Whatcom football preview: Can Lynden, unbeaten since 2021, snag a 4th straight title?
Lynden’s state-leading 24-game winning streak provides compelling statistical evidence why many coaches and fans call the Northwest Conference the state’s toughest 2A league.
Once again, defending Wesco Conference champion Ferndale will try to snap the Lions’ streak when their classic Whatcom County rivalry resumes Friday night in a season-opener at Lynden.
The 3A Golden Eagles were the most recent team to beat the Lions, 35-25 in Week Two of 2021. Last year, Lynden’s 24-7 win over Ferndale opened what became the Lions’ second consecutive 2A title season.
The streak chart compiled by MaxPreps.com shows the Lions are tied for 20th in the nation. And sure enough, Lynden has had the toughest time doing so while winning by an average of 20 points — 33.8 to 13.8.
None of the other 20 teams has had such a tight margin, including current national leader Andale (Kansas) with 51 wins in a row.
When asked if his team has the potential to achieve the rare distinction of three consecutive state titles, Lions coach Blake VanDalen answered, “Yes — but it will sure be tough. There are no easy nights in our conference, and we have to beat (two 2022 state quarterfinalists) Sedro-Woolley in Week Four and Anacortes in Week Nine. They’re both loaded.”
Lynden is among seven schools to win three titles in a row since the state playoffs began in 1973, having done so in 2A in 20-11 through 2013.
The others are Bellevue in 3A (four in 2001-2004 and six in 2008-2013, although the last two were later officially vacated); Royal (2015-2017, 2019-2022 (with no state playoffs in the 2020-2021 school year) and Raymond (1973-1975) in 1A; Colton (1975-1977) and DeSales (1997-1999) in 2B; and LaCrosse/Washtucna (four in 2002-2005) in 1B.
Even though Lynden lost a raft of fine seniors, “loaded” also does a pretty good job describing the Lions, beginning with 6-foot-6, 225-pound junior quarterback Brant Heppner.
As a sophomore, Heppner displayed plenty of college potential in football as well as basketball. He alternated at quarterback with a solid senior leader, Kaedan Hermanutz, and Heppner showed how much he learned with a brilliant performance in Lynden’s 31-24 win over North Kitsap in Puyallup.
Heppner completed a third-down pass and followed with three fourth-down throws on an 82-yard game-winning drive. He then capped the drive with one minute to go with his third 1-yard touchdown burst of the game. He completed 13 for 19 passes for 173 yards to finish with 966 yards and 10 touchdowns with no interceptions on 56-for-87 yards passing. He produced 20 touchdowns by rushing and passing.
VanDalen praised Heppner for his offseason weight lifting and team leadership, saying “Brant can make all the throws.”
Heppner figures to have solid support with seniors Charlie Ayres and Luke Human at running back, junior all-league tight end Isaiah Oudman, and senior wide receivers Brady Elsner and Cooper Moore. Seniors Bennett Roorda and Kuyper Assink return as offensive line starters and juniors Blake Holman and Ryan VanBerkum and sophomore Carter Vrieling also show plenty of promise up front.
“Brant figures those five guys are taller and heavier as a group than our outstanding linemen on the two state championship teams,” VanDalen said.
Defensively, senior interior linemen Javier Zavala, Roorda and Assink and ends Oudman and Human figure to be solid starters up front along with Ayres and senior Kai Brown at linebacker plus Moore and Elsner at cornerback and seniors Weston VanDalen and Zach Welch at safety.
“I feel we have solid depth at every position offensively and defensively,” said VanDalen, who has guided the Lions to the state playoffs in all five of his opportunities as head coach (there were no state playoffs in the 2020-2021 school year).
TWO NEW COUNTY COACHES
Former Lynden line standout Andy Olson takes over at Blaine as the new head coach, and former Squalicum defensive coordinator Brian Young is now head coach at Sehome.
Young served five years as an assistant at Squalicum and earlier spent many years in a variety of local football coaching roles ranging from youth teams to semipro squads. He played three years at Towson State College and started at wide receiver, and was a standout as a 1981 graduate at Largo High in Upper Marlboro, Maryland.
