Lynden Christian victory over Mount Baker spreads icing on coach’s birthday cake
Dan Kaemingk used words like “precious” and “cherished” to describe what his Lynden Christian football team meant to him, especially during an unforgettable final week and on his birthday, no less.
One of his many senior standouts, wide receiver/safety Cole Moorlag, used the phrase “state final feeling” to describe unbeaten LC’s 33-14 win over previously undefeated Mount Baker on Saturday, four days after the Lyncs’ historic 28-21 victory over Lynden.
The students in the home cheering section serenaded Kaemingk when he came out after halftime with a loud “Happy Birthday” for his 58th. And even though he had a lot on his mind with a 14-14 tie, Kaemingk turned around to acknowledge many of the kids he has taught with a gratified grin.
“This was the best gift I could have ever received,” he said of his team’s second-half comeback.
Moorlag caught eight passes for 173 yards and two touchdowns from senior quarterback Logan Dykstra as both acknowledged they will always remember their pandemic-shortened (5-0) but oh-so-sweet season.
“This week was the next best thing to playing for a state title,” said Moorlag, who did just that in 2019 with a 26-22 loss to Royal.
“The time we (he and his staff and the players) had together was precious,” said Kaemingk, who has been head coach for nearly half his life. “We can always cherish this together.”
Kaemingk had no trouble spotlighting the game’s most important moment.
“It was when Colin Sterk made that sack (of Baker’s star quarterback, Mason Jacoby) to end the first series of the second half,” Kaemingk said. “I thought it turned everything around and set the tone for the second half.”
Sterk, who was a backup as a junior, helped set the offseason standard in the weight room “and it showed with his improvement,” Kaemingk said.
He caught a 34-yard touchdown pass from Dykstra for a 7-7 tie with 3:38 left in the first half. Jackson Apol’s 48-yard kickoff return set up the play.
Jacoby, who also intercepted Dykstra twice, responded with a 39-yard scoring strike to fellow senior Garrett Smith, soon after a 31-yard kickoff return by Ayden Rodriguez. But that was to be Baker’s final score of its 5-1 season.
Caleb Ryan’s 1-yard touchdown after Moorlag’s 35-yard grab in full strike tied the memorable battle 14-14 after Apol booted the conversion with 29 seconds left in the first half.
On LC’s first series after Sterk’s big sack, Dykstra fired passes of 20 and 27 yards to three-sport standout Moorlag, the latter for the touchdown that put the Lyncs up for good.
Moorlag soon made a 33-yard punt return, setting up a 17-yard touchdown sprint by David Bootsma, who was among the quickest of a lot of quick players on both teams.
The ever-resilient Lyncs somehow fended off Baker standouts Jacoby (12 for 28 for 198 yards), Toby Jefferson (29 rushes for 100 yards) and Rodriguez (seven catches for 100 yards) the rest of the way.
Moorlag then wrapped it up with 3:55 to go with a 17-yard catch of a nifty pass by Dykstra to the left corner of the end zone. That gave Dykstra totals of 15 for 31 passing for 272 yards, including three touchdowns for 19 on the season plus more than 1,000 yards in only five games. Dykstra also rushed 10 times for 70 yards.
LC sophomore Tyler Sipma made an 18-yard catch to help set up Moorlag’s game-clinching score.
Jefferson scored Baker’s first touchdown with a 1-yard burst. But other than his 100 yards, the Lyncs limited Baker to 92 yards on the ground, including four sacks of Jacoby.
“I thought we had a real good effort,” said Baker coach Ron Lepper. “Our kids played hard and we can live with that.
“Deep down, I’m very pleased we were able to get six games for these kids,” said Lepper, who finished his 25th season as head coach and has a deep respect for Kaemingk.
Assuming playoffs resume with the fall season, the Mounties will bid for their ninth consecutive state berth.
LC scored 235 points and had 35 touchdowns in its five games.
OTHER SATURDAY GAMES
The 10 teams from Whatcom County in the Northwest Conference finished with an 18-2 record against out-of-county competition and enjoyed a 736-312 scoring advantage in the 20 games.
BELLINGHAM 30, NOOKSACK VALLEY 13
In his first year of high school football, senior quarterback Trevor Johnson completed what is likely an all-time local record of having a role in 103 consecutive points from scrimmage across three wins for the Red Raiders (3-2). Johnson either ran or passed for all the touchdowns and did all the kicking.
“That’s just crazy,” Johnson said. “But all our guys worked so hard.”
