It’s week seven, and we’re coming right down to it! Eric Trent is still ruling in first place in the pick’em. We’d like to thank Tim Malo 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 seven games this weekend.
ANACORTES (6-0) AT SQUALICUM (4-2)
Time: 7 PM Thursday
Site: Civic Stadium
What to expect: The Seahawks are flying high, and have a ton of confidence. Squalicum is riding a three-game winning streak, so something is going to have to give here. Both teams have massive abilities to put up big plays. So, the big thing here will be which defense can prevent the big plays? Expect the Storm safeties Nick Watt and Jacob Donnelly to be extremely busy all night.
Player to watch: Junior inside linebacker Deandre Dunmore. The Anacortes offensive is extremely tough to contain, and he’ll need to be all over the field making plays for his team.
Historical significance: These two teams have played each other 15 times, with Anacortes winning eight of them. However, the last time the Seahawks beat the Storm was in 2013. In that game Ben Peterson was just a freshman, but caught six passes for 93 yards for Squalicum.
Moving up the record book: Last week, senior wide receiver Jacob Sorenson had another huge game, and went over 500 yards receiving on the season. It’s only the ninth time in school history that it’s happened. The school record for receiving yards in a season is 874, and Sorenson currently sits at 517.
BLAINE (0-6) AT BELLINGHAM (2-4)
Time: 7 PM Friday
Site: Civic Stadium
What to expect: The Borderites haven’t won a game yet, but they have been improving each week. I feel like they have started to settle in as an offense, and they know who their playmakers are. Bellingham is fighting off many injuries, but this could be the week that a few key players come back. The Bayhawks will need those guys in this Homecoming matchup.
Matchup to watch: Bellingham senior Charlie Arcese versus Blaine junior Justin Minjarez. They could see each other on both sides of the ball. Minjarez is one of the fast Borderites, and is a threat every time he touches the ball, and Arcese leads the Bayhawks in interceptions.
Historical significance: From 2006 to 2016, Blaine won all nine of the matchups between these two teams, but Bellingham has won the last three. In the 2011 matchup, Blaine junior running back Mario Gobbato ran the ball 38 times for 320 yards and seven touchdowns. Let that sink in for a minute.
Moving up the record book: Blaine junior safety Riley Ihde has amassed 57.5 tackles in his young career, and is only 2.5 behind Jaxon Kortlever. The next safety he would chase down would be Garrett Adams who finished with 69.5 tackles.
SEHOME (3-3) AT ARCHBISHOP MURPHY (0-5)
Time: 7 PM Friday
Site: Terry Ennis Stadium
What to expect: The Mariners have been playing in a lot of close games lately, and this could be one that they just break out and go nuts. Sehome will also need a win to keep playoff hopes alive, and you can bet that they will give the Wildcats everything they can handle. Sehome could really light up the scoreboard in this one.
Player to watch: Freshman quarterback Nolan Wright. I can’t imagine what it’s like to play varsity football as a high school freshman, let alone quarterback. The kid is special, and he does an amazing job week in and week out.
Historical significance: These two teams have only played each other twice. Once last year, which the Wildcats won 20-10, and the other when Sehome won 37-9 to get into the state playoffs in 2018. In that game, Jacob Kaepernick passed for 241 yards and three touchdowns.
Moving up the record book: Currently, Sehome is the only school in Whatcom County to have two players with at least 40 career receptions (Max Malo 43, and Braddock Duckworth 40), and you know that Andre Watson will join them soon, as he currently sits at 31 career catches.
NOOKSACK VALLEY (5-1) AT MOUNT BAKER (3-3)
Time: 7 PM Friday
Site: Bob Tisdale Field
What to expect: A rivalry game going back almost 100 years, with both teams coming off tough losses last week. This could be the game of the week, and these guys know each other very well. The Pioneers will have to prove their toughness in a game like this, and the Mountaineers will have to show how athletic they are.
Matchup to watch: Nooksack Valley sophomore Brady Ackerman versus Mount Baker junior Alex Maloley. Ackerman has the size, and Maloley has the strength. This will be a tremendous battle on the both sides of the ball, at the end of the line.
