BY MAKAYLA SPARKS – For Whatcom Preps
FERNDALE – Lynden senior Max Assink missed most of the regular season due to an injury, but returning to the field on Saturday, he was ready to make up for lost time.
He led the second-half charge with his hat trick of touchdowns that powered the Lions to a 28-14 victory over the West Valley Eagles in first round of the 2A state playoffs on Saturday afternoon at Ferndale High School.
It was a slow start for both teams, as the defenses continued to turn each other away in the red zone, and neither offense could gain control of the momentum. It wasn’t until midway through the second quarter that the Lions finally broke the 0-0 tie. Junior quarterback Gordy Bedlington connected with senior wide receiver Dani Bowler on a 42-yard pass for the game’s first touchdown, and Lynden took a 6-0 lead.
The Eagles matched the Lions’ touchdown four minutes later and took a one-point lead going into halftime.
Entering the second half, it still felt like the momentum wasn’t swinging in anyone’s favor, but West Valley had the best chance of securing it, as it received the ball to start the half.
However, the Lions had other plans. Assink fell on top of a loose ball, and junior linebacker Adam Holman came up with it to secure the fumble recovery shortly into the third quarter. Assink then found the endzone on a three-yard run and ran in the two-point conversion, retaking the lead for Lynden 14-7.
Then, to secure the momentum, Assink followed big-time blocks thrown by Lofa Tigilau and Malachi Koenen, found a lane down the far sideline and raced 42 yards for his second touchdown shortly after the start of the fourth quarter.
The Eagles scored their second touchdown with just over eight minutes left in the game, but Assink powered into the endzone from 10 yards away, a minute and two seconds later, to maintain Lynden’s two-score lead.
Assink finished with a game-high 182 yards on 20 carries.
With around four and a half minutes left in the game, West Valley was knocking on the door of scoring, but Lynden wasn’t letting up now. Bowler got a hand in front of an Eagle pass and tipped the ball into the air. The ball then found the hands of Lions senior defensive back Brody Price, who originally found a gap and charged 97 yards for a pick six, but the touchdown was called back.
However, the interception stood, and that was enough for Lynden as they collected a few more first downs before watching the clock run out on their 28-14 first-round win, paving their path to the quarterfinals.
Lynden 28 West Valley (Spokane) 14 WVS 0 7 0 7 - 14 LYN 0 6 8 14 - 28 LYN - Bowler 42 pass from Bedlington (kick failed) WVS - 16 yard touchdown pass (kick good) LYN - Assink 3 run (Assink run) LYN - Assink 42 run (Mal. Koenen kick) WVS - 8 yard touchdown pass (kick good) LYN - Assink 10 run (Mal. Koenen kick) WVS LYN 31-135 Rush Att-Yards 45-328 18-31-1 Comp-Att-Int 6-13-1 185 Passing Yards 109 Individual Leaders RUSHING - WVS: N/A. LYN: Assink 20-182, Lalji 11-78, Mal. Koenen 4-27, D. VanDalen 7-25, Bedlington 2-10, Mendoza-Batey 1-6. PASSING - WVS: N/A. LYN: Lalji 3-9-1-40, Bedlington 3-4-0-69. RECEIVING - WVS: N/A. LYN: Arango 2-41, Bowler 1-42, Tigilau 1-23, Price 1-4, Assink 1-(-1).
