Week 9 football: Lynden’s win streak ends, but Lynden Christian cruises in a rout
Lynden Christian’s 16 senior players needed a year to fulfill the opportunity to erase an extremely painful football sting. Lynden High’s 21 seniors remain convinced they can take away such a sting within a month.
“We’ll bounce back in the state playoffs!’ Lynden’s versatile Charlie Ayres said in the emotional wake of the Lions’ 15-8 loss to Anacortes for the Northwest Conference 2A title before an overflow crowd from both schools Friday at Rollie DeKoster Stadium.
One night earlier, down the road before a packed house, Lynden Christian’s 49-13 win over Mount Baker not only earned a top seed in the state playoffs, but enabled the NWC 1A champion Lyncs to distance themselves emotionally from last year’s luckless failure to qualify.
“Our offense has evolved and I love to see how the kids are gaining the confidence to call their own shots,” said second-year head coach Greg Terpstra. “They sometimes see situations I don’t see.”
Meanwhile, Wesco North 3A runner-up Ferndale used its 49-14 home win over Edmonds-Woodway to show that the Golden Eagles are worthy of a postseason Round of 32 home game in Week 10 against the winner of a three-way tiebreaker Tuesday among Timberline, Capital and Peninsula high schools. The game is Saturday, with time to be announced.
A fourth state qualifier from Whatcom County is also possible. Nooksack Valley’s 49-2 win over Blaine enhanced the Pioneers ‘ shot in a 1A winner-to-state game at Granite Falls on Friday.
Six other county teams will try to showcase their improvement in season-ending non-league games.
LYNDEN CHRISTIAN 49, MOUNT BAKER 13: The Lyncs (7-2, 4-0 NWC 1A) displayed their improvement against the Mountaineers (3-6, 2-2), who last year handed LC its only regular-season loss 48-34. Mount Baker went on to finish second at state after the Mounties advanced in a three-way playoff tiebreaker along with Nooksack Valley while the Lyncs lost out.
Lynden Christian made sure the same three-way scenario did not develop again, removing all doubt with a 35-0 lead.
On LC’s first play, quarterback Jeremiah Wright threw a reverse pass to wide receiver Dawson Bouma, who found Kayden Stuit wide open for a 38-yard score. It was Bouma’s first varsity touchdown pass in a three-touch Senior Night Special.
On LC’s next series, potential-packed junior running back Hollis Owen scored on a 10-yard run and Jacob Penner kicked the second of his seven conversions.
In the second quarter, Wright threw touchdown passes of 16 yards to Tyson Bajema and 18 and 10 yards yards to Stuit, who leaped to catch the former and dove to snag the latter. Stuit had four catches for 101 yards in his most productive game.
Wright completed 13 of 20 passes for 243 yards and four touchdowns, giving the 6-foot-6 prospect 1,100 yards and 21 touchdowns produced via running, passing and defensive plays, such as his 12-yard fumble return for LC’s final score against Baker.
Bouma turned a post pattern and Wright’s perfectly thrown ball into a 67-yard score on the second play of the second half.
“I called the shot on that one,” Bouma confirmed when asked how the play developed. Bouma also had his second interception of the season and gained 186 yards on five touches.
The Lyncs held the Mounties without a first down in the opening half. Junior running back Brady Bruland returned an interception 87 yards for Baker’s first score when backup quarterback Thomas DenHartog tried a long pass a few seconds before halftime.
“We didn’t lack for effort but we didn’t execute well,” said Baker coach Ron Lepper, who expressed pride in how his players tackled one of the toughest schedules in their history. The Mounties will host 2A Squalicum Thursday at 6 p.m. after six losses to 4A Wenatchee, 2A Sehome and four possible Round of 16 1A teams.
ANACORTES 15, LYNDEN 8: The Seahawks (9-0, 7-0) snapped two-time defending state champion Lynden’s 30-game NWC win streak while showing why Anacortes came in having allowed only seven touchdowns in seven games (the Seahawks also gained a forfeit).
The Lions (7-2, 6-1) had to play most of the game without the invaluable power running of 6-foot-6, 220-pound junior quarterback Brant Heppner.
“My ankle got rolled up on in the first quarter. I‘ll be okay,” said Heppner, who gamely tried to pass in the second and fourth quarters despite the leg injury. He wound up 6-for-22 for 76 yards and Anacortes star Rylin Lang intercepted Heppner’s last-gasp pass into the end zone with 1:36 left and not enough time left for Lynden.
