Pair will have their shots at big plays as Lynden, Mount Baker play for titles Saturday
.JPG "Lynden teammates Colin Anker (18), left, and Isaiah Oudman (30) celebrate with Isaiah Stanley (8) after scoring a touchdown in the fourth quarter on Friday evening Sept. 2 at Blaine High School.")
On many other high school football teams, Lynden’s Isaiah Stanley might have 1,000 yards receiving and Mount Baker’s Brady West could have at least hundreds of yards rushing.
But the odds are that Stanley and West, two of the best unsung players in Whatcom County, wouldn’t be in a state championship game on another team.
That’s why they consider themselves among the state’s most fortunate seniors, even if they are not among the best-known in the county.
For the most part, they are indeed unsung, but with any luck, they will have their shot at making big plays when Lynden (12-0) meets North Kitsap (12-1) for 2A honors and Mount Baker (8-4) faces Royal (11-1) for the 1A title in two of the state’s six divisional championship games, all Saturday.
Mount Baker plays at noon at Harry Lang Field in Lakewood and Lynden’s opening kick will be at 5 p.m. at Sparks Stadium in Puyallup, so local enthusiasts can see both games.
Stanley is a three-year starter at wide receiver and rotates in the defensive backfield. West starts at linebacker for the second varsity season and is among the best blockers in any Northwest Conference offensive backfield.
They also take pride in being asked to serve on special teams. Stanley has served as a skillful holder for three seasons for star kicker Troy Petz and West is a leader on any kickoff or punt team he is asked to help.
“On any other team with any other scheme, Isaiah would probably be a 1,000-yard receiver,” Lynden coach Blake VanDalen says of Stanley, who leads the Lions with 43 catches for nearly 600 yards and three touchdowns.
“But we’re primarily a running team and Isaiah forces other teams to put their best athlete on him, or to double-team him, and so he helps our running game by drawing defenses out. And Isaiah doesn’t mind working this way in our system.”
VanDalen was thrilled to see Stanley enjoy his first 100-yard game with seven catches for 101 yards in Lynden’s 54-7 win over Black Hills in the Round of 16. He didn’t get the chance to catch a pass in the Lions’ 42-13 win over Highline in the quarterfinals but he grabbed a pair in Lynden’s 41-14 victory over previously unbeaten Enumclaw in the semifinals.
Typical of Stanley, his catches for 10 and 7 yards from Brant Heppner both came on third-and-two plays to extend Lynden’s first scoring drive of 98 yards on 10 plays after the defense stopped Enumclaw on the 2-yard line on the game’s opening series.
“He almost never drops the ball,” said VanDalen, whose team has amassed more than 400 total yards in each playoff game with 1,004 yards rushing and 262 passing. “Even when he drops one in practice, we like to kid Isaiah by saying, ‘Come on! Can’t you catch the ball?’ ”
“I like to think I can count on one hand the number of drops I’ve had each year,” Stanley, the son of William and Theresa Stanley, said with a chuckle. “I think it’s three this year.”
Stanley has caught more than 100 passes with a dozen touchdowns in three seasons, including the six-game abbreviated season as a sophomore.
“I love everyone on our team. I couldn’t be more appreciative of where I am in my life than where I am now,” said Stanley, a Ferndale area resident but a student in Lynden since grade school. His sister, Naomi Stanley, is a Ferndale High junior on the girls‘ basketball team.
West can gain yards when needed — his only carry in Baker’s 14-13 win over Nooksack Valley in the semifinals was good for a 9-yard first down, and he’s had other good runs. But with standout senior Marcques George fewer than 60 yards away from 2,000 this season, and other productive ground gainers in running back Wilhem Maloley and quarterback Landon Smith, West knows he is most valuable for run-oriented Baker with his stellar blocking.
“I absolutely love blocking the most,” West, a co-captain, says of his football duties. “But I also love playing defense.”
West’s favorite blocking memory came in Baker’s 6-0 win over Nooksack in the historic three-way Kansas Tiebreaker playoff of NWC 1A tri-champions for the league’s two allotted state playoff spots (Nooksack later eliminated Lynden Christian 3-0).
“I saw on video how I made two blocks of different players for Marcques, who is great at using his blockers, and he went on to score the winning touchdown on his 21-yard run,” said the 5-foot-11, 196-pound West.
Nobody appreciates West, the son of Mark and Tammy West, more than Baker coach Ron Lepper.
“Brady is part of our glue,” Lepper said. “He does whatever needs to be done, and he does a great job.”
West says, “Our goal is to get a ring for Coach Lepper.” Mount Baker is seeking its first state title.
Stanley loves football so much that he says, “I want to play as long as I possibly can. I want to soak up every moment of it.”
Stanley is looking at attending Orange Coast College in Southern California. (There are no community college football teams in Washington or Oregon.)
“My friend Baylor Ayres (a former Lynden quarterback) is the starting quarterback at Orange Coast,” said Stanley, who says VanDalen turned him into a place kick holder when he saw what good hands he has.
West also wants to play at a community college, but he also has good hands and will turn out for baseball. He pitches, catches and plays at third base for Mount Baker and is looking forward to his third year as a starter (he lost his freshman season to COVID-19).
“I’ve always thought baseball is my best sport,“ West said.
Right now, though, look for No. 8 (Stanley) and No. 44 (West) in their football title games. Chances are you will see them make key contributions, one way or another.
STATE CHAMPIONSHIP GAMES
All games Saturday, Dec. 3:
4A: Lake Stevens (11-2) vs. Kennedy Catholic (12-1), 5 p.m. at Mount Tahoma High School
3A: Eastside Catholic (12-0) vs. Yelm (13-0), Noon at Sparks Stadium, Puyallup
2A: Lynden (12-0) vs. North Kitsap (12-1), 5 p.m. at Sparks Stadium, Puyallup
1A: Mount Baker (8-4) vs. Royal (11-1), Noon, Harry Lang Stadium, Lakewood
2B: Okanogan (12-0) vs. Napavine (12-0) 5 p.m., Harry Lang Stadium, Lakewood
1B: Neah Bay (11-0) vs. Liberty Bell (11-2), Noon, Mount Tahoma High School
