It’s week six, and conference play is in full swing! Eric Trent and I are still tied for first place in the pick’em, but it’s close after that. We’d like to thank Matthew Evans 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 eight games this weekend.
BELLINGHAM (2-3) AT COUPEVILLE (4-1)
Time: 6 PM Thursday
Site: Coupeville Elementary School
What to expect: The Bayhawks have dropped three in a row after winning their first two games of the season, and this one could be a tough one, too. A few key players were injured last week for Bellingham, which could mean that some youngsters are going to need to step up into key roles. Gabe VanHofwegen is one tough cookie at quarterback, and I like the way he delivers the football. He could be a major factor.
Player to watch: Bellingham senior wide receiver/outside linebacker Lucas Cousens. Always finding a way to get him the ball is the wise choice. A serious playmaker with the ball in his hands, and extremely underrated as a linebacker.
Historical significance: This the first ever matchup between the two schools.
Moving up the record book: Senior running back Logan Steeves is steadily moving up the school’s career rushing list, having passed Azubo Bearden and Sam Main last week. He’s now within 50 yards of Towner Goodman, Tyler Dockins, Levi Brearley and Ron Limbacher.
SEHOME (3-2) AT ANACORTES (5-0)
Time: 7 PM Friday
Site: Anacortes High School
What to expect: This game could have a lot of fireworks. A ton of playmakers on both sides, and couple of teams that have stocks that are rising fast! Sehome might want to use a ball-control offense to keep the high flying Seahawks off the field as much as possible. Tommy Funk and Carson could be used heavily in the run game.
Player to watch: Sehome senior safety Jackson Dew. The Mariners will need his speed on the back end to match the athleticism of the Seahawks.
Historical significance: Since 1974, the Mariners hold a 26-15 record against the Seahawks. One of the most interesting contests was in 1998 when Sehome beat Anacortes 2-0 when Scott Kirk and Josh Davis combined for a sack for the safety.
Moving up the record book: Senior outside linebacker Max Malo just passed his brother Tim on the career tackles list last week. He now has 108 tackles, and is closing in on former great safety Brett Meggyesy, who had 109.5 tackles.
LAKEWOOD (2-3) AT SQUALICUM (3-2)
Time: 7 PM Friday
Site: Civic Stadium Stadium
What to expect: I would imagine that there’s a little bit of payback in the mind of the Storm players for this matchup. The Cougars got them last year 14-13, but the rosters on both teams have a lot of new faces. The balanced attack Squalicum has been leading them to wins, now they just need to pick up their first win at home.
Player to watch: Senior tight end/outside linebacker Bryan Sheedy. He had a huge game last week with 6.5 tackles and three total stops behind the line. His improvement in each game this season has been incredible.
Historical significance: The Storm hold a 4-2 record against the Cougars, but Lakewood did get them last year. In the 2006 meeting, Squalicum won 56-12 behind the 165 yards rushing and four touchdowns by Chad Clark. He also caught a 69-yard pass for a score.
Moving up the record book: Only 10 players have passed for over 1,000 career yards in school history. A strong performance by junior quarterback Josh Leonard on Friday night, and he’ll become the 11th.
NOOKSACK VALLEY (5-0) AT LYNDEN CHRISTIAN (5-0)
Time: 7 PM Friday
Site: Lynden Christian High School
What to expect: It’s the game of the week in the county, maybe even in the state. It’s too early to say that this game is for the 1A Northwest Conference Championship, but a lot of people probably feel that way. This should be a very close game all the way from start to finish. With a lot of talent in both backfields, this game will be decided up front.
Matchup to watch: Nooksack Valley junior guard Duke Halaapiapi versus Lynden Christian junior inside linebacker Brody Bouwman. I know, I picked an interesting one here, but I love seeing the big man get out quickly and use his feet. Bouwman has been a terror at linebacker this season, and it will be hard to shed that block.
Historical significance: Since 1974, Lynden Christian has beaten Nooksack Valley 43 times, and the Pioneers have returned the favor 35 times. It’s been a wild ride over the years with so many games, but you can bet that this could be the most important matchup between these two schools since 1989 when their game in the final week decided the WCL Championship. LC won that game 7-2.
