Lynden Christian doesn’t go out without a fight in loss to King’s

Lynden Christian did not make the Class 1A State Playoffs, but the Lyncs nonetheless could be much more than just a little proud of how they went out.

“That was the best half of football we’ve played,” said defensive coordinator Dan Kaemingk, expressing obvious pride in how the Lyncs shut out one of the state’s most explosive teams in the second half of LC’s 21-7 loss to King’s in a Northwest District playoff game Friday, Nov. 6.

“To be down 21-0 at the half and to come out and play that hard was remarkable,” he said. “This team grew up tonight, even though sadly it’s their last game.”

Head coach Galen Kaemingk couldn’t have agreed more.

“Like I just told the kids, I was so proud of their effort,” he said.

Nate Hielkema, who had a brilliant senior season — especially considering he was essentially a varsity rookie — scored the game’s final touchdown on a 25-yard pass from backup quarterback Colby Flint. Hielkema made a sensational leaping catch over two King’s defenders on the play at the end of the third quarter.

Hielkema, who caught most of his passes this season from injured starter Lucas Roetcisoender, finished the year with 28 catches for 779 yards and 11 touchdowns. Galen Kaemingk said he had to be one of Whatcom County’s most improved players. Junior running back David Bladies, meanwhile, rushed for 94 hard-earned yards Friday and finished with 911 yards for the season.

The Lyncs (5-5) limited the Knights (9-1) to 86 total yards in the second half. In fact, there were so many defensive standouts it would not be fair to single anyone out.

LC wasn’t bad in the first half, either, especially considering the Lyncs were facing a team that came in averaging 39.5 points in their eight wins.

After LC sophomore Jordan Riddle recovered a fumbled punt, Flint found Zach Roetcisoender for 15 yards to the King’s 12-yard line.

At that point, quick defensive back Cooper Wright jumped a route and returned an interception 83 yards for the game’s first score. On their first offensive possession, the Knights drove 89 yards on 14 plays, scoring on a 2-yard burst by Caleb Perry for a 14-0 lead.

On King’s next possession, quarterback Koa Wilkins hit Jake Welch in stride near the right sideline with a beautiful pass for an 83-yard score. That made it 21-0, but the Lyncs thoroughly frustrated the Knights on their final seven possessions.

Hielkema’s touchdown was set up by one of the oddest plays the LC coaches said they had ever seen. King’s punter Jack Van Dyke, the victim of a bad snap, tried kicking the ball like a soccer player (without otherwise touching it) and the boot went only 7 yards, setting up the Lyncs on the King’s 28-yard line.

LC finished with 146 total yards, but that included five sacks of Flint for minus-47 yards. The Knights were held to 265 yards, but 172 were on Welch’s touchdown catch and the only other King’s scoring drive.

The Lyncs limited King’s star running back Andrew Cline — who rushed for 206 yards a week earlier — to 90 yards on 20 carries. Other than the 83-yard touchdown pass, Wilkins gained only 52 more yards through the air.

“King’s did a couple of things on defense that we hadn’t seen (in scouting),” Galen Kaemingk said. “Both of our quarterbacks (Flint and sophomore Ty Van Dyken, both of whom worked hard with the injured Roetcisoender during the week) were also dinged up.”

LC had a couple of other scoring opportunities, but the Knights also showed they know how to play defense well enough to possibly make a deep run in the state playoffs.

This story was originally published November 6, 2015 at 10:54 PM with the headline "Lynden Christian doesn’t go out without a fight in loss to King’s."