“No-maintenance player” Matthew Furdyk holds the line for his coach and Lynden teammates
When the pandemic led to the closure of Whatcom County high school training rooms and public gyms last March, Lynden line leader Matthew Furdyk wouldn’t give up on his beloved weight-lifting workouts.
Instead of using Lynden’s state-of-the-art weight room for nine months, Furdyk turned to his family’s home gym and even invited a few football teammates to work out there.
“And if I didn’t have our home gym, I would have found a way,” said the affable two-way line standout, displaying the determination that has made him exceptional in several ways.
The result: The 6-foot-1, 255-pound senior is closing in on his goals of 405 pounds in the bench press and 615 pounds in the squat. He’s already not far off those remarkable marks, which would be extremely challenging school records for future Lions linemen.
“Those have been my goals since my sophomore year,” said Furdyk, who recalls he entered Lynden at about 170 pounds as a freshman.
The stronger-than-ever Furdyk has moved from right guard to center for the delayed and abbreviated Northwest Conference football season. He’ll be big No. 59 Friday night on the Ferndale field when the Lions and Golden Eagles match 1-0 records in one of the state’s classic rivalries with a 7 p.m. kickoff.
Lynden coach Blake VanDalen, whose team reached the Class 2A state semifinals last year and finished as state runner-up in 2018, says Furdyk is pretty much the ultimate in reliability.
“There are high-maintenance players and low-maintenance players, but Matthew is a no-maintenance player,” he said. “He’s just extremely consistent in everything and is a captain. He’s at the elite level as a scholar-athlete. To be both so smart and so strong is highly unusual.”
Furdyk is just as dependable in the classroom, with a 3.96 grade-point average. After learning remotely for nearly a year, he’s now back at school with a hybrid attendance model, including two days each week of in-person attendance.
A returning two-way starter on the line, he’s been part of two consecutive wins over the Golden Eagles.
His focus now is winning all five games in the Lions’ short but meaningful season.
“I have the rest of the school year to reach my weight-lifting goals,” said Furdyk, who also hopes to have an outstanding track and field season (right after football ends, since there won‘t be a post-season) in the shot put, discus and javelin.
He says he encourages younger kids to get involved in properly supervised weight-lifting, just as he recalls doing for the first time in seventh grade.
“I really developed a passion for it,” he said.
He plans to major in mechanical or aerospace engineering and is considering attending Montana State University to prepare for a career with the likes of Boeing or NASA.
“I’d like to compete in either football or track in college,” said Furdyk, whose junior track and field season was wiped out by the pandemic.
He dreams of the NFL, especially since he is an accomplished long snapper for place kicks and punts. Exceptional long snappers are always in demand.
“In college, I’m hoping to play defense,” he said “I enjoy that the most.”
VanDalen is grateful that he has Furdyk available to snap for two sophomores, kicker Troy Petz and holder Isaiah Stanley, whom the coach says are focused on the hard work needed to give the Lions their traditionally strong kicking game.
Furdyk has three fellow seniors on the starting interior offensive line: left tackle James Sorensen, left guard Christian Bethea, and Caelan Dietrich, along with junior Gresham Assink.
VanDalen said they performed especially well in Lynden’s 27-13 season-opening road win over Mount Vernon on Saturday.
“We really had a great 99-yard touchdown drive with our line, our (returning) quarterback Baylor Ayres and running back Caleb Wheeler,” VanDalen said. “That was right after our goal line stand when Mount Vernon reached our 1-yard line on first down on their first possession of the second half.”
Unless changes are made, few fans will see NWC games in person. Because of pandemic restrictions, only 200 people are allowed in stadiums including players, coaches and cheerleaders.
FRIDAY’S NWC GAMES
Lynden at Ferndale, 7 p.m.
Squalicum at Mount Vernon, 7 p.m.
Mount Baker at Blaine, 7 p.m.
Sehome at Oak Harbor, 7 p.m. (subject to change)
Lynden Christian vs. Bellingham at Civic Stadium, 7 p.m.
SATURDAY’S GAME
Nooksack Valley at Meridian, 7 p.m.
Michelle Nolan is in her 19th year of covering high school football for The Bellingham Herald. She can be reached at michelle.nolan.comics@gmail.com
