A heavyweight rivalry, a 1A team upsetting a 3A squad, a four-touchdown performance by a running back and a second-half comeback were some of the biggest moments in week one of Whatcom County high school football.
Eight of 11 local teams picked up wins, and only one local squad lost to an opponent from outside of the county. Here were some of the top performances from week one.
Lynden lashes Golden Eagles
The matchup of the week was defending 2A state champion Lynden versus 3A power Ferndale in Blaine.
The Lions showed they’re the favorites to repeat after scoring in all four quarters to seal a 24-7 win, and holding the Golden Eagles scoreless until just over nine minutes left in the game.
Lynden coach Blake VanDalen praised his assistant coaches for getting the team ready for a week one battle.
“They did a great job of preparing the kids, and we were defensively way ahead of where I thought we would be,” VanDalen said.
Troy Petz provided the firepower for Lynden, taking the Lions’ botched punt snap 64 yards for the score. He later drilled a 40-yard field goal as well.
Lynden next heads to Chehalis, Lewis County, for a non-league 2A matchup with W.F. West on Friday. Ferndale hosts fellow 3A Wesco North foe Oak Harbor on Saturday.
Sehome sparks comeback vs. Mounties
Facing a 12-0 deficit to Mount Baker at the half, Sehome head coach Kevin Beason and his coordinators and assistants had plenty of challenges for the Mariners in the locker room.
“We talked about pad level, being more physical and doing our job,” Beason said. “We were trying to do a little too much. We challenged the offensive line to block better. We came out and attacked Baker like we thought we could.”
It worked. Senior running back Tommy Funk rumbled for 80 yards and a score on 14 carries, according to Whatcom Preps, and sophomore wideout Andre Watson caught 5 passes for 79 yards and a TD — all in the second half — as the Mariners engineered a 15-12 comeback victory.
Freshman quarterback Nolan Wright finished 8 for 13 passing for 111 yards, one TD and one interception.
“He did great,” Beason said. “He’s a very mature kid.”
Last year’s QB, Carson Neff, moved to three-back and put together an all-around performance, rushing seven times for 40 yards to go with a 17-yard reception.
Sehome continues non-league play when it heads to 1A Blaine on Friday.
“Jay [Dodd] will have them ready,” Beason said. “They’ll rely heavily on their tailback and run game. Defensively, they moved to a 3-4, so we’re preparing for that.”
Bellingham blitzes Cleveland
No one is accusing Cleveland High School in Seattle of being a powerhouse program. But Bellingham’s 48-14 win over the 3A Eagles was certainly a step in the right direction for first-year coach Adam Leonard and his Bayhawk squad.
Sure, the Eagles are coming off a winless season (0-7), but the Bayhawks have won just five games the past two years, including two last season, and look like they’re getting back to competitive form.
The Bayhawks struck quickly against Cleveland, scoring three touchdowns in the first quarter. Senior running back Logan Steeves spearheaded the offensive attack, piling up 160 yards and a TD on 16 carries for the night, while sophomore running back Tyler Frost added 67 yards and a score, according to Whatcom Preps.
Bellingham’s defense was even more impressive, stuffing Cleveland’s run game and holding the Eagles to zero rushing yards on 19 attempts.
Bellingham looks to keep momentum as it takes on Meadowdale at Edmonds-Woodway High School on Friday.
Squalicum stalls Orting
Fresh off a 2A state semifinal run, Squalicum made the long trek south to take on fellow 2A Orting, and came away with a tight, 28-21 non-league victory.
Notched at 21-21 with just under four minutes to play, junior quarterback Josh Leonard found sophomore running back Marcus Nixon for the game-winning touchdown. Leonard finished with three passing TDs.
“Offensively, our quarterback did a really good job,” Squalicum coach Nick Lucey said. “It was his first varsity start. He came through and did a good job righting the ship, and Marcus Nixon had a lot of big plays.”
Defensively, the Storm were led by senior safety Nick Watt, who racked up a team-high 10 tackles, including 1.5 for loss and one pass defended, according to Whatcom Preps.
“He is our bell cow on defense,” Lucey said. “There were a lot of big plays where he was the last one between the runner and end zone.
“We have a lot of guys that got their first extensive varsity football action. Our guys battled and it was cool to see them settle in and make some plays.”
Squalicum continues non-league play when it hosts 2A Fife on Friday. The Trojans are coming off a 43-6 win over Interlake.
“[Fife is] another Wing-T team from down south,” Lucey said. “Big, physical and fast.”
Nooksack Valley stuns 3A Mountain View
Perhaps the biggest surprise was Nooksack Valley knocking off Class 3A Mountain View, 15-14, at home Friday.
