BY MAKAYLA SPARKS – For Whatcom Preps
BELLINGHAM – In a game riddled by penalties and costly mistakes, momentum would be the key factor in going home victorious. The Lynden Lions made the right plays at the right times to control the momentum when they needed it as they took the 38-33 win over the Sehome Mariners at Civic Stadium on Thursday night.
The Lions came out hot and efficient, moving down the field on short passes before junior quarterback Lukas Lalji’s 17-yard pass connected with junior wide receiver Gordy Bedlington on a diving catch in the endzone.
Lynden’s defense turned the Mariners away, and on their very next offensive play, Lalji threw the ball up for junior wide receiver Sam Arango, who raced 85 yards down the Lynden sideline to the house, pushing the Lions’ lead to 14-0 in the first quarter.
With a little over a minute to go in the opening period, Sehome senior wide receiver Hudson Neff grabbed a pass from Sehome senior quarterback Nolan Wright in the endzone for a 6-yard touchdown, cutting the Lynden lead in half.
The Mariners scored again as Wright found senior wide receiver Theo Quiggle for the first touchdown of the second quarter. Quiggle powered 26 yards to the endzone, and the Mariners tied things up at 14-14.
However, the Lions’ defense recaptured the momentum as Lynden senior defensive end Dane Marti fell on top of a Sehome fumble in the endzone, breaking the tie and making the score 21-14 in favor of Lynden.
Five minutes later, in the other endzone, Lions sophomore defensive back Markus Koenen picked off a Mariner pass, giving the ball back to the Lynden offense just before halftime.
Coming out of the locker room, Sehome took possession of the ball. But with less than a minute and a half off the third quarter clock, Lynden senior safety Brody Price jumped in front of a Sehome pass attempt, giving possession right back to the Lions.
The ensuing drive resulted in 31-yard field goal from Lynden junior kicker Malachi Koenen, expanding Lynden’s lead to 24-14.
Malachi Koenen then added another seven points to the Lions’ total, rushing four yards into the endzone just forty-eight seconds into the final quarter of play, and then booting the extra point.
Sehome responded as Wright connected with Quiggle a second time from six yards out for a score. The point after the attempt was no good, making the score 31-20.
The Mariners’ defense then forced Lynden to punt deep in its own territory. Sehome swarmed the backfield, and junior Logan Rogers broke through to block the punt, and senior Laki Fagaautau collected it in the endzone, bringing the Mariners within one touchdown after a failed two-point conversion, 31-26.
With less than four minutes to go, the Lynden offense closed in on the goal line and Bedlington, now slotted in at quarterback, forced his way through the line and fell into the endzone for a four-yard touchdown.
Down 12 points, the Mariners began moving quickly, and Wright sent up his fourth touchdown pass of the game, a 15-yarder to senior Al Miller, and Sehome split the Lynden lead to just five points.
But with the Lions taking the ball back with a little under three minutes to go and all three timeouts remaining, Lynden successfully used up the rest of the clock. The Lions secured the 38-33 conference win with two kneel downs before watching the clock expire and raising their helmets to the sky.
The Lions (4-1) will host Squalicum (2-2) next Friday at 7:00, while the Mariners (3-2) will travel to Lynden Christian (4-0) next Friday to take on the Lyncs at 7:00.
Lynden 38
Sehome 33
LYN 14 7 3 14 - 38
SEH 7 7 0 19 - 33
LYN - Bedlington 17 pass from Lalji (Mal. Koenen kick)
LYN - Arango 85 pass from Lalji (Mal. Koenen kick)
SEH - Neff 6 pass from Wright (Mitchell kick)
SEH - Quiggle 26 pass from Wright (Mitchell kick)
LYN - Marti recovered fumble in endzone (Mal. Koenen kick)
LYN - Mal. Koenen 31 FG
LYN - Mal. Koenen 4 run (Mal. Koenen kick)
SEH - Quiggle 6 pass from Wright (kick failed)
SEH - Fagaautau recovered blocked punt in endzone (pass failed)
LYN - Bedlington 4 run (Mal. Koenen kick)
SEH - Miller 15 pass from Wright (Mitchell kick)
LYN SEH
31-161 Rush Att-Yards 16-7
14-26-0 Comp-Att-Int 24-34-2
256 Passing Yards 288
Individual Leaders
RUSHING - LYN: D. VanDalen 12-57, Lalji 12-47, Mal. Koenen 4-30, Bedlington 3-27. SEH: Woods 8-28, Fagaautau 3-2, Wright 5-(-23).
PASSING - LYN: Lalji 14-26-0-256. SEH: Wright 24-34-2-288.
RECEIVING - LYN: Bedlington 5-75, Tigilau 3-41, Price 3-27, Arango 2-101, Mal. Koenen 1-12. SEH: Quiggle 10-130, Miller 8-113, Neff 2-17, Lara 1-10, Anderson 1-8, Fagaautau 1-5, Bengtsson 1-5.
