Friends line up as foes: Lynden and Lynden Christian meet for the first time since 1992
Lynden’s Baylor Ayres and Lynden Christian’s Logan Dykstra will be among the best athletes in their small town’s storied sports history never to have a shot at a state football or basketball championship as seniors.
But the longtime friends, both standout quarterbacks, suddenly find themselves with a prize they never anticipated: bragging rights for the ages.
“People will be talking about this game forever,” they both said in so many words while referring to the recently improvised match-up of the Class 2A Lions (3-1) and Class 1A Lyncs (3-0) on Tuesday, March 16 at 7 p.m. at Lynden.
Indeed, this will be the next-best thing to a state title game. In this pandemic school year, there are no playoffs in any sport in order to squeeze in three abbreviated seasons from February to June.
Sadly, only 200 people — including players, coaches, cheerleaders, officials and parents — will be allowed inside Lynden High’s spacious stadium due to the one-size-fits-all statewide pandemic restrictions.
This will be their first meeting since 1992, when they were both 1A schools in the old Whatcom County League.
Both head coaches, Lynden’s Blake VanDalen and Lynden Christian’s Dan Kaemingk, played in the once-cherished series for the schools they now coach.
Dykstra, whose football and basketball teams were both 1A state runners-up in his junior year, counts this historic game as a true blessing.
“Here’s a funny story about that. When we heard about the game (March 2), it was near the end of the school day and we (players) went screaming down the halls!” the affable senior said. “People were telling us to be quiet.”
Both Ayres and Dykstra came into the 2019 season as junior backups at quarterback behind established senior stars Brock Heppner of Lynden and Trajan Schouten of LC.
But the coaches felt the highly athletic juniors were too talented to ride the bench. VanDalen created a plan to alternate Heppner (who was also an outstanding receiver) and Ayres, while Kaemingk started Dykstra at linebacker and gave him some meaningful time at quarterback.
It all worked out well. The Lyncs went 11-2 and lost a 26-22 state title game in the final minutes to Royal, while the Lions made it to the state semifinals and finished 9-3.
“I’ve known Logan since fifth grade,” said Ayres. “We met through football and basketball. “We’re good friends with a lot of respect for each other. This game is going to be fun. Everyone (in town) is excited.”
The powerful 6-foot-2, 200-pound Ayres is always a threat to run for 100 yards and is a solid passer.
At 6-5 and 185, the lanky Dykstra is one of the state’s tallest linebackers and plays well there. But he looks like the quarterback prospect he is.
“I definitely want to play quarterback in college,” said Dykstra, who threw for five touchdowns and completed 13 of 17 passes for 283 yards in a 71-0 win over Bellingham, which now shows just how good he is. Bellingham came back to beat Blaine 30-19 and Granite Falls 45-13.
“This short season is giving us a chance to put together some film as seniors,” said Dykstra, who said another blessing has been in-person school all year at LC. Ayres had to learn remotely until Lynden opened on a hybrid basis at the same time football practice began Feb. 1.
Dykstra says he is “blessed with a lot of weapons,” including standout senior receivers Jackson Apol, Cole Moorlag and Shale Whittern. Likewise, Ayres has a first-rate running mate in fellow senior Caleb Wheeler, along with a promising sophomore receiver in Isaiah Stanley, among several solid targets.
Kaemingk noted that Dykstra “has always been a good runner and is always focused on getting us every yard we need.” The coach said Dykstra has improved considerably through “sheer hard work, especially in how well he can now throw the deep ball.”
Likewise, VanDalen only wishes this could be a full season in order to give Ayres a full shot at displaying his college-level talent.
“What I’ve learned about Baylor is what a fantastic runner he has become,” said VanDalen. “You tend to think of his passing because he can put so much zip on the ball, but he’s got about 500 yards rushing in our first four games.”
Both quarterbacks come from athletic families. Ayres’ father, Evan Ayres, played at Sehome and was an NAIA All-American offensive lineman at Central Washington, and his mother, Danielle, also was athletic. Baylor’s grandmother is Sehome gymnastics coaching legend Nola Ayres.
Dykstra’s father, Jeff, played football well on legendary coach Curt Kramme’s first state title team at Lynden in 1991, and Shannon Dykstra was a three-sport athlete at LC.
Logan Dykstra is an A student whose goal is to be a valedictorian. Ayres is also a solid student and plans to major in business administration.
“We like being the underdog,” said Dykstra, referring to the fact that Lynden has many more boys and plays in a higher classification.
“I don’t think there’s any fear,” Ayres said of the possibility of losing to a smaller rival. “It’s all positive. Everyone at both schools is just so excited.”
In an era when high school football participation has shrunk nationally, it’s still hugely popular in the sports-crazy town of Lynden.
In last year’s state tournament program, Lynden’s roster listed 84 players. This winter, VanDalen said the four-class turnout was 108.
LC, however, listed 47 players, which is a higher percentage of the male student body than Lynden.
Like we said, this is all about bragging rights.
GAMES OF TUESDAY, MARCH 16
Lynden Christian at Lynden, 7 p.m.
King’s at Mount Baker, 6:30
Oak Harbor at Nooksack, 7 p.m.
Ferndale at Mount Vernon, 7 p.m.
Blaine at Anacortes, 7 p.m.
This story was originally published March 15, 2021 at 11:05 AM.
