense still working on improving the pass defense.

“They did a good job. They executed,” Baker coach Ron Lepper said after the game. “That play kills us. Hopefully we won’t play LC again and we’ll be OK.”

The Lyncs will be hoping for much of the same performance from Hielkema, who had 555 yards on 18 catches heading into the game, against a tough King’s team on Friday.

McGuinn brilliant against Nooksack Valley

Two related factors were key to Meridian’s 42-6 victory over Nooksack Valley.

The first was their ability to string together long drives, grinding out first down after first down and controlling the game clock.

The second was everything and anything senior quarterback Marcus McGuinn did. McGuinn played spectacularly and made big plays on just about every area of the field excepting punting.

He ran for 106 yards and a touchdown, making him the Trojans’ leading rusher for the evening. Not content with mere rushing yards, McGuinn tossed the ball for 288 yards and four touchdowns.

His only blemish was an interception thrown in the first half. He rolled outside the pocket and threw on the run off-balance.

But his impressive performance throughout the rest of the competition more than made up for the single error.

McGuinn’s steady presence confounded Nooksack Valley’s defense, and allowed the Trojans to dominate offensively.

Knutson shows versatility against Highline

It was Bellingham quarterback Nick Knutson’s leg, not arm, that made the difference in the Red Raiders’ 33-7 victory over Highline on Friday, Oct. 30 at Civic Stadium.

Knutson doubles as Bellingham’s punter and was able to pin Highline inside their own 20 four separate times. The Pirates couldn’t advance the ball past midfield on those possessions, which led to great field position for Bellingham’s offense.

Coach Ted Flint said Knutson always has had a great leg.

“Nick is an amazing punter,” Flint said. “He did it last year as a freshman, and he’s punting well this year. It’s a huge weapon.”

Knutson did showcase his arm Friday as he opened up the Red Raider scoring with a 12-yard pass to Joseph Worley at 8:59 in the first quarter. He was 5 of 11 with 58 yards.

Storm’s talent masks large number of penalites

Squalicum’s 56-14 win over Anacortes on Friday, Oct. 30, came despite a large number of penalties.

The Storm lost a total of 85 yards to penalties, many called on the offensive line for illegal motion.

To overcome so many lost yards and come back to earn eight touchdowns was a testament to the Storm’s dominating performance.

“Our offensive line did a great job,” Squalicum coach Nick Lucey said. “Beau Hubsch, Everett Turner, Kyle Basart, Andrew Napier and Jacob Burgoon did a great job up front.”

Lucey said as Squalicum moves into the postseason against the winner of the Tuesday Lakewood vs. Lakewood game, the team will focus on sharpening up their plays.