Lynden Christian’s Matthew Burrows prepares to square off against Tenino scoring machine
.jpg "Lynden Christian tight end Kade Eldridge (44) runs 21 yards for a touchdown during the third quarter in the Lyncs Division 1A conference game Oct. 22. Lynden Christian went on to defeat Mount Baker 12 to 0. The No. 3 team now plays No. 6 Tenino at noon, Saturday, Nov. 20, at Civic Stadium in Bellingham.")
Lynden Christian linebacker Matthew Burrows, who is fascinated by the study of history and has helped make school football history of his own by playing a vital role in four consecutive shutouts, couldn’t believe one of the oddest developments in state playoff annals.
“We watched Tenino (on the internet) and we were stunned. It seemed like they scored every time they had the ball,” he said of the Beavers’ 80-55 win over Freeman Saturday, Nov. 13, the day after the Lyncs opened the Round of 16 with a none-too-surprising 50-0 win over Granite Falls.
That’s right, 80 points in Tenino’s first state playoff win since 1986.
So even with a 144-0 advantage over their previous four opponents — including a 12-0 win over Mount Baker — and a six-game win streak, Burrows says the Lyncs will be anything but overconfident when they meet the Beavers in the quarterfinals Saturday, Nov. 20, at noon at Civic Stadium.
The only common opponent for both teams was Onalaska. The Lyncs (6-2) beat the Loggers 38-20 Oct. 8, two weeks after Tenino (10-1) prevailed 20-14.
Both Onalaska and Tenino rarely pass, so coach Dan Kaemingk can be pleased that his team already has seen an opponent similar to the Beavers.
“He plays with a ton of passion that we feed off,” Kaemingk said of Burrows.
“Matt patiently waited for his opportunity and has taken advantage of it in his senior year,” the coach said of the agile and muscular 6-foot-2, 205-pound two-way standout. “He did a fantastic job of preparing himself for the season physically in the weight room.”
Burrows says the weight room helped all the linemen improve because they took it seriously.
“I absolutely love weight lifting,” said Burrows, whose best squat is 410 pounds and whose best bench press is 280.
The Lyncs will need exceptional muscle to handle 6-foot-4, 240-pound Takari Hickle, who has 1,821 yards rushing and 23 touchdowns after gaining 406 yards against Freeman.
Tenino, not far from Olympia, lists 552 points and 4,885 yards on its Maxpreps internet stat sheet after gaining 801 against Freeman (7-3), which was tied 28-all at the half with the Beavers. Tenino’s lone loss was 24-22 to Eatonville, which is seeded No. 2 and beat East Jefferson 58-0 in the Round of 16.
Having given up 198 points, Tenino has not been as successful defensively as the Lyncs.
As a sophomore, Burrows got a taste of state championship pressure when he appeared on the kickoff coverage team in LC’s 26-22 loss to Royal.
“Being there definitely inspired all of us,” he said of LC’s current all-senior line.
Burrows says that patience is only one of the values football has taught him.
“What I remember is working my way into the line rotation for our last two winter games,” he said of LC’s biggest winter victories — over Lynden and Mount Baker. The Lyncs finished 5-0 as the county’s only unbeaten team during the abbreviated late winter opportunity to play what amounted to half a regular season.
Burrows, the son of Anthony and Janet Burrows, is a lifelong Whatcom County resident. He isn’t sure what college he will attend — or whether he will play football — but he knows he’s interested in a career in international business. He’s looking forward to a lot of travel because he loves to learn about history, culture and human and physical geography.
“I’ve always shared that love of history with my dad, who is finance director for the city of Lynden,” Burrows said.
Burrows began to realize what both history and football meant to him when Kaemingk was his history teacher in seventh grade.
“Coach has a way of making history fun to learn,” he said. “He makes it so students want to learn.”
Burrows says the Lyncs especially want to win their first state title since 1997 “because we want to win it for the senior dudes who didn’t get the chance to get back in the playoffs last school year.”
Burrows admires senior team leader Will Colwell, who has throw 18 touchdown passes with solid protection in his first year as the starting quarterback. In addition to left tackle Burrows, the senior regulars on the line include Roman Meenk, Denver DeJong, Andrew Tanner, Andrew Jewell and Carter VanLoo.
The Lyncs will play the first game in a historic tripleheader Saturday at Civic Stadium.
In the 2A quarterfinals, No. 4 seeded Squalicum (7-2) faces No. 5 Ridgefield (11-0) at 3:30 p.m. and No. 2 seeded Lynden (9-1) meets No. 7 Prosser (10-1) at 7 p.m.
For those into bracket study, it’s intriguing to note that Lynden Christian and Royal are again in opposite brackets in Class 1A, as are Lynden and Squalicum in 2A.
STATE QUARTERFINALS NOV. 19-20
Class 2A
No. 6 Steilacoom at No. 3 North Kitsap.
No. 7 Prosser at No. 2 Lynden, 7 p.m. Saturday, Civic Stadium.
No. 5 Ridgefield at No. 4 Squalicum, Saturday, 3:30 p.m., Civic Stadium.
No. 9 Enumclaw at No. 1 Tumwater.
Round of 16 scores
Lynden 34, Fife 0.
Squalicum 49, Highline 14.
Steilacoom 30, Othello 13.
North Kitsap 42, Shadle Park 0.
Prosser 34, Chehalis W.F. West 29.
Ridgefield 27, Orting 14.
Enumclaw 38, Hockinson 28.
Tumwater 56, East Valley 7.
Class 1A
No. 6 Tenino at No. 3 Lynden Christian, noon, Saturday, Civic Stadium.
No. 7 Riverside at No. 2 Eatonville.
No. 5 King’s at No. 4 Lakeside (Nine Mile Falls).
No. 9 Toppenish at No. 1 Royal.
Round of 16 scores
Lynden Christian 50, Granite Falls 0.
Tenino 80, Freeman 55.
Toppenish 26, Mount Baker 22.
Riverside 27, Montesano 20.
Eatonville 58, East Jefferson 0.
King’s 28, Zillah 14.
Lakeside (Nine Mile Falls) 42, Omak 0.
Royal 50, Bellevue Christian 6.