Johnson completed 12 of 24 passes for 261 yards, including an 80-yard touchdown pass to junior Johnny Twedt for a 16-0 lead 40 seconds before halftime. Johnson scored Bellingham’s first touchdown with an 8-yard run, then added scores of 2 and 3 yards for a 23-0 lead early in the third quarter and a score on Bellingham’s final play.
Manny Depalma provided Johnson with outstanding support with five catches for 92 yards and Kyle McColl did the same with four grabs for 76 yards. They each had major roles in Bellingham’s touchdown drives.
For Nooksack Valley (2-4), Cody Coppinger completed 14 of 26 passes for 178 yards with no interceptions and touchdowns of 35 yards to Scout Whittern and 14 yards to Colten Brower. Coppinger also ran 18 times for 100 yards and caught a 38-yard pass from freshman Joey Brown to tally 316 total yards.
Whittern also was outstanding with three catches for 62 yards, including a tackle-breaking 35-yard touchdown in the third quarter, and five rushes for 53 yards. Jordan Silva finished with 98 yards on 16 rushes as the Pioneers amassed 467 yards but were frustrated on six of their eight ventures into Bellingham territory.
“I guess I’ll have to walk tall in the hall,” quipped Bellingham coach Robb Myhre, who still teaches at Nooksack after coaching the Pioneers for 20 years.
“Seriously, I’m just so unbelievably proud of our guys to come back with three wins after losing 71-0 to Lynden Christian,” Myhre said. “A lot of teams would have folded. Bellingham couldn’t finish the season last year, but these guys were amazingly hard workers.
Nooksack’s Dawson Kimball caught four passes for 44 yards and made an interception as new coach Craig Bartl’s team fought hard all the way.
LYNDEN 27, SEHOME 13: Caleb Wheeler gained well over 150 yards and scored two touchdowns and quarterback Baylor Ayres scored twice on keepers as the Lions (3-2) broke away from a 13-6 halftime lead.
“Caleb ran the ball about 10 straight times for more than 70 yards to set up Baylor’s first score,” said Lions coach Blake VanDalen, whose team claimed their third consecutive title with a three-way co-championship with Ferndale (5-1) and Squalicum (4-1). The Lions went -3-1 against Class 2A/3A competition in the improvised conference for winter 2021.
“Then Wheeler had the key block on Baylor’s second touchdown,” VanDalen said.
For Sehome (3-2), quarterback Jacob Kaepernick scored on a 1-yard keeper in the first half and threw a 15-yard scoring pass to sophomore Max Malo in the second half.
“We had a lot of injuries, really dinged up, and I was proud of our defense,” said Sehome coach Kevin Beason.
FERNDALE 40, SEDRO-WOOLLEY 21: In the last game in Ferndale’s soon-to-be remodeled stadium, the Golden Eagles got five touchdowns and likely more than 200 yards rushing from sophomore Isaiah Carlson, said senior co-captain Andrew Monks.
“Isaiah was running all over everyone,” said Monks. “He made it easy for us on Senior Day.”
Junior wingback Thomas Broselle contributed one touchdown on a run for the Golden Eagles (5-1), who scored more than 40 points for the fourth game.
“It was fun to get to play all six games,” said Monks. “It was definitely worth it to have football.”
SQUALICUM 40, OAK HARBOR 8: Junior running back Ben Schlenbaker ran for four touchdowns and surpassed 1,000 yards rushing in only five games with more than 200 yards Saturday. He finished with 14 touchdowns.
Senior quarterback Mason Binning, capping his second big season, threw a medium range touchdown pass to his standout junior receiver Kai Posey.
A lineman, Jayden Raymond, scored the Storm’s other touchdown when he recovered a teammate’s fumble in the end zone.
Bryce Pennock and Josh Gallegos had interceptions for the Storm, who likely would have earned a third consecutive state playoff berth under coach Nick Lucey, had there been playoffs.
ANACORTES 27, MERIDIAN 14
The Trojans (1-1), who missed three games because of COVID-19 exposure, held a 14-0 lead midway in the third quarter thanks to touchdowns by Bryce Johnson on an 8-yard pass from Tucker Harrison and a keeper by Harrison.
“Anacortes scored on a pass of about 86 yards and they scored the last four touchdowns of the game,” said Trojans coach Patrick Ames, who credited senior running back Trey Naidu with an outstanding effort.
The Trojans had only six seniors, so Ames hopes for good results in the regular fall season.
“It was worth the effort to play, especially for our seniors,” Ames said.
