LYNDEN – The Lynden Christian football team overcame some obstacles, and still found a way to hold on for the 21-14 win over Mount Baker on Friday night.
The win also also claimed the 1A Northwest Conference Championship for the Lyncs.
The Mountaineers had the momentum early on as they drove 72 yards on nine plays to open up the game, but they were unable to capitalize on it as junior defensive lineman Moses Hemnes forced a fumble in the red zone, and junior safety Trey Moorlag recovered it for Lynden Christian.
LC’s biggest obstacle came two plays later when All-State senior running back Chris Kooiman removed himself from the game after being tackled on a 1-yard gain, and the Lyncs ended up punting two plays later. The all-time leading rusher in school history was unable to continue for the rest of the game.
Lynden Christian was able to force a punt, and get the ball back, but the gameplan was then changed with Kooiman unavailable, and junior quarterback Kellen Blankers went to the air. He hit his targets all over the field, and led his team down the field with great efficiency. He finished the drive with a 7-yard strike across the middle to senior Dawson Hintz for a touchdown.
The visiting Mountaineers were forced to punt again after LC junior linebacker Gavin VanLoo made a tackle for a loss on third down, and the Lyncs then gave Hintz a series behind center. During the drive he completed two long passes to senior tight end Kaden Veldman, and the Lyncs capitalized on them with a 1-yard touchdown run by Blankers on 4th-and-goal.
Down two scores, Mount Baker was able to put a long drive together, which was aided by a 24-yard completion from junior quarterback Tyson Barksdale to junior running back Enoc Smith. The Mountaineers finished the drive with a 2-yard run by Barksdale, and they cut the lead in half with 1:16 left until halftime.
The Lyncs received the opening kickoff and was able to drive to midfield, but a 4th down stop behind the line of scrimmage by All-State defensive end Kell Reardon gave the ball back to the Mounties. It would all be for naught, though, as penalties pushed Mount Baker behind the sticks, and an eventual punt took place.
The majority of the third quarter came on the following LC possession as it methodically worked its way down the field, and continued to pick up numerous first downs. All of a sudden excitement rushed through the home fans as senior wide receiver Wyatt Kamphouse made a diving catch at the 3-yard line, and one play later, Blankers ran a bootleg to the right and scored to give Lynden Christian a 21-7 lead with 1:59 left in the third quarter.
Mount Baker punted again as the game went into the fourth quarter, and time was running out on the Mountaineers as the Lyncs got past midfield once again. However, a miscommunication on fourth down caused an early snap of the football, and when senior defensive tackle joined Reardon on a quarterback sack, it gave the ball back to Mount Baker.
The Mountie drive didn’t last long as senior Peter Enfield and sophomore Mason Berendsen combined to stop Barksdale on fourth down to give the ball back to Lynden Christian with 8:24 left in the game.
The Lyncs were quickly forced to punt, but a heavy rush from Reardon on the outside caused Hintz to keep the ball, and he was brought down at the LC 25-yard line by senior linebacker Isaac DeKriek with 7:25 left. Two plays later Barksdale rolled to his right, threw a pass on the run into the end zone, and senior Gage Smith leaped over his defender to haul the pass in for a 19-yard touchdown.
Lynden Christian was then able to bleed the clock down with run after run, as it was slowly able to move the chains. A big sequence came on 4th-and-2 at their own 47-yard line, when a hard count drew Mount Baker offsides, and gave the Lyncs a new set of downs as the clock continued to run.
A short run by Veldman then gave the Lyncs another first down where they were able to eventual take a knee, and the victory.
Veldman also led Lynden Christian defense with 6.5 tackles and a tackle for loss, while Mount Baker’s defense was led by senior linebacker Andrew Monteith who finished with 12 tackles. He also led Baker in rushing with 81 yards on 15 carries.
The Lyncs (6-2) will travel to Blaine (3-5) on Thursday to take on the Borderites at 6:00, while the Mountaineers (5-3) will travel to Meridian (4-4) on Thursday to battle the Trojans at 7:00.
Lynden Christian 21 Mount Baker 14 MB 0 7 0 7 - 14 LC 7 7 7 0 - 21 LC - Hintz 7 pass from Blankers (Yun kick) LC - Blankers 1 run (Yun kick) MB - Barksdale 2 run (E. Smith kick) LC - Blankers 3 run (Yun kick) MB - G. Smith 19 pass from Barksdale (E. Smith kick)
MB LC
31-134 Rush Att-Yards 37-96
5-12-0 Comp-Att-Int 17-33-0
74 Passing Yards 211
Individual Leaders
RUSHING - MB: Monteith 15-81, G. Smith 5-36, N. Nicol-Mills 7-15, Barksdale 4-2. LC: Berendsen 15-49, Blankers 9-40, Kooiman 2-5, Veldman 3-5, Hintz 8-(-3).
PASSING - MB: Barksdale 5-12-0-74. LC: Blankers 7-16-0-69, Hintz 10-17-0-142.
RECEIVING - MB: G. Smith 2-32, E. Smith 1-24, N. Nicol-Mills 1-11, Paglia 1-7. LC: Kamphouse 6-62, Kuik 4-39, Veldman 3-71, Hintz 3-27, Yun 1-12.
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