We’re back for more football action! Below are previews for all seven 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 9! Thank you to local actor Kevin Six for being our guest picker, and thank you to Nooksack Valley junior Cole Coppinger for the podcast intro!
MOUNT BAKER (5-3) AT OMAK (4-4)
Time: 6 PM Thursday
Site: Omak High School
What to expect: If the Mountaineers can shake their bus legs early, it could be a very long evening for the Pioneers. Mount Baker put up a lot of points last week, and look to do the same here with the running game clicking. How well will Omak be prepared for the Wing-T?
Player to watch: Senior wingback Shaun Dugger. An explosive playmaker in the run game and the pass game. Something tells me that he’s going to have a couple of long touchdowns on Halloween night.
Historical significance: This is the first time these two teams have played each other.
Moving up the record book: Senior running back Dylan Moa is currently 19th all-time in career rushing yards in school history, and is 143 yards away from passing Kelly Zender.
MERIDIAN (5-3) AT BLAINE (5-3)
Time: 6 PM Thursday
Site: Blaine High School
What to expect: A lot on the line here. If the Trojans win, they are in the playoffs. A Borderite win creates a three-way tie with these two teams and Mount Baker for third place of the NWC 1A. Blaine will give it everything to keep its season alive, and Meridian will be just as feisty, with the added element of revenge from last season’s loss on this very field.
Matchup to watch: Meridian senior tight end James Hedahl against Blaine senior safety Logan Villarreal. Hedahl has emerged as once of the top tight ends in the area, with 22 receptions for 266 yards. Villarreal has the ability to keep up with him, and most likely make a few plays that will go the Borderite way.
Historical significance: This is a rivalry that goes back 90 years, and since 1973 the Trojans are up in this series 41-17. However, most remember last season’s epic game in which Blaine won 29-28 on a last second field goal by Matt Hayes.
Moving up the record book: Last week, Blaine running back Jaiden Paez passed Ben Bohnson as is now in 5th place in school history in career rushing yards.
ARCHBISHOP MURPHY (6-1) AT SEHOME (6-2)
Time: 6 PM Thursday
Site: Civic Stadium
What to expect: An awesome matchup. The Wildcats were off last week, which is perfect timing for them coming right after their only loss of the season at Lynden. Meanwhile, the Mariners have been turning up the volume on teams around the league. Archbishop Murphy will run the ball the majority of the time, and Sehome will have to be diligent on defense, and not allow the big run to break through.
Player to watch: Junior center/defensive tackle Finn Seitz-Gregoire. Line-play will be huge in this game, as it is the strength of the Wildcats. Seitz-Gregoire will need to be at his best, and you can bet he will give everything he has.
Historical significance: This is the 5th matchup between these two teams, with the Wildcats winning just once. The most memorable matchup was the first meeting in 2018 which Sehome shocked Archbishop Murphy with a 37-9 win to put the Mariners into the state playoