It’s week eight, and we’re still trying to catch Eric Trent in the pick’em! We’d like to thank Geirean Hatchett for being our guest picker this week, and you can learn more about him in our podcast below! Also, below are the previews for all six games this weekend.
LYNDEN CHRISTIAN (7-0) AT BLAINE (1-6)
Time: 7 PM Thursday
Site: Blaine High School
What to expect: The Lyncs are decided favorites in this matchup, but the Borderites have multiple playmakers. Lynden Christian can pick up big yards in chunks, both through the air and on the ground. Coach Terpstra prefers to throw it around, though. The Blaine secondary cannot afford to make mistakes in this one.
Matchup to watch: Lynden Christian senior lineman Tyler Myhre versus Blaine senior lineman Jacob Voigt. These are a couple of players that have never had the spotlight on them, but they are both incredibly hard workers that deserve some praise. Myhre has the size advantage, but Voigt can be extremely quick, especially when rushing the passer.
Historical significance: These two teams have played each other 55 times since 1974. LC has won 38 of them. The 2006 meeting saw Blaine win 28-14 behind 197 yards rushing and two touchdowns from Ben Bohnson and 171 yards rushing and two touchdowns from Joey Paciorek.
Moving up the record book: Senior wide receiver Tyler Sipma keeps moving up the school’s career receptions list, and now has 55 receptions, which is good for 14th place. If he has five catches against Blaine, he’ll move past Kevin Bratt and Craig Shagren.
FERNDALE (5-2) AT STANWOOD (7-0)
Time: 7 PM Friday
Site: Bob Larson Stadium
What to expect: This is one of the biggest games of the week for the entire state of Washington. The big thing here is that both teams are basically mirror images of each other, and when that is the case, it usually comes down to big guys in the trenches. I like Ferndale’s chances if that’s the case.
Player to watch: Sophomore fullback/middle linebacker Talan Bungard. Super tough, and extremely talented. Thrusted into the starting lineup when J.J. Nowak went down in week two, he’s played very well. He has great initial burst, and he can break long runs as well.
Historical significance: Since 1974, the two teams have played each other 26 times, but since Ferndale joined the WesCo North in 2016 the Spartans haven’t beaten them. The last time Stanwood defeated Ferndale was in 1993.
Moving up the record book: Yes, we’re checking Isaiah Carlson’s progress with scoring. Especially after scoring five touchdowns last week! One more touchdown, and he’ll be just the fourth Golden Eagle of all-time to reach 300 career points. The other three are Adam Wilgus (322), Casey Locker (310) and Cole Semu (308).
SQUALICUM (4-3) AT SEHOME (4-3)
Time: 7 PM Friday
Site: Civic Stadium
What to expect: This friendly rivalry game has a lot riding on it. The winner would need some help, but would still have an outside chance for the postseason. There will be a lot of players on both sides that have played together in youth leagues, so that’s always fun. Both teams are very balanced, and it should come right down to the end.
Matchup to watch: Squalicum senior center Blaze Robles versus Sehome senior nose tackle Habib Bello. Robles has worked hard all season to come back from an injury, and he’ll have to work just as hard to keep Bello out of the Storm backfield.
Historical significance: Since Squalicum came into existence in 1998, these two teams have played each other every season except 2000, 2017, 2018 and 2019. The Storm are 13-7 in those matchups. The last time Sehome won was in 2013 by a score of 48-21. In that contest, future Los Angeles Ram Taylor Rapp rushed for 137 yards and two touchdowns.
Moving up the record book: Sehome senior running back is just two yards away from 1,000 career rushing yards. If he runs for 100 yards, he will move past Austin Rapp, Ben DeMond and C.J. Hayes on the Sehome career rushing list.
MOUNT BAKER (3-4) AT MERIDIAN (4-3)
Time: 7 PM Friday
Site: Meridian High School
What to expect: A rivalry game that has a couple of squads full of talent. When I think of this matchup, I picture gigantic hits on the field, and not an empty seat in the house. It’s no secret that Baker likes to run the ball, but Meridian always seems to make that difficult with their stunting defense. That should cause the Mountaineers to open up the passing game a little bit, but they have to be wary of Hunter Jones at safety, who has 10 interceptions over the last two seasons.
Matchup to watch: Mount Baker senior lineman Drake Pinkey versus Meridian sophomore lineman Lincoln Hoefer. Hoefer may have the size advantage (6’5″ 235), but Pinkey is experienced, tough and nasty. These two will be battling it all night in the middle of it all.
Historical significance: Since 1974, these two teams have played each other 66 times, and it’s been pretty even with Meridian leading 35-31 in those contests. A memorable matchup came in 1998, when Mount Baker won 14-13 in what was forever known as the Fog Bowl. The Mountaineers went on to win the NCC Championship that season, and Meridian came back to win the state championship the next season.
Moving up the record book: Mount Baker senior running back Marcques George is exactly 100 yards shy of 2,000 career rushing yards. When he hits that plateau, he will be the 15th Mountaineer to ever do so.
LAKEWOOD (2-5) AT LYNDEN (7-0)
Time: 7 PM Friday
Site: Rollie DeKoster Field
What to expect: An enormous home crowd for the Lions, you can always expect that. But, on the field, you can expect well-executed plays by two top coaches in the league. The Cougars haven’t won this season, as compared to years past, but they can still move the ball in creative ways. Lynden will combat that with its smash mouth brand of football.
Player to watch: Senior quarterback Kaedan Hermanutz. The senior gunslinger became just the fifth player in school history to throw five touchdown passes in a single game, and he did it last year against Lakewood. We’ll see what he has in store for us this time.
Historical significance: The Lions and Cougars have only faced off seven times ever, and Lakewood won one of those matchups. The first game was in 2014, which Lynden won 38-21, with Jordan Wittenberg caught 13 passes for 130 yards.
Moving up the record book: Lynden senior wide receiver Isaiah Stanley came into the season within reach of being just the 20th player in Whatcom County history to have 100 career receptions. Five Lynden players have done so, and Stanley has 83 catches, tied with former Lion great Brady Bomber.
FRIDAY HARBOR (3-4) AT BELLINGHAM (2-5)
Time: 1 PM Saturday
Site: Civic Stadium
What to expect: The Wolverines are coming off a 67-point explosion last week against La Conner, but it would be extremely difficult to replicate that against the Bayhawks. Bellingham has improved each of the last three weeks, and could give Friday Harbor a real challenge on Saturday afternoon.
Player to watch: Sophomore running back/middle linebacker Tyler Frost. One of the most fun players to watch, especially when he’s on defense. When he can stay under control, there are few better than him at sniffing out a play and attacking.
Historical significance: This will be the fifth matchup between these two squads, and the Wolverines have only once. In the first meeting, which took place in 2014, Bellingham won 21-19 and Tanner Aliff rushed for 228 yards and two touchdowns.
Moving up the record book: Last week, senior wide receiver Lucas Cousens became the 30th player in school history to reach 30 career receptions. He’s extremely close to passing Azubo Bearden and Max Kurst.