Historical significance: Since 1975, these two teams have played each other 66 times, with Mount Baker winning 45 of them. One of the most thrilling matchups came in in 1992, when Mount Baker came back to win 20-18 behind three rushing touchdowns by Branden Sirguy. The Pioneers were led by junior Vince Anderson who had an 88-yard punt return for a touchdown in that game.
Moving up the record book: It’s been a while since we’ve checked out the career passing numbers for Pioneer junior Joey Brown, so let’s do that. He’s currently at 1,912 yards passing for his career, and is 91 yards behind Austin O’Bryan for ninth on the career passing list.
LYNDEN (6-0) AT BURLINGTON-EDISON (2-4)
Time: 7 PM Friday
Site: Kirkby Field
What to expect: It’s always a tough matchup when these two teams get together on the gridiron. Tiger coach Andy Olson is a Lynden alum, which is always fun. You will see two similar offenses, a couple of teams that spread it out, but love to run the ball.
Player to watch: Lynden senior Troy Petz. It’s always fun to see how this special weapon contributes in each game. Last year he kicked the game-winning field goal against the Tigers, and this year he has already scored five touchdowns, despite touching the ball just 11 times.
Historical significance: The Lions hold a 22-6 advantage over the Tigers all-time. The biggest discrepancy came in 1996 when Lynden won 42-0 behind the 49 yards and two rushing touchdowns by Ben “The Bulldozer” Elenbaas.
Moving up the record book: Lynden senior running back Lane Heeringa surpassed 1,500 career rushing yards last Friday night, and he’s currently 19th on the school’s all-time list. A 100-yard performance would vault him past Tyson Felix, Rene Silva and Stephen Johnson.
FERNDALE (4-2) AT MOUNT VERNON (0-6)
Time: 7 PM Friday
Site: Mount Vernon High School
What to expect: This one might get ugly early, as the Golden Eagles are currently rolling and the Bulldogs are still looking for their first victory. You might see a lot of those Ferndale youngsters get their first varsity experience on Friday night.
Player to watch: Junior quarterback/cornerback Bishop Ootsey. This could be another breakout performance for him. Already one of the top defensive backs in the county, this could be the game where he shows what he can do behind center as well.
Historical significance: Since 1974, Ferndale holds a 24-10 advantage in these games, but the Golden Eagles have won the last 14 in a row. In the 1988 contest, Ferndale won 53-7 and junior running back Lance Dawson ran for 281 yards and three touchdowns on just 12 carries!
Moving up the record book: It’s the weekly Isaiah Carlson watch, as he continues to move up the Ferndale record books. But, let’s look at the entire county! After scoring four touchdowns last week, Carlson became just the 24th player EVER to reach 43 total touchdowns. He’s currently tied with Britt Lentz, and he’s within reach of some of the best to ever play, including Mikel Rathjen (44), Brady Locker (45), Carson Engholm (46) and Dave Longoria (46).
MERIDIAN (4-2) AT LYNDEN CHRISTIAN (6-0)
Time: 7 PM Friday
Site: Lynden Christian High School
What to expect: A couple of storied teams that have had premier battles against each other over the years. Coach Greg Terpstra is having an amazing inaugural season as a head coach, and his team has looked amazing so far. The Trojans have looked good this season, but this one will be tough. Coach Patrick Ames will have to find every way he can to throw the Lyncs off their game.
Matchup to watch: Meridian junior running back Joshtyn Elmer versus Lynden Christian junior linebacker Kayden Stuit. This is one of my favorite matchups of the week, a pair of talented underclassmen that are gonna see each other a lot in the middle of the field.
Historical significance: Since 1974, these two teams have met a whopping 78 times! Meridian has won 51 of those games, but LC has won the last three meetings. In the second meeting between the two in 1990, Greg Terpstra, who was a junior running back for the Lyncs at the time, rushed for 130 yards and three touchdowns in the 49-14 victory.
Moving up the record book: Only five players in Lynden Christian history have carried the ball at least 150 times, and have averaged over six yards per carry. Two of them will be on the sidelines on Friday night. Kade Eldridge, and his coach, Greg Terpstra. The other three are Brent Berendsen, Darin Meenderinck and Matt Rutgers.
