ARCHBISHOP MURPHY (1-1) AT LYNDEN (3-0)
Time: 7 PM Friday
Site: Rollie DeKoster Field
When Archbishop Murphy has the ball: The Wildcats will likely throw all kinds of offensive sets at Lynden, but the Lions will be ready. Senior nose tackle Jacob Kettels will control the middle of the line, while Payton Scott and Steven DiLorenzo will use their muscle, leverage and speed to break through the line. Linebackers Bodie Human and Preston King will be all over the field picking up tackles while defensive ends Brock Heppner, Carson Bode and Trevin Melendez will contain the edges and supply pressure. Corner back Kobe Elsner leads Whatcom County with three interceptions, and Grant VanderYacht is a play maker in the secondary. Safety Eric Martin-Mann will come up and lay a thump on you as well.
When Lynden has the ball: Scoring points on ATM could prove to be difficult, but Lynden has faced some high quality opponents this season, and is still undefeated. If quarterback James Marsh is 100% healthy, he will be the main factor in the game. DiLorenzo and Martin-Mann can pick up big chunks of yards, especially when running behind Kettels and Cooper Brown. The Lions have a plethora of wide outs, but none of them has proven to be the go-to-guy, which could be a good thing. Heppner has been great in the red zone, and VanderYacht can turn quick passes into long gains.
Special Teams are special: Junior kicker Marko Samoukovic is, in my opinion, the best kicker in Whatcom County. A game that’s as close as this could possibly be, it could come down to his left foot. Melendez stepped in for Marsh last week to punt, and did a fantastic job.
Overall meetings: The all-time series stands at 3-3. Two storied programs that are now in the same conference. In 2008 and 2009 the Lions avenged losses to ATM in the regular season to beat them in the playoffs later that year. The last meeting was a 52-14 win by the Wildcats in 2016. That 2016 Archbishop team will go down as one of the best in state history.
