We are now onto week four! Below are previews for all 10 games this weekend, and well as our predictions and a podcast that gives our thoughts on all the games, who we picked as our fantasy players for week 4 and what you need to do to get a Whatcom Preps sticker! Thank you to Jeff Wood for being our guest picker.
SOUTH WHIDBEY (2-1) AT BELLINGHAM (0-1)
Time: 7:00 PM Thursday
Site: Civic Stadium
What to expect: No team is itching for a win quite like the Bayhawks. Halftime leads in all three games, always getting off to a great start, now they just need to finish. Securing the football will be the biggest key, as that has been the issue this season, leading to easy scores for the Bellingham opponents. Putting up points has not been an issue, giving short fields to the other team has been.
Player to watch: Senior running back/punter Holden Bates. He had a huge game last week, rushing for 167 yards and two touchdowns. He might be utilized more and more as the season goes on, and I expect him to have another big game. He’s also a weapon in special teams as the punter, and returning kickoffs.
Historical significance: In four previous matchups, the only loss that Bellingham has had against South Whidbey was last season, 54-9. It should be much closer this go ’round. In the 2011 meeting Oliver Dougherty led Bellingham in rushing and receiving, while scoring a touchdown in each of those ways.
Moving up the record book: Senior quarterback Josh Leonard became the 80th player in Whatcom County history to surpass 2,000 career passing yards last week.
MERIDIAN (2-1) AT NATHAN HALE (0-3)
Time: 6:30 PM Friday
Site: Northeast Complex in Seattle
What to expect: After Friday Harbor backed out, the Trojans were left scrambling for an opponent for this weekend, and landed with 3A Nathan Hale. Expect Meridian to be balanced on offense, and aggressive on defense. Nothing out of the usual for the Trojans, as they took a big step last week by playing a great overall game.
Player to watch: Senior wide receiver/defensive back Cohen Fuller. I didn’t know much about him when the season started, but he made an immediate impact, and hasn’t slowed down. Getting him the ball in a multitude of ways is what the Trojans would like to do, and he also intercepted his first pass last Saturday.
Historical significance: This is the first ever meeting between the two schools.
Moving up the record book: Last week, junior quarterback Jaeger Fyfe also surpassed 2,000 career passing yards, as he and Josh Leonard are only 48 yards apart from each other.
HOQUIAM (1-2) AT NOOKSACK VALLEY (2-1)
Time: 7 PM Friday
Site: Sid Lambert Field
What to expect: It might be a long night for the Grizzlies, having to deal with some unhappy Pioneers after last week. The best thing is to put it behind them, and play like they are capable of, which is fantastic. If you came out to Sid Lambert Field a couple weeks ago to watch Nooksack Valley play, I would imagine it’s going to look a lot like that. I expect dominance.
Player to watch: Senior kicker Jorgen Vigre. He’s going to be a busy man, and his accuracy has been great this year, going 16-for-16 on extra points. He’s currently just three extra points away from tying Connor Beard’s school record of 53 career extra points kicked. This record should be broken Friday night, and I’m excited to be in attendance for this possibility.
Historical significance: These two teams have only played each other twice, and both were gigantic wins by the Pioneers over the last two seasons. In last year’s matchup Cory Olney caught five passes for 136 yards and a touchdown.
Moving up the record book: Only 11 players in Whatcom County history have thrown for over 2,600 yards AND rushed for over 1,200 yards in their career. These are TRUE dual threats. They are: Jake Locker, Casey Locker, Josh Kraght, Tanner Myhre, Jordan Hastings, Greg Dykstra, Simon Burkett, Sterling Somers, Trevon Myhre, Casey Bauman, and now… Joey Brown.
MOUNT BAKER (1-2) AT KING’S (3-0)
Time: 7 PM Friday
Site: Woolsey Stadium
What to expect: The schedule for the Mountaineers just doesn’t get any easier, as they will now go on the road and face one of the top 1A teams in the state. The Knights just came off a big victory over Nooksack Valley, and are riding high. King’s also likes to throw quite a bit, so expect the Mount Baker secondary to be busy all night.
Player to watch: Sophomore quarterback Toga Tigilau. Every week, his confidence has grown and he’s amongst the leaders in Whatcom County for passing now. He throws a great ball, and the best part is that he’s yet to throw an interception. Very rare for a first time varsity quarterback.
Historical significance: Since 1973, these two teams have faced each other seven times, with Mount Baker winning six of them. The only loss was a close one, 18-14, which took place 30 years ago. When they faced each other 50 years ago, quarterback Mark Lehman was a perfect 10-for-10 passing for 216 yards and two touchdowns. Still to this day, it’s the most attempts by a quarterback in a single game in school history without throwing an incompletion.
Moving up the record book: With senior defensive end Alex Maloley posting 4.5 tackles for loss last week, I have now ranked 14th all-time in school history with 21 career tackles for loss, which is tied with D.J. Rathjen.
LYNDEN (2-1) AT SEDRO-WOOLLEY (3-0)
Time: 7 PM Friday
Site: Tom Mullen Memorial Stadium
What to expect: This is going to be a tremendous game, especially if you like throw-back, tough football. This game could move along pretty quickly, too, as both teams favor running the ball. This has been a great matchup over the last few years, and both teams have extraordinary coaching staffs. The team that makes the least mistakes will win.
Player to watch: Junior tight end/outside linebacker Isaiah Oudman. The Cubs like to mostly run inside the tackles, but he will have to contain the outside on those rare occasions. His ability as a receiver could also be a huge factor in what should be a very close game.
Historical significance: There have been a lot of matchups here, but did you know that Lynden won the first 15 in a row? The one that broke the winning streak was when they faced each other for the 2A State Championship in 2014.