Moving up the record book: Sophomore running back Colton Lentz currently sits at 32nd in Pioneer history on the career rushing list. He passed Dale Johnson, Doug Groves and Dan Young last week. He’s now within 50 yards of catching the likes of Jim Van Diest, Cole Eldridge and Nathan Ryan.
BLAINE (0-5) AT MERIDIAN (3-2)
Time: 7 PM Friday
Site: Meridian High School
What to expect: If you like passing, this could be the game for you. Both teams like to air it out, but both teams also have very strong secondaries. Blaine is looking for its first win, and Meridian had a rough one last week at Nooksack Valley, but still have enough firepower to make some noise. Last season’s matchup was a great one, this one could be similar.
Matchup to watch: Blaine junior wide receiver/safety Riley Ihde versus Meridian senior wide receiver/cornerback Eli Jensen. Two extremely talented athletes on the outside, and we could see them both go up for a jump ball at some point in the game.
Historical significance: There’s a lot of history with these two teams, facing off against each other 55 times since 1974. Blaine had a six game winning streak against Meridian heading into the 1980’s, but the Trojans turned around and beat the Borderites the next 16 times.
Moving up the record book: Meridian senior wide receiver Hunter Jones is having a monster season catching the football, and currently ranks 21st in school history with 926 receiving yards. He’s within 50 yards of Brett Himes, Tony Schleimer and Matt Hagen.
ARCHBISHOP MURPHY (0-4) AT LYNDEN (5-0)
Time: 7 PM Friday
Site: Rollie DeKoster Field
What to expect: The Lions have had some scares the last two weeks, but they do what they usually do. They won. Lynden should be pretty strong in this one, and could use this game to open up its passing game once again. I expect a ruckus crowd, and an incredibly strong Lion performance.
Player to watch: Senior wide receiver/defensive back Isaiah Stanley. He didn’t register a reception last week against Sehome, and I just don’t see any way that is possible of happening again.
Historical significance: Believe it, or not, this is the 10th time that these two teams have met. Of course, everyone remembers the 2011 State Championship game when Lynden won 17-16 over Archbishop Murphy in one of the best-coached games in Curt Kramme’s incredible career.
Moving up the record book: Senior kicker Troy Petz has made 65 extra points in his career, good enough for ninth place in school history. He is seven away from Justin Brann for eighth.
MARYSVILLE-GETCHELL (1-4) AT FERNDALE (3-2)
Time: 7 PM Friday
Site: Blaine High School
What to expect: I haven’t seen the Chargers all season, but in the past they have opened up the passing game quite a bit. The Golden Eagles are coming off two straight games against teams that do exactly that. It will be old school versus new school once again, and you can bet that Ferndale will do everything it can to keep that unbeaten Wesco 3A North record going.
Player to watch: Sophomore running back/safety Zach Nielsen. He got a lot more carries last week, and he delivered. He’s been a steady force on defense all year, and now he’s emerging as one of the top backs in the county.
Historical significance: The two programs have only squared off five times, with Ferndale winning every time. In the first ever meeting in 2016, Cole Semu carried the ball just five times for 116 yards and a touchdown.
Moving up the record book: Senior running back Isaiah Carlson has scored a whopping 240 points in his career at Ferndale. 39 touchdowns and three 2-point conversions. Only nine players in school history have ever scored more points.
LA CENTER (4-1) AT MOUNT BAKER (3-2)
Time: 2 PM Saturday
Site: Bob Tisdale Field
What to expect: This is going to be a tremendous matchup between two top programs. The Wildcats are riding a 4-game winning streak, but this will be a very long trip up to Deming. The Mountaineers will try to get on them early, and then run the ball as much as they can behind their extremely effective offensive line.
Player to watch: Senior running back/safety Wilhem Maloley. His workload gets to be a little more each week on offense, and I think he’ll play a vital role in this game against a strong opponent.
Historical significance: Mount Baker versus La Center. It’s been a staple of the 1A state tournament over the years. The two teams have faced off six times before, each time in the state tournament. The Wildcats won the first two meetings, the Mountaineers won the next two and La Center has won the last two. They have never met in the regular season.
Moving up the record book: Senior running back Marcques George currently sits 20th in school history with 118 career points scored. He’s three touchdowns away from tying Ayden Rodriguez for 19th place on the list.
