Prep Football Roundup: Four local teams into the playoffs, four more knocking on the door
In what is likely a first for Whatcom County football, eight teams will dive into the final week of the league season with state tournament ambitions.
Such is the dramatic effect of the state’s new elimination round in Week 10 to create the state tournament field for Week 11 openers.
But first, plenty of exciting business remains in Week 9 on Thursday and Friday.
Four local teams are assured of Week 10 competition against teams to be named Sunday, Nov. 3 — Lynden and Sehome in NWC 2A and Lynden Christian and Nooksack Valley in NWC 1A.
Four more teams must win this week to have a shot at state.
To gain entrance to the State 3A Round of 32, Ferndale must win a Wesco North-South crossover game at host Shoreline at 5 p.m. Friday (tip: leave early because of the usual massive rush hour traffic on Interstate 5).
In NWC 1A, a three-way mini-playoff could be held Tuesday, Nov. 5, at Blaine. But to create that playoff, Blaine must beat Meridian at 6 p.m. Thursday at Blaine to create an opening for Mount Baker, which plays a non-league game at Omak at the same time.
If Meridian beats Blaine, the Trojans will be the third 1A Round of 24 qualifier, since that would be their second league victory.
However, the big question in the minds of many remains: Can fast-improving Sehome handle the challenge of mighty Archbishop Murphy in their final NWC 2A game of the regular season, at 6 p.m. Thursday? Lynden’s 7-3 win over Archbishop in Week 7 provided encouragement for Sehome.
“We can compete with them,” said Sehome star Andre Watson, who caught three touchdown passes from Nolan Wright in a 42-10 win over Squalicum on Friday, eliminating the Storm. “We feel the only team that can beat us is ourselves.”
“We have the potential for a good state run,” said Wright.
“That’s definitely true,” said Mariners coach Brian Young. “But we will have to play our best game.”
Is that enough excitement for you? If you want more, you’ll get it when Nooksack Valley plays at Lynden Christian at 7 p.m. Friday for the 1A championship.
Sehome 42, Squalicum 10: The Mariners (5-2, 6-2) played an amazing first quarter, while the Storm (3-4, 4-4) was handicapped by the absence of star running back Marcus Nixon. He sat out because of an ejection the week before at Port Angeles. The state ruled against the Storm’s appeal.
Sehome took a 21-0 lead with one of the finest first quarters in school history. The Mariners amassed 200 total yards on three drives, capped by Wright’s 10-yard scoring pass to Watson, Solomon McAlister’s 18-yard scoring scamper, and Wright’s 34-yard pass to Watson, who made a brilliant grab against a defender’s pressure. Grady Evans kicked the first three of his six extra points.
On the first drive, Wright threw 11 yards to Al Miller on third-and-10, then found Cooper McAtee for 23 yards. Defensive backfield star Coleby Chambers, in his new role as a rotation running back, burst for 33 yards to set up Watson’s first score, ending a game-opening 80-yard drive.
Sehome’s defense had good cause to sing Young’s coaching anthem, “Groovy, Groovy, Groovy … You Can’t Beat Us” because the Mariners held the Storm to 17 net yards in the opening period.
Wright scambled for a 22-yard touchdown in the second period and threw to Watson for a 13-yard score in the third period. Wright threw his fourth scoring pass, a 4-yarder to Theo Quiggle, on the opening series of the fourth quarter.
Wright completed 12 of 24 passes for 198 yards and one interception, by Zach Watt. Wright, a junior, increased his school record career totals to 58 touchdown passes for 4,862 yards. Wright has 22 passes for 1,635 yards and 22 touchdowns this season.
Watson caught five passes for 84 yards, increasing his county career records to 175 catches for 2,444 yards and his school record to 38 scoring grabs. He has 55 catches for 791 yards and 15 touchdowns this season.
For Squalicum, junior tight end Laki Fagaautau played running back and picked up 94 yards on 13 carries, with a 4-yard touchdown. Sophomore kicker Slade Kaiser made a 31-yard field goal. Cole Burke completed six of 12 passes for 51 yards.
Chambers ran seven times for 67 yards and McAlister carried 11 times for 66 yards. Miller had an interception.
Junior line standout Cole Turrell was on crutches after sustaining a knee problem, but he was optimistic he would miss only one game.
“I won’t play this week but I think I can play in Week 10,” he said.
Now Mariner fans can hope all their heroes can play well in both Weeks 9 and 10.
Lynden Christian 30, Meridian 29: The Lyncs (5-3, 3-0) rallied from a 22-0 third-quarter deficit with three touchdowns for a 22-22 tie with less than three minutes left in regulation.
Trey Bosman caught a 30-yard pass from Eli Maberry and after an onside kick recovery, Maberry threw for a 10-yard score to Boyce Robertson. Jacob Penner kicked the conversions.
