YAKIMA – After a tough first quarter, Lynden Christian played a near perfect three quarters to defeat La Salle 31-7 in the 1A state quarterfinals at Zaepfel Stadium on Saturday.
The Lightning looked incredibly strong, and drove down the field with ease to begin the game, but ultimately fumbled the ball away. After Cole Moorlag’s recovery, LC was forced to punt and La Salle scored moments later on a 19-yard touchdown run.
Lynden Christian answered with a touchdown in the second quarter after Easton Stremler blasted in from a yard out, and when senior kicker Eli Den Bleyker booted a 25-yard field just before halftime it gave the Lyncs their first lead of the game. But, it gave something even more substantial to the Lightning. It gave them doubt. The previously undefeated La Salle team hadn’t been in a close game all season, and mistakes began to happen in the second half. And, a great team like the Lyncs will always capitalize on mistakes.
The offense really started rolling in the third quarter, and senior quarterback Trajan Schouten enjoyed his finest game of the season from an accuracy standpoint. He completed 15-of-18 passes for 231 yards, including a 3-yard touchdown pass to Jackson Corkill. The school’s all-time leading receiver finished with a team-high five receptions for 77 yards.
Stremler scored his second touchdown of the game in the third quarter, and ended with 49 yards rushing on 14 carries.
The defense locked down on the Lightning and intercepted three passes late in the game. Senior linebacker Will Faber led the charge with seven solo tackles, two sacks and a tackle for loss. Moorlag was also extremely aggressive, and was in on 10 tackles. The interceptions were hauled in by a trio of junior playmakers: Jackson Apol, Logan Dykstra and Cody Bajema.
Senior Levi Korthuis scored the final touchdown of the game, and he also caught two passes for 30 yards. Seniors Bryce Bouwman and Zach Sipma also enjoyed big receiving games as they combined for seven catches for 133 yards.
The Lyncs (10-1) will now face Deer Park (10-0) in the semifinals of the 1A state tournament at Everett Memorial Stadium on Saturday at 1pm.
Lynden Christian 31
La Salle 7
LC 0 10 14 7 – 31
LS 7 0 0 0 – 7
LS – 19 yard touchdown run (kick good)
LC – Stremler 1 run (Den Bleyker kick)
LC – Den Bleyker 25 FG
LC – Corkill 3 pass from Schouten (Den Bleyker kick)
LC – Stremler 1 run (Den Bleyker kick)
LC – Korthuis 1 run (Den Bleyker kick)
LC LS
47-106 Rushing Att-Yards 32-112
17-22-1 Comp-Att-Int 7-14-3
247 Passing yards 46
Individual Leaders
RUSHING – LC: Stremler 14-49, Dykstra 3-22, Da. Bootsma 7-22, Korthuis 4-15, Corkill 2-13, Apol 2-10, Sipma 1-2, Schouten 14-(-27). LS: N/A.
PASSING – LC: Schouten 15-18-1-231, Dykstra 2-4-0-16. LS: N/A.
RECEIVING – LC: Corkill 5-77, Bouwman 4-79, Sipma 3-54, Stremler 3-7, Korthuis 2-30. LS: N/A.