“Brant will be ready to rock and roll (in Week 11 after a Week 10 bye),” said Ayres. “He looked us in the eye and told us he was a robot.”
Ayres, who played middle linebacker to lead the defense along with defensive back Zach Welch, took over at quarterback. Ayres ran for 46 of the 56 yards on a third-quarter touchdown drive, scoring from the 2, and added a gutty two-point conversion run for an 8-7 lead.
“I’m just so thankful for the people in our community,” said Ayres, referring to his recovery from injuries and ailments. “We did not play up to our full potential but Anacortes is an amazing team.”
Ayres finished with a game-high 71 yards rushing, but Anacortes would allow precious little more as both teams had season-low scoring. Isaiah Oudman tipped a pass and dove for a unique interception following Lynden’s scoring drive, but the Lions soon had to give up the ball on the Anacortes 47.
The Seahawks then drove 53 yards on 10 plays and scored on a 1-yard run by Brock Beaner. Quarterback Rex Larson passed for a two-point conversion to Lang for the game’s final points with 5:13 left.
Larson completed three of three passes for 31 yards on the grinding comeback drive and also ran twice for 15 yards. Beaner accounted for the rest of the crucial yardage with 12 yards on five carries.
The Lions could not take advantage of a first-quarter interception by Dani Bowler. When the Seahawks next earned possession, they drove 57 yards to score on Lang’s outstanding 17-yard catch in the right corner of the end zone on a well-aimed pass by talented senior Larson, who went 12 for 19 for 171 yards.
“I was proud of our efforts. This one’s on me,” said Lions coach Blake Van Dalen. “I did not make some adjustments as quickly as I should have.”
FERNDALE 49, EDMONDS-WOODWAY 14: Versatile senior Conner Walcker scored a career-high four touchdowns Friday at home, on an 11-yard run, a 60-yard pass-run from Bishop Ootsey, an 82-yard run and an 18-yard run. It was the fourth game this season that Walcker has scored both ways and he now has 11 touchdowns, with seven on runs and four on passes.
The Golden Eagles (7-2) led 35-7 at the half in the Wesco crossover seeding game, thanks also to 1-yard touchdowns by Talan Bungard, the junior’s 14th, and Dylan Moore. Ferndale’s last score was a 7-yard pass from Ootsey to Kleaveland Atwood.
“Conner had an incredible run after his catch,” said Ferndale coach Jamie Plenkovich. “He broke at least five tackles. He also played very well defensively.”
Walcker rushed 6 times for 130 yards and Phoenyx Finkbonner had 75 yards on 10 carries. Bungard, the county rushing leader according to the Whatcom Preps website, gained 159 yards on 15 carries to increase his total to 990 yards. Ootsey went 3 for 6 for 87 yards and now has eight touchdown passes on a primarily run-oriented team.
Kaden Eldridge kicked all seven conversions.
“Our kids really came out well,” said Plenkovich, who noted the defense was again solid.
Including Ferndale’s win, Wesco North 3A teams went 5-2 with two one-point losses, including champion Arlington’s 45-18 win over Monroe, Marysville-Pilchuck’s 45-18 victory over Snohomish, Mount Vernon’s 52-12 win over Lynnwood and Oak Harbor’s 44-10 victory over Shorewood. Stanwood fell to Mountlake Terrace 7-6 and Marysville-Getchell lost to Shorecrest 14-13.
NOOKSACK VALLEY 49, BLAINE 2: County scoring leader Colton Lentz, Skyler Whittern and quarterback Joey Brown ran for two touchdowns apiece and Brown threw a 4-yard scoring pass to Cory Olney at Blaine Friday.
Lentz has 104 points with 17 touchdowns and Whittern has 10 touchdowns. Brown has produced 17 scores running and passing combined. He completed 9 of 10 passes while raising his passing yardage to 891.
Blaine quarterback Colin Davis completed 12 of 21 passes for 146 yards, including three passes for 89 yards to Justin Minjarez, according to the Whatcom Preps website. Blake Koreski and Colby Shipp were in on at least 14 tackles combined.
Lentz had 12 carries for 127 yards to move to 923 for the season. The junior running back scored first with a 45-yard run, followed by Brown for 21 and 7 yards and Lentz for 2 and Whittern for 1 as the Pioneers built a 35-0 halftime lead. Olney and Whittern finished the scoring from the 4 and the 1.
Whittern ran 10 times for 68 yards and Brown four times for 45 yards. Cole Bauman caught two passes for 44 yards.
