We are now onto week seven! Below are previews for all six games this weekend (yes, six, after Burlington-Edison forfeited against Lynden) as well as our predictions, a podcast that gives our thoughts on all the games and who we picked as our fantasy players for week 7! Thank you to Farhan Lalji for being our guest picker, and thank you to Colin Davis for the intro.
SQUALICUM (3-3) AT ANACORTES (6-0)
Time: 7:00 PM Friday
Site: Anacortes High School
What to expect: The Storm have some great athletes that will help matchup with the undefeated Seahawks, but Squalicum will need some other things to go its way in order to pick up the win here. Anacortes is loaded across the board, and it hasn’t had a let-down game all season. Each game, the Storm seem to find a new player that steps up to show that they belong. They might need a few of them in this contest.
Player to watch: Junior wide receiver/safety Joaquin Ortiz. He’s always a joy to watch, and he can move on the field like few in the area. He’s been making a huge impact this season in all three phases of the game, and don’t let his size fool you. He can really lay the lumber on defense.
Historical significance: The Seahawks hold a 9-7 advantage in this series all-time. In the 2015 matchup, Squalicum won 56-14 behind Garrett Sorenson’s four touchdown passes, three of which went to Ben Peterson.
Moving up the record book: Marcus Nixon is now 131 rushing yards behind Richard Watkines for ninth place on the school’s career rushing list.
BELLINGHAM (3-3) AT BLAINE (2-4)
Time: 7:00 PM Friday
Site: Blaine High School
What to expect: I really see this game coming down to the very end. The Bayhawks are on a roll, with three straight wins, and all thee being in dominating fashion. The Borderites are coming off their biggest win of the season against rival Meridian, and are back at home for this one. This will be Bellingham’s toughest opponent to date, and we will all see if this team is for real.
Matchup to watch: Bellingham senior Josh Tolle versus Blaine senior Jesse Deming. Tolle has been featured a lot by the Bayhawks in this current win streak, and he will need to be contained in order for the Borderites to come out on top. Deming is a great athlete that will try to stay with him, and then turn around and make some big plays from the slot position when he’s back on offense.
Historical significance: The Borderites won the first nine matchups between these two teams, from 2006 to 2016. Bellingham then won the next three, with Blaine winning last season. The 2017 thriller, which was won by Bellingham 36-35, saw both quarterbacks break school records for passing yards in a game. Cam Ellis threw for 439 yards for Blaine, and Nick Knutson passed for 403 yards for Bellingham.
Moving up the record book: Blaine senior wide receiver Hunter Vezzetti is now 73 yards away from becoming the ninth player in school history to surpass 1,000 career receiving yards.
MOUNT VERNON (1-5) AT FERNDALE (4-2)
Time: 7 PM Friday
Site: Ferndale High School
What to expect: The Golden Eagles have to still be fuming after last week’s loss on the road to Marysville-Getchell. If that result turned into a good week of practice, I would imagine that Ferndale will play light’s out tonight. Senior running back Phoenyx Finkbonner has turned into a touchdown scoring machine, with five in the last two games. Look for the Golden Eagles to play their brand of bully ball with extreme toughness and ball control.
Player to watch: Junior tight end/linebacker Lincoln Thomas. The converted quarterback has quietly had a very good season on both sides of the ball. His blocking has improved every week, and his aggressiveness on defense was evident in last week’s game against the Chargers.
Historical significance: Going back to 1969, these two teams have played each other 40 times. It’s also been very streaky, with Ferndale winning the last 15, after the Bulldogs won five in a row.
Moving up the record book: Since 2015 Conner Walcker is tied with James Hinson for the school’s most career interceptions with seven.
MOUNT BAKER (2-4) AT NOOKSACK VALLEY (4-2)
Time: 7 PM Friday
Site: Sid Lambert Field
What to expect: Everybody enjoyed the tremendous football that these two teams displayed against each other last season, in the regular season, the mini-play-in game at Blaine and the semi-final classic at Civic Stadium. This is a great rivalry, with a ton of respect on both sides. Teams have been able to run on the Mountaineers this season, more than in years past, and that is the strong suit for the Pioneers.
