We’re back for more football action! 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 and who we picked as our fantasy players for week 4! Thank you to Kevin Beason for being our guest picker, and thank you to Lynden junior Dani Bowler for the podcast intro!
MERIDIAN (2-1) AT FORKS (1-2)
Time: 5 PM Friday
Site: Forks High School
What to expect: The Trojans lost a heartbreaker last week, and they will likely take it out on the Spartans. It has been a balanced offense for Meridian this year, with both senior running backs, Kelley Gray and Landen Downey, over 200 yards rushing each, and four different players have caught at least seven passes so far.
Player to watch: Junior linebacker Xavier Perrin. He’s been a welcome addition to this Meridian defense, and he’s constantly using his speed to make plays all over the field. In addition to his 20 tackles so far this season, he is also just one of three players in Whatcom County to record a fumble recovery and an interception so far this season.
Historical significance: The only time these two teams played each other was in the quarterfinal round of the state tournament in 2000. Meridian won the game 7-6. Eli Slesk threw for 245 yards and scored the lone touchdown, and Doug Miller (current Sehome assistant coach) caught eight passes for 100 yards, and knocked away the potential game-winning pass in the end zone at the end of the game.
Moving up the record book: Downey became the 37th player in school history to rush for 1,000 career yards, and he has now moved up to 25th on the school’s all-time rushing list.
SEHOME (2-1) AT BURLINGTON-EDISON (1-2)
Time: 7 PM Friday
Site: Kirkby Field
What to expect: The Mariner offense exploded last week for 48 points, and it looked great doing it. Not to be overlooked was how well the defense played as well, and this will be a better Tiger team than they faced last season. If Sehome duplicates the way it played last week, it could be a very similar score as last week.
Player to watch: Senior inside linebacker Fisher Hall. Since being moved to strictly a defensive player, Hall has becoming a wrecking force. He has already surpassed his tackling numbers from last season, and he could be one of a very few players to reach triple digits in tackles in a single season.
Historical significance: This will be the 47th matchup since 1973 between these two teams. Sehome has won just 18 of them, but it has also won the last five in a row. The Mariners won the 1994 game 41-12 behind the 104 yards rushing and two touchdowns of Alex Brown.
Moving up the record book: It’s been fun tracking Andre Watson pass the legendary receivers in Whatcom County history in career receptions. Last week he moved past Todd Bird, Anthony Ball and Ryan Van Diest, and he is now five receptions away from tying Trey Handy for sixth place all-time.
ARCHBISHOP MURPHY (3-0) AT BELLINGHAM (0-3)
Time: 7 PM Friday
Site: Civic Stadium
What to expect: It will be incredibly hard for the Bayhawks, or anyone for that matter, to stop the machine that is the running game of the Wildcats. However, that might be the biggest strength of the Bellingham team… stopping the run. It could make for an interesting matchup, but the Bayhawk offense still needs to get going, as it is averaging just one touchdown per game.
Player to watch: Senior tight end/inside linebacker Gabe VanHofwegen. It’s going to be a tall task, but he is going to be involved in a lot of plays between the tackles when the Wildcats have the ball. Bellingham will also look top get him the ball on offense.
Historical significance: This is only the third time these two school have met, with Archbishop Murphy winning the first two in 2007 and 2008. Bellingham all-time leading rusher Jeremy Rick is the only player in school history to score a touchdown against the Wildcats.
Moving up the record book: So far this season, VanHofwegen has passed Max Nelson, Greg Brand, Terry Birdsell, Matt Zanstra, Eric Smith, Travis Ernst, Ken Roberts, Dave Duppenthaler and Walker Storrer on the school’s career receptions list.
FERNDALE (1-2) AT MOUNT VERNON (0-3)
Time: 7 PM Friday
Site: Mount Vernon High School
What to expect: The Golden Eagles took out some aggression last week on the Chargers, and you can expect more of the same here against the Bulldogs. Talan Bungard is leading the county in rushing with 552 yards, and junior quarterback Nolan Boleak has already thrown four touchdown passes, and has a QB rating over 100.
Player to watch: Junior center/defensive tackle Kulshan LaValley. The Golden Eagles have ran for 871 yards so far this season, and it all starts up front, and it really starts with LaValley. A tremendous center with all the skills, and he will be powerful force guiding the Ferndale rushing attack once again.
Historical significance: Since 1969, these two teams have played each other 41 times, with Ferndale winning the last 16 in a row. In 2008, the Golden Eagles beat Mount Vernon 47-20, with Spencer Hannah rushing for 141 yards and two touchdowns….. on four carries.
Moving up the record book: We’ve been keeping an eye on Bungard flying up the school’s all-time rushing list. Last week he passed Jacob Broselle, Donny Finkbonner, Kyler Randall, Justice Powell, Marcus Nightingale, Jeff Hannah, Willy Scott and Britton Hanson. The 225-pound bruiser now sits at 15th all-time in school history.
NOOKSACK VALLEY (3-0) AT TUMWATER (3-0)
Time: 7 PM Friday
Site: Tumwater High School
What to expect: This will be one of the toughest games that the Pioneers have played in years. The great thing is that this Nooksack Valley squad isn’t intimidated by anything or anyone. The Thunderbirds are the clear favorite here, as they are in 95% of the games they play in, but the Pioneers will give them a great game.
Player to watch: Junior quarterback Evan Brown. The Pioneers might be forced to throw in this one, and it will be a great test for the first-year starting quarterback. Nooksack Valley is the only team left in Whatcom County this season that has yet to throw an interceptions, and a turnover of any kind in this game will be crucial.
Historical significance: These two teams have never played each other. In fact, the only team Nooksack Valley has played against that starts with the letter “T” is Toledo, back in 2010.