Olson, a graduate of Gonzaga University, was head coach at Burlington-Edison the previous three seasons. He played as a 6-foot-3, 255-pound lineman on a state 2A title team as a junior at Lynden in 2006 and had a standout senior season there at center. He also served as an assistant coach at Lynden, including for the 2013 state champion.
“I remember starting at four of the five offensive line positions my junior year at Lynden,” he said.
TWO TRANSFERS TO BELLINGHAM
Josh Leonard, a 6-3, 215-pound left-handed passer — who threw for more than 1,500 yards and led the county with 16 touchdown passes as a junior at Squalicum — has received approval to transfer to Bellingham. He will play for his father, second-year head coach Adam Leonard, and with brother Ben Leonard, a freshman.
Jesse Harward, who helped Mount Baker to reach the state 1A title game as an all-league junior lineman, also has transferred to Bellingham, a 2A school that will again play as a football independent.
Bellingham likely already has set a school record with more than 80 players out for football, including standout running back/linebacker Tyler Frost. If the Bayhawks can go 9-0 in the regular season, they will earn a District 1 crossover shot in Week Ten at a 2A state tournament Round of 16 berth.
NOOKSACK, LC STAND OUT
Nooksack Valley, which lost only three senior starters off a 9-2 state 1A semifinalist, and Lynden Christian — 8-1 last year as 1A NWC tri-champion with Mount Baker and Nooksack — both enjoyed several highlights in a jamboree last Friday at Squalicum, where the 2A Storm and Sehome both took on the Pioneers and Lyncs.
For Nooksack, sophomore Matthew Blake scored on a 20-yard run and on a 10-yard pass from fourth-year quarterback Joey Brown. Junior Cory Olney scored on a 3-yard dash and on a 10-yard pass from Brown. Sophomore quarterback Evan Brown scored on a 5-yard run for his first varsity touchdown.
LC tallied three touchdowns, including a 20-yard run by junior Hollis Owen, a 14-yard pass from Dawson Bouma to Tyson Bajema on a trick play, and a 35-yard throw from Jeremiah Wright to Kayden Stuit.
Squalicum junior Joaquin Ortiz-McAlister scored on a 6-yard run and Sehome junior Andre Watson scored on a 35-yard pass from sophomore Nolan Wright.
PLETHORA OF QUARTERBACKS
Among the seven returning standout returning quarterbacks are Lynden’s Heppner, Bellingham’s Leonard, Nooksack’s Brown (23 touchdowns combined running and passing), LC’s Jeremiah Wright, Sehome’s Nolan Wright and Meridian‘s Jaeger Fyfe (all over 1,200 yards passing) and Ferndale’s Bishop Ootsie.
Other statistical standouts returning include Nooksack’s Colton Lentz (19 touchdowns overall, more than 1,500 yards rushing); Sehome’s Andre Watson (13 touchdowns overall and more than 1,000 yards receiving) and Meridian’s Josh Elmer (14 touchdowns overall and more than 1,000 yards rushing.
Perhaps the best statistic of all in 2022 was the 52-25 record posted by Whatcom County teams against out-of-county competition. Whatcom teams also posted 53 games with 30 or more points.
WEEK ONE
(With last year’s local records)
Friday’s games
Ferndale (10-3) at Lynden (13-0), 7 p.m.
Sehome (7-3) at Mount Baker (8-5), 7 p.m.
Squalicum (4-5) vs. New Westminster at Civic Stadium, 7 p.m.
Granite Falls at Meridian (6-4), 7 p.m.
Port Angeles at Blaine (1-9), 7 p.m.
Nooksack (9-2) vs. Mountain View at McKenzie Stadium, Vancouver (Wash.), 4:30 p.m.
Lynden Christian (8-1) at Lakeside Nine Mile Falls, 7 p.m.
Saturday’s games
Chief Sealth vs. Bellingham (3-7) at Civic Stadium, 1 p.m.
Taholah at Lummi (3-5), 2 p.m.
This story was originally published August 31, 2023 at 5:45 AM.