Matchup to watch: Mount Baker senior Vance Lawrence versus Nooksack Valley senior Duke Halaapiapi. This has been a battle for a few years now, with Lawrence at center and “The Duke” lining up over him on the nose. Halaapiapi has a weight advantage somewhere in the neighborhood of 135 pounds, but Lawrence is as tough as it gets at the high school level.
Historical significance: This the 105th meeting between the two long-time rivals, with possibly their best matchup being last year’s state semi-final game. In the September meeting of 1977, the Mountaineers won 28-14 with Clay Brown rushing for 128 yards and two touchdowns.
Moving up the record book: Nooksack Valley junior Colton Lentz passed Ty Willemsen last week on the school’s career rushing list, and is now in third place.
LYNDEN CHRISTIAN (4-2) AT MERIDIAN (3-3)
Time: 7 PM Friday
Site: Meridian High School
What to expect: Another longtime rivalry game, but this is no longer the Bob Ames versus Dan Kaemingk chess match that we all say for close to 30 years. These are two very creative teams that find multiple ways to score. LC is loaded with talent across the board, and love to find ways to get the ball to its playmakers as much as possible. Meridian is reliant on 13-15 strong players that rarely leave the field, and we’ll see how the conditioning holds for the Trojans.
Matchup to watch: Lynden Christian senior Tyson Bajema versus Meridian junior Jaeger Fyfe. Bajema is a great playmaker all over the field, and he loves to hit while on defense. At quarterback, Fyfe will need to be aware of him in the middle of the field at all times.
Historical significance: Since 1973, these two teams have played each other 81 times. The Trojans have won 53 of them, but the Lyncs have come out on top in the last four in a row. The last time Meridian was successful against Lynden Christian was in 2018 when Dawson Logan accounted for 382 yards and five touchdown of total offense.
Moving up the record book: Meridian senior Joshtyn Elmer passed Tyler Culp last week on the school’s career rushing list, and he is now in eighth place.
ARCHBISHOP MURPHY (3-3) AT SEHOME (3-3)
Time: 7 PM Friday
Site: Civic Stadium
What to expect: These two teams are almost polar opposites of each other, but are both more than capable of putting up points in a hurry. The Wildcats have really come on strong lately with a powerful running attack behind a huge offensive line. They rarely throw the ball, so Sehome may have to pack the box and make sure to make the tackle when it presents itself. The Mariners can throw it around as well as anyone, and Archbishop Murphy hasn’t played as well against strong passing teams.
Player to watch: Junior linebacker Carl Bach. The run heavy Wildcats plays right into Bach’s strength in the middle of the field. He has unbelievable strength for a player his size, and he rarely misses a tackle. He will need to read and react quickly to keep Archbishop Murphy from gaining first downs.
Historical significance: This will be just the fourth time these two teams have played each other, and most Sehome fans will delightfully remember the first meeting, which was a week-10 play-in game in which the Mariners beat the Wildcats on the road 37-9 behind the 241 passing yards and three touchdown passes of Jacob Kaepernick.
Moving up the record book: Andre Watson now holds the school record for receptions in a game (15), receptions in a career (97) and receiving yards in a career (1344). He is also just one receiving touchdown away from tying Melloy Nelson for most career receiving touchdowns, and he still has a long career ahead of him.
LYNDEN LIONS (5-1) SENIOR NIGHT and COMBINE
Time: 7 PM Saturday
Site: Rollie DeKoster Field
What to expect: Get there at 4:45 for the Lion Parade. Shortly followed is the tailgate, which costs $10. At 7:00, the Lynden Lions will officially have their senior night now that Burlington-Edison has forfeited the game. They are making the best out of a bad situation, though. Band, cheerleaders, and mini cheer will all be there! Free admission, and you’ll get to see a team combine which includes a weigh lifting contest by the linemen, 40-yard dashes, 7-on-7 competitions with the JV and the varsity, and maybe longtime assistant coach Ed Bomber will attempt to catch a few punts? You’ll have to show up and find out!