Moving up the record book: I’m just going to keep mentioning it every week… Brant Heppner has now thrown 158 passes in his varsity career without an interception. That’s the most in Whatcom County history to start a career.
FERNDALE (3-0) AT ARLINGTON (3-0)
Time: 7 PM Friday
Site: John C. Larson Stadium
What to expect: A great battle between two completely different teams. Over the past few seasons, this matchup has produced phenomenal games, both being comeback wins by the Golden Eagles. Both are undefeated, and both are looking at being a high-seed come week 10. Arlington prefers to air it out often, so the Ferndale secondary will be tested.
Player to watch: Senior quarterback/cornerback Bishop Ootsey. Last year, he had a great game against the Eagles, and it was much needed. He might need to do it again, especially in pass coverage on the defensive side of the ball. He will be tested, and at the end of the game, it could come down to him throwing the ball more than usual.
Historical significance: This will be the 31st time these two teams have faced off since 1974, with Ferndale winning 17 of them. In the 1987 matchup, the Golden Eagles won 28-0, with Brion Mattson, John Slaughter and Shawn VanDeMark scoring touchdowns on the ground and Bo Westford scoring a touchdown on defense.
Moving up the record book: My defensive stats for Ferndale only go back to 2016, but since then Camden Raymond is tied for seventh in career sacks for the Golden Eagles with seven. He is tied with Brett Westford.
ARCHBISHOP MURPHY (1-2) AT SQUALICUM (2-1)
Time: 7 PM Friday
Site: Civic Stadium
What to expect: The Storm are going to look to get back on track, and this is a great game to do it in. Both teams love to run the ball, but Squalicum will have an edge as far as overall talent. Look for Squalicum to break off some big runs, and that will open the door for some play-action passes down the field.
Player to watch: Sophomore tight end/outside linebacker Laki Fagaautau. Ultra talented, and is starting to become a major playmaker. Always aggressive on covering kickoffs, and he’s been moving around on defense. A really fun player to watch, and even better that he’s an underclassman.
Historical significance: This is the sixth time these two teams have played each other, with the Storm holding a slight 3-2 advantage. In their first matchup, 13 years ago, quarterback Tyler Goodrich threw for 119 yards and two touchdowns.
Moving up the record book: Last week, junior receiver Joaquin Ortiz became the 12th player in school history to reach 40 career receptions.
SEHOME (2-1) AT BURLINGTON-EDISON (1-2)
Time: 2 PM Saturday
Site: Kirkby Field
What to expect: The Mariners are in a similar situation that Squalicum is in. After losing their first conference matchup, they will need to bounce back. On the road here, look for Sehome to get back on track by getting the run game going again. The Tigers have a game-breaker in Hamza Abdalle, and containing him will be the biggest key.
Player to watch: Senior safety Alden Jacobs. I’m so happy to see him back at Sehome, and playing football. He does a great job of patrolling the middle of the field, and I could see him picking off his first pass of the season in this one.
Historical significance: This is the 46th meeting between the two schools since 1973, and Sehome has a record of 17-28 in that span against the Tigers. In the 1973 game, Sehome won 21-8 behind a passing touchdown and a rushing touchdown from junior quarterback Angelo LoGrande, who went on to turn down a scholarship to Notre Dame to play quarterback after getting drafted by the Cleveland Indians to play baseball.
Moving up the record book: Andre Watson has caught 69 passes for 1082 yards and 14 touchdowns in his career. Eerily close are the career numbers of his position coach, Doug Miller, who finished with 66 catches for 1020 yards and eight touchdowns. Coach Miller also played in two state championship games, and won one of them.
ROYAL (3-0) AT LYNDEN CHRISTIAN (2-1)
Time: 2 PM Saturday
Site: Lynden Christian School
What to expect: The Knights lost to the Lyncs last season, on their own home turf. Both teams are very different now, but still very potent. This will have a playoff atmosphere, with a ton of talent on the field. Royal generally plays mistake-free football, but doesn’t get tested as much during the regular season. However, their coaching staff will definitely have them ready. LC wasn’t tested very much last week, so they’ll have to be ready right away.
Player to watch: Senior quarterback/outside linebacker Jeremiah Wright. He was huge in last year’s matchup against Royal, and he will need to be again. Always a threat to run or pass, as his athleticism allows him to do things that most quarterbacks at the high school level cannot.
Historical significance: It’s not a long history of games between these two teams, but the only two games have been very good. Royal beat Lynden Christian for the 1A State Championship in 2019, and Lynden Christian got Royal last season. In that game, Wright scored all three touchdowns for the Lyncs.
Moving up the record book: When sophomore Jacob Penner kicked his first varsity extra point on Saturday, he probably didn’t know that he’d go on to tie a school record later that day, but he did, kicking eight extra points in one game.
BLAINE (1-2) AT CEDAR PARK CHRISTIAN (1-2)
Time: 7 PM Saturday
Site: Juanita High School
What to expect: The Borderites are coming off their most lopsided win since the opening week of the 2018 season, and they will look to keep the momentum rolling on Saturday. As Blaine continues to learn the offense, it will just become more effective, and it showed last week. This will be a tougher matchup, but one that the Borderites can handle.
Player to watch: Senior wide receiver/strong safety Hunter Vezzetti. A major threat in the red zone as he supplies a big catch-radius for his quarterbacks. A smooth athlete that can turn a routine play into a big one. Underrated on defense, where I think he might even make a bigger impact.
Historical significance:The two teams have played each other just three times before, with the Borderites winning the first two. Many will remember the 2012 matchup, when senior Mario Gobbato carried the ball 57 times for 480 yards and seven touchdowns in the 50-20 win. Not a typo.
Moving up the record book: Senior kicker Matthew Hayes tied a school record last week my converting on seven extra points in one game.