The Lyncs then tied it on a three-yard run by Chris Kooiman and a two-point conversion pass from Maberry to Bosman.
In the overtime Kansas tiebreaker, Meridian (1-2, 5-3) quarterback Jaeger Fyfe scored on a 9-yard run and Landen Downey kicked the conversion for 29-22.
But the Lyncs won it and preserved their league title aspirations with a 3-yard score by Koiman and a do-or-die 2-point pass from Maberry to all-leaguer Bosman.
Meridian’s first three touchdowns were a 1-yard run by Fyfe, a 58-yard pass-run from Fyfe to Kasey Brennan and a 3-yard run by Kelley Gray. Downey kicked two conversions and ran for one, increasing his season point total to 105.
The coaches used statistics from the Whatcom Preps website to show that Maberry completed 22 of 42 passes for 278 yards, with three interceptions, including two by Trey Alexander. Fyfe went 16 for 27 for 207 yards and no interceptions.
Brennan caught seven passes for 109 yards. The LC trio of Robertson (five for 70), Bosman (four for 68) and Jayden Huleatt (four for 64) gave Maberry what he needed in the second half.
Downey gained 62 yards on 62 carries, and Gray had 52 on 11 runs.
Maberry, a junior, improved his season passing yards to 1,715. Fyfe has 1,340 during his third consecutive 1,000-plus yard season.
Ferndale 49, Sedro-Woolley 35: Talan Bungard rushed for 210 yards on 29 carries and scored five touchdowns three different ways, giving the senior all-leaguer 1,224 yards and 15 touchdowns for the season .
The host Golden Eagles (4-2, 4-4), snapped a 28-28 tie against Sedro-Woolley (6-2) in the third quarter on a 5-yard scoring run by Eli Kennerley.
Bungard ran for the final two touchdowns in the last six minutes as Ferndale maintained the lead, aided by 7-for-7 conversion kicking by Lincoln Thomas.
In the first half, Jacob Grandy scored on a 6-yard run and junior quarterback Nolan Boleak passed to Bungard for scores of 15 and 12 yards. Bungard also scored on a 42-yard fumble return and had two sacks.
Boleak completed 8 of 12 passes for 74 yards, according to Whatcom Preps. Gandy ran 10 times for 66 yards and Elliot Lenssen picked up 53 yards on seven tries and Kennerley gained 39 on eight carries.
Wyatt Strait joined Bungard with two sacks.
Ferndale is accustomed to Round of 32 games, since the 3A classification was the only one to have the format until; this season.
In other Wesco North games, Snohomish beat Marysville-Getchell 40-21, Stanwood defeated Mount Vernon 13-6 and Oak Harbor beat North Kitsap 20-17.
Anacortes (6-1, 7-1) shut out Burlington-Edison to remain tied for the NWC 2A lead with Lynden and Archbishop Murphy, all with only one loss.
Lynden 50, Lakewood 8: Versatile sophomore Malachi Koenen set a county record with 14 kick-scoring points and junior Max Assink ran for a career-best 136 yards and three touchdowns.
“Tyler Anderson (county historian) told me nobody had ever had that many kicking points in one game and that nobody in the county had ever had a first quarter like Malachi,” said Lyncs coach Blake Van Dalen, whose Lions (5-1, 7-1) will clinch a tie for the NWC 2A title with a win at Burlington-Edison on Friday.
In the first quarter alone, Koenen had three conversion kicks, a field goal, a touchdown run and two interceptions.
Lynden took a 37-8 halftime lead on a 29-yard run by Assink, a 24-yard field goal by Koenen, a 2-yard score by Brant Heppner, a 1-yard run by Koenen, a 78-yard reception by Dani Bowler from Heppner on a pass-run play, and a 12-yard run by Assink, plus five extra points by Koenen, who missed on one kick. He is now 25 for 26 this season.
Koenen’s other field goals were 42 and 25 yards, making him the first of many standout Lynden kickers with three field goals in one game.
Assink’s 1-yard run in the second half was his 12th of the season.
Heppner completed 11 of 22 passes for 239 yards while Bowler caught three for 139 yards and Isaiah Oudman grabbed seven for 93 yards.
“It was a good, workmanlike win,” said Van Dalen.
Heppner improved his season totals to 1,892 yards and 16 touchdown passes.
Mount Baker 49, Blaine 18: The Mountaineers (1-3, 5-3) had an astonishing total of seven touchdowns of 28 yards and longer. Their yardage on their touchdowns alone was 338 yards.
Dean Allred got the Mounties going with a 28-yard touchdown catch from Luke Smith, followed by a 75-yard score by Brady Bruland, a 42-yard pass from Smith to Shaun Dugger and a 34-yard pass from Smith to Allread. The first half was a career best for Smith.
