BY JEFF WOOD – For Whatcom Preps
FERNDALE – In a long and storied rivalry game the Ferndale Golden Eagles beat the Lynden Lions 35-28 on a warm and sunny fall Friday evening at Ferndale Memorial Stadium.
Unlike the previous few seasons, this game was not the first game for the teams, and the offenses were able to keep the scoreboard operator busy.
Lynden opened up the scoring in the first quarter, cashing in on a 9-play drive with a touchdown pass from senior quarterback Gordy Bedlington to fellow senior wide receiver Sam Arango. The Lions were able to convert on a fourth down with an 8-yard Dawson VanDalen carry earlier from the 25-yard line to keep the drive alive.
Over half of the quarter was used by the methodical Lynden offense and with 5:05 left and the PAT good, it was the Lions up 7-0.
Ferndale answered with their familiar wing-T attack, running the ball on eight of its nine plays, which culminated in a 22-yard touchdown run by senior wingback Jony Mahaffey. After a successful PAT, the score was knotted at seven with 57 seconds left in the first quarter.
Special teams then played a big part of the next score, as a well-covered kickoff caused Lynden to begin its next drive at the seven-yard line. Ferndale forced a 3-and-out and was then able to block the Lynden punt when senior Brock Heuck split through the line and get a hand on the ball. After the scrum in the end zone, junior Lucas Bailey ended up on the ball resulting in a Ferndale touchdown.
Just one play into the second quarter the momentum shifted to the home team, and it was 14-7 Golden Eagles on top.
The Lions then went on a nine-play drive looking to answer, continuing their deliberate play-calling with a heavy dose of VanDalen and Bedlington runs. A shotgun snap that went over Bedlington’s head and a sack by junior defensive lineman Peace Windwalker gave the ball back to the Ferndale offense.
Ferndale was unable to take advantage of good field position due to some offensive procedure penalties and a sack by Lynden senior defensive lineman Zach Dykstra.
A short Golden Eagle punt gave the Lions the ball in plus territory at the 38 yard-line. Lynden took advantage, bleeding almost all of the clock and scoring a touchdown on a keeper by junior quarterback Austin Postma. Ferndale had only 47 seconds left and took it to the half with the score tied at 14-14.
After the teams emerged from their respective locker rooms, the Ferndale offense came out in a full house backfield. Lynden however, was not phased, and forced a quick punt.
The Lion offense didn’t click and another shotgun snap issue on fourth-and-2 gave senior Wyatt Broyles an extra second to sack Bedlington at the Lion 33-yard line.
The Golden Eagles then started feeding their workhorse, Elliot Lenssen. He carried the ball on six consecutive plays culminating in an 8-yard touchdown which gave Ferndale a 21-14 lead. The key play was a well blocked sweep play on 4th-and-16 where Lenssen was able to gain the edge on the wide side of the field and pick up a crucial first down.
The Lions were not about to go quietly into the night and less than two minutes later, Lynden answered on a 5-yard Postma touchdown run. Postma previously hit Arrango with a 53-yard fade pass that moved the Lions into the red zone. This PAT by sophomore Jax Maggard, as all did in the game, split the uprights and again the game was tied at 21-21.
The following Lynden kickoff dropped into a voided territory and the Lions were able to recover it giving them a chance to take the lead at Ferndale’s 28-yard line. Ferndale’s defense had a different idea though, and a strip sack on fourth down by senior defensive lineman Braden Arps had the black out crowd screaming in the home stands.
Looking to seize on the momentum, Ferndale kept running the ball for positive yards. A Golden Eagle quick-hitting trap play looked to be a long run but instead the ball was fumbled and jumped on by the Lions.
Lynden was in business in Golden Eagle territory, but on their second play from scrimmage they fumbled the ball back to Ferndale.
This time, the Golden Eagles didn’t squander the opportunity. They took seven plays to go 25 yards and got into the end zone, taking the lead 28-21 on a Lenssen 3-yard plunge.
With just under six minutes left in the game Lynden went to the air. Solid secondary play and a relentless rush by Ferndale’s defense forced the Lions into a 4th-and-16 from their own 24. Postma tried to run it but was only able to get six yards and Ferndale got the ball once again.
It was no secret who was going to get the ball for the Golden Eagles. Lenssen showed why he is one of the top backs in the state scoring on a 23-yard touchdown run, with the Ferndale offensive lineman paving the way. The first two-score lead of the game was 35-21 with the Golden Eagles on top and only 2:24 left to play.
Bedlington kept up the fight and he quickly marched the Lion offense down to the red zone. From the nine-yard line, he found senior tight end Cayden Brown for a touchdown bringing it to a 7-point game.
Only 46 ticks remained on the clock motivating the Lions to attempt and onside kick. The squib went to the turf, with Ferndale recovering and securing the victory.
As the clock expired, a hard fought 35-28 win for the Golden Eagles was celebrated by the hometown crowd, players, and coaches well into the night. Another chapter was closed in the Epic that is the Ferndale/Lynden rivalry.
The Golden Eagles (3-0) will host Glacier Peak (1-2) on Thursday night. The Lions (2-1) will also play on Thursday night when they host Bellingham (1-2) at 7:00.
Ferndale 35 Lynden 28 LYN 7 7 7 7 - 28 FER 7 7 7 14 - 35 LYN - Arango 10 pass from Bedlington (Maggard kick) FER - Mahaffey 22 run (McManus kick) FER - Bailey recovered blocked punt in the end zone (McManus kick) LYN - Postma 1 run (Maggard kick) FER - Lenssen 8 run (McManus kick) LYN - Postma 5 run (Maggard kick) FER - Lenssen 3 run (McManus kick) FER - Lenssen 23 run (McManus kick) LYN - Brown 9 pass from Bedlington (Maggard kick)
LYN FER 29-113 Rush Att-Yards 43-239 8-13-0 Comp-Att-Int 2-3-0 165 Passing Yards 4 Individual Leaders RUSHING - LYN: VanDalen 13-68, Postma 10-46, Rentas 1-5, Bedlington 15-(-6). FER: Lenssen 31-182, Mahaffey 3-35, Broyles 6-22, Larson 1-3, Saab 2-(-3). PASSING - LYN: Bedlington 7-11-0-112, Postma 1-2-0-53. FER: Saab 2-3-0-4. RECEIVING - LYN: Arango 3-79, Brown 3-61, Pease 2-25. FER: Lenssen 1-2, Baader 1-2.
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