Jorgen Vigre kicked all seven extra points, making him 45 for 46 on the season.
MERIDIAN 23, BELLINGHAM 21: Landen Downey’s 19-yard field goal with five seconds to play ended the Bayhawks’ five-game winning streak in a thriller Friday at Meridian.
“Two freshmen, Trey Alexander and Kasey Brennan, made the biggest plays on our game-winning drive,” said Meridian coach Patrick Ames. “On a double pass, Trey threw for 32 yards to Christian Clawson on fourth and 14, and Kasey caught a 44-yard passing from Jaeger Fyfe to the 11 to help set up the winning field goal by Landen.”
Meridian (4-5, 0-4) took a 20-7 lead at the half on a 1-yard score by Downey, a 23-yard touchdown pass from Fyfe to Clawson and a 1-yard run by Josh Elmer, who also ran for a two-point conversion.
Bellingham (5-4) rallied with a 67-yard touchdown from Josh Leonard to Wyatt Stephan and Tyler Frost’s scores of 28 and 1 yards. Evan Isaly kicked the three conversions.
Elmer finished with 18 carries for 112 yards and five catches for 68 yards and a 24-yard kickoff return for a total of 204 all-purpose yards. Downey ran 15 times for 65 yards and Fyfe completed 14 of 28 passes for 190 yards and also caught an 8-yard halfback pass from Elmer. Clawson caught three passes for 72 yards and Brennan snagged three for71 yards and returned three kickoffs for 80 yards.
Downey now has 92 points including 11 touchdowns and three field goals. Elmer improved to 78 points with 12 touchdowns. Fyfe, a junior, has 1,584 yards passing and 12 scoring passes.
Leonard increased his county leading totals to 2,377 yards passing and 26 touchdowns. Josh Tolle caught six passes for 35 yards to improve to 61 catches for 897 yards and Stephan and Tolle each now have a school-record 11 touchdown catches. Stephan’s two catches for 127 yards gave him Stephan’s 26 receptions for 723 yards give the first-year senior player a county-best 28-yard average.
Holden Bates gained 108 yards on 16 carries to help set up Leonard, who has led Bellingham to at least three touchdowns in all nine games.
SEHOME 24, LAKEWOOD 20: Nolan Wright threw two touchdown passes to Andre Watson, including the eventual game-winner midway through the fourth quarter, and Brad Duckworth made a game-ending sack after Lakewood reached the red zone. Duckworth also caught a two-point conversion pass from Wright.
Solomon McAlister ran for a touchdown and Grady Evans kicked a field goal as the Mariners (6-3, 4-3) suffered no turnovers Friday at Civic Stadium.
Watson made an interception and Alden Jacobs blocked a conversion kick. Cole Turrell remained a force on the defensive line.
Watson’s 13 touchdown catches lead the county and Wright has thrown for 23 touchdowns and produced 26 including three runs. Wright completed 17 of 20 passes for 159, giving the sophomore 1,815 yards, and Watson’s seven catches for 76 yards increased his totals to 58 catches for 756 yards. McAlister led the ground game with 14 carries for 66 yards.
SEDRO-WOOLLEY 50, SQUALICUM 7: Junior quarterback Marcus Nixon threw 30 yards to Nick Laughlin for a touchdown in the second quarter for the young Storm (3-6, 1-6) on the road Thursday as the Cubs (6-3, 4-3) finished tied for third in the NWC 2A division with Sehome and Archbishop Murphy.
It was the ninth scoring pass for Nixon and his 21st touchdown produced by running and passing combined. Nixon combined for 134 yards passing and running before being forced from the game by a leg injury, according to Whatcom Preps.
In another NWC 2A game, Archbishop Murphy beat Burlington-Edison 20-7.
TULALIP HERITAGE 58, LUMMI 0: The home loss Friday ended the young Blackhawks’ tough season at 1-7 .
WEEK TEN
Thursday
Squalicum at Mount Baker, 6 p.m.
Friday
State Round of 32 opponent at Ferndale, day and time TBA
Nooksack Valley at Granite Falls, 7 p.m., winner-to-state 1A
Bellingham vs. Sultan at Civic Stadium, 7 p.m.
Sehome at Mount Vernon, 6 p.m.
Meridian vs. Cedar Park Christian at Juanita HS, 7 p.m.
Blaine vs. East Jefferson at Port Townsend Memorial Stadium, 6 p.m.
Lynden, bye
Lynden Christian, bye
Lummi, season complete
This story was originally published October 30, 2023 at 5:00 AM.