Bruland scored on a 46-yarder and junior Brice Cooper provided the final two scores with runs of 70 and 43 yards. Freshman kicker Enoc Smith was seven for seven on conversions.
Lepper, who has coached at Baker for three decades, said “It’s a pretty good assumption” that the Mounties have never had so many long scores in one game of the school’s storied football history.
“We just played well, especially after our losses,” said Lepper. “I’m so proud our kids stayed with it.”
Lepper said sophomore Kell Reardon turned in an especially strong game at defensive end as he continues to make steady improvement.
Blaine (0-3, 5-3) scored on a 1-yard run by quarterback Colin Davis, a 4-yard run by Jaiden Paez and a 62-yard pass from Connor Brown to Colby Shipp on the game’s final play. There was a penalty on the play play, but Lepper said his team declined it.
“If we have a mini playoff, it’s been predetermined to be Nov. 5 at Blaine,” said coach Andy Olson, “because of the size of the facility and the turf.”
Bruland finished with 197 yards on 11 carries and Cooper had 111 on four packs. Smith completed five of seven passes for 129 yards, according to Whatcom Preps, which Baker uses for stats, and Allred caught three for 84 yards.
The touchdown for Paez was his 19th of the season. He rushed for 119 yards on 23 carries, giving him 1,328 yards for the season. Davis gained 57 yards on 13 carries.
Bellingham 33, Marysville-Pilchuck 6: Since Bellingham (1-5, 2-6) returned to the 2A NWC this year after playing as an independent in football only, this was the Bayhawks’ first league win since 2018.
Sophomore quarterback Ben Leonard, in his fourth career start, threw five touchdown passes and completed 26 of 37 for 358 yards and one interception.
His scores went for 26, 5 and 39 yards to Joe Harward, 47 yards to Bly Henderson and 19 yards to Gabe VanHofwegen.
“I absolutely love playing quarterback,” said Leonard, who switched roles with Harward at midseason. “I definitely wanted to play quarterback.”
Harward, a junior who is already one of the league’s best receivers, said he was happy for the switch.
“Ben has really stepped up at quarterback,” said Harward, who caught eight passes for 140 yards to go with nine catches for 148 yards by Henderson. “Ben is doing an amazing job. I thought he would be an outstanding quarterback. I love it.”
Bayhawks coach Adam Leonard also had plenty of praise for junior Tyree Jackson, who gained 80 yards on 16 carries in his first start at running back.
“We’re really proud of how Tyree played,” said Leonard, whose team led 27-6 at the half.
Junior Myllo Wright caught five passes for 34 yards and Van Hofwegen snagged two for 33 yards as Leonard often displayed uncanny accuracy for such a young varsity quarterback.
Montesano 34, Nooksack Valley 28: Colton Lentz rushed for three touchdowns and junior quarterback Evan Brown threw to Cory Olney for a score for the Pioneers (3-0, 6-2), but perennial state playoff contender Montesano (5-3) took advantage of several mistakes by the Pioneers in the Grays Harbor County community.
Lentz improved his season total to 22 touchdowns, with a school record 71 for his four-year career. The scoring pass was Brown’s 12th in his first season as the starter.
Tyler Martin kicked all four conversions.
“It was a tough loss, riddled with turnovers and penalties,” said Lentz. “Plus some mistakes, all of which can be corrected as we continue to work to improve.”
Full statistics were not available.
Charles Wright 53, Lummi Nation 14: Andrew Tageant scored on a 10-yard run and Joseph Pantalia added a 2-point conversion run.
Lummi’s first score was a 43-yard pass from Isaiah Yrizarris to Trevon Lee.
“We had a rough start, with a couple of hiccups that resulted in big plays for Charles Wright,” said Lummi coach Watiko Leighton. “We were able to bounce back and we controlled the ball for a while in the second half and scored twice.”
Lummi will visit Crescent on Saturday for a 1 p.m. game. Leighton said that his team will want to play a Week 10 game against a team from another district.
Upcoming games
Thursday
- Sehome vs. Archbishop Murphy at Civic Stadium, 6 p.m.
- Meridian at Blaine, 6 p.m.
- Mount Baker at Omak, 6 p.m.
Friday
- Ferndale at Shorewood, 5 p.m.
- Nooksack at Lynden Christian, 7 p.m.
- Bellingham vs. Squalicum at Civic Stadium, 7 p.m.
- Lynden at Burlington-Edison, 7 p.m.
Saturday
- Lummi Nation at Crescent, 1 p.m.
This story was originally published October 28, 2024 at 11:00 AM with the headline "Prep Football Roundup: Four local teams into the playoffs, four more knocking on the door."