Moving up the record book: Only four players in school history have caught at least 70 passes for 1000 yards and 10 touchdown in their career. Senior Cory Olney is one of them, and the other three are Trey Handy, Anthony Reese and Josh Gimmaka.
MOUNT BAKER (3-0) AT SULTAN (1-2)
Time: 7 PM Friday
Site: Sultan High School
What to expect: The Mountaineers are rolling, especially with its patented running attack. The three starting running backs (Dylan Moa, Brady Bruland and Shaun Dugger) have combined for over 10 yards per carry, and a lot of it has to do with how well the offensive line has been playing. The defense has also not allowed a first-half touchdown this season.
Player to watch: Junior right guard Noah Ilichev. Perhaps the strongest player on the team, and with his low center of gravity, he can really move people. He’s been a huge reason for the early season success of the Mountaineers.
Historical significance: These two teams have played each other 14 times, with Mount Baker winning 12 of them. The Mountaineers won the 1999 matchup 71-6 behind 157 yards rushing and three touchdowns of Jim Schleimer.
Moving up the record book: Dylan Moa has been averaging 142 rushing yards per game this season. Another 142 yards rushing and he will past Brian Gardner, Wes Carson, Michael Millson and Jacob Prince on the school’s all-time rushing list.
BLAINE (3-0) AT GRANITE FALLS (3-0)
Time: 7 PM Friday
Site: Granite Falls High School
What to expect: The Borderites are 3-0 for the first time since 1990. Can they now be 4-0 for the first time since 1979? To do so, they will need to keep doing what they’ve been doing, controlling the clock and run the ball down right through the opponent. The Tigers will want to open it up, and when Chelan tried that last week, Blaine intercepted three passes.
Player to watch: Senior wide receiver/cornerback Thomas Cox. He was out last week, but should be good to go here. A lot will be put on him to defend against the Granite Falls passing attack, and his physical style of play might make the Tigers think twice about throwing his way.
Historical significance: These two teams have played each other 16 times, and the Borderites have won 14 of them. The last meeting took place in 2015, which Blaine won 48-0 and it saw Jalen Kortlever throw for four touchdowns, and it also had Riley Fritsch and Garrett Adams each rush for over 100 yards.
Moving up the record book: Last week, senior quarterback Colin Davis became the eighth player in school history to surpass 2,000 career passing yards. He is currently 82 yards behind Cam Ellis for 7th place in school history.
LYNDEN (3-0) AT ANACORTES (3-0)
Time: 7 PM Friday
Site: Anacortes High School
What to expect: Well, it’s the game of the week in the state, and the game of the year in this area. The Lions are rarely the underdog, but they will be here. The Seahawks return a ton of speed from last year’s team, and even though the Lynden defense is young, it will be coached up well on how to stay with the explosive Anacortes offense. Get there early.
Player to watch: Senior quarterback Brant Heppner. He’s been in a ton of huge situations, in multiple sports, so you can bet he’ll be ready for this one. It will be an extremely fast secondary that he’s going up against, so his passes need to be quick and accurate, which they usually always are.
Historical significance: These two teams started playing each other in 1993, and over those 27 games, Lynden has won 24 of them. The Seahawks beat the Lions 15-8 last season. The 2008 matchup saw the Lions win 48-0 behind 243 rushing yards and 284 passing yards.
Moving up the record book: Last week, Heppner became the 4th player in school history to pass for at least 40 touchdowns in a career. The other three are Sterling Somers, Josh Kraght and Jordan Hastings.
LAKESIDE-NINE MILE FALLS (1-2) AT LYNDEN CHRISTIAN (1-2)
Time: 3 PM Saturday
Site: Lynden Christian High School
What to expect: Although the Lyncs are 1-2, there have been many things to like about the season so far. It’s been a crazy schedule, and the passing game is coming along extremely quickly. It’s an unknown to me if starting running back Hollis Owen will be available for this game, but if he is, this could be a great opportunity to get the running game back on track. Although the Eagles were in the 1A state championship game last season, they have a lot of new varsity faces.
Player to watch: Senior running back/cornerback Mick Owen. He filled in for his brother Hollis at running back last week in the second half, and is very effective as a slot receiver. Either way, he can really make a difference, and he’s also been a lockdown corner since the beginning of last season.
Historical significance: Last year’s opener was the first time the two teams played each other, and the Lyncs lost 14-8, and Trey Bosman picked up a team-high nine tackles in that contest.
Moving up the record book: With half as many receptions, junior wide receiver Boyce Robertson has already moved past Rick Mellema and Kevin Dykman in career receiving yards in school history.
LAKEWOOD (1-2) AT SQUALICUM (2-1)
Time: 7 PM Saturday
Site: Civic Stadium
What to expect: The Cougars have to return to the same stadium in which they were beat up last week, so we’ll see how that sits with them. The Storm had a great start at Archbishop Murphy last week before taking the loss. I see Squalicum breaking a few big plays in this one, and I think the Storm defense will be up for the challenge against the Lakewood passing attack.
Player to watch: Sophomore cornerback Hunter Calloway. What a great athlete. He will be challenged by this Cougar passing game, but he’s one of this first guys I would want against a team that throws a lot. He has that tremendous ability to stay with his receiver at all times, and making a break for the ball at just the right moment.
Historical significance: This is will be the ninth game between these two teams, and the Storm have won five of them, but the Cougars have won two of the last three. In 2006, Squalicum won 56-12 with Chad Clark rushing for 165 yards and scoring five touchdowns.
Moving up the record book: Senior running back Marcus Nixon is now 29 yards away from becoming the sixth player in school history to hit 2,000 career rushing yards.