Trailing by seven, the Pioneers drove downfield and scored with three minutes left. They kicked a PAT, but the play was blown dead by an offsides penalty by the Thunder. That prompted NV coach Craig Bartl to go for two, which the Pioneers converted to take a one-point lead.
Mountain View marched downfield before the Pioneers’ defense finally dug in and held tough at the 15-yard line. The Thunder called a timeout as the final seconds clicked down to get its field-goal unit on the field.
Bartl then burned his final two timeouts in an attempt to ice the Thunder’s kicker. It must have worked as Mountain View missed on a 27-yard field goal as time expired, giving the Pioneers the upset victory.
“We controlled the clock,” Bartl said. “We were able to move the chains, and by doing that were able to take our time calling plays and keeping their offense off the field. They definitely had more bodies than we do and are a little bit quicker. It took us a series to adjust to their speed.”
Bartl couldn’t single out any one player who performed better than the others.
“It was genuinely a total team effort,” Bartl said. “Not one person outshined another. Just really a group effort from everybody in all phases of the game.”
Nooksack Valley next travels across the Cascades to take on Connell in a non-league match on Saturday.
“The growth from week one to week two is huge,” Bartl said. “Every year we say that. We’re going to go back to fixing some fundamental things and get better at those.”
Meridian mauls Granite Falls
Meridian running back Joshtyn Elmer ripped off four touchdowns as the Trojans hammered 1A Granite Falls 56-6 in a non-league match on Sept. 2.
Elmer, who finished with 211 total yards, including 159 rushing, according to Whatcom Preps, scored on rushing touchdowns of 61, 5 and 8 yards, then took a fumble recovery 36 yards for the score.
Sophomore quarterback Jaeger Fyfe kept the offense balanced with 258 passing yards and a score through the air.
Meridian’s defense was lights out, limiting Granite Falls to just 15 total yards of offense, including -20 rushing.
Meridian hosts 1A Chelan on Friday.
Lynden Christian lights up Seaquam
Lynden Christian came out the gates blasting to deliver a 60-6 drubbing to Seaquam Secondary at home on Sept. 2.
The Lyncs were buoyed by five interceptions on defense, taking three to the house as Seaquam was stifled from the get-go. Lynden Christian put up 27 points in the first quarter alone, then tacked on 19 in the second quarter and 14 in the third to seal the blowout victory.
Lynden Christian continues its non-league slate when it hosts 2A Archbishop Murphy on Friday.
Blaine breaks down vs. Port Angeles
After Blaine tied the game up at 13-13 in the third quarter, Port Angeles erupted for 20 unanswered points, all in the third quarter, to hand the Borderites a 33-19 road defeat.
In his first varsity start, quarterback Kael Evinger went 9 of 16 passing for 98 yards, completing passes to seven different players, according to Whatcom Preps. Sophomore Colby Shipp led the defense with 11.5 tackles
Blaine hosts Sehome in a non-league contest on Friday.
Football standings — Sept. 5
Wesco 3A North
| FOOTBALL | League | Overall |
|---|---|---|
| Team | W-L | W-L |
| Stanwood | 0-0 | 1-0 |
| Arlington | 0-0 | 1-0 |
| Marysville-Pilchuck | 0-0 | 1-0 |
| Mount Vernon | 0-0 | 0-1 |
| Oak Harbor | 0-0 | 0-1 |
| Ferndale | 0-0 | 0-1 |
| Marysville-Getchell | 0-0 | 0-1 |
2A Northwest Conference
| FOOTBALL | LEAGUE | OVERALL |
|---|---|---|
| Team | W-L | W-L |
| Anacortes | 0-0 | 1-0 |
| Lynden | 0-0 | 1-0 |
| Sehome | 0-0 | 1-0 |
| Sedro-Wolley | 0-0 | 1-0 |
| Squalicum | 0-0 | 1-0 |
| Burlington-Edison | 0-0 | 0-1 |
| Lakewood | 0-0 | 1-0 |
| Archbishop Murphy | 0-0 | 0-0 |
1A Northwest Conference
| FOOTBALL | LEAGUE | OVERALL |
|---|---|---|
| Team | W-L | W-L |
| Lynden Christian | 0-0 | 1-0 |
| Meridian | 0-0 | 1-0 |
| Nooksack Valley | 0-0 | 1-0 |
| Blaine | 0-0 | 0-1 |
| Mount Baker | 0-0 | 0-1 |
Independent
| FOOTBALL | LEAGUE | OVERALL |
|---|---|---|
| Team | W-L | W-L |
| Bellingham | 0-0 | 1-0 |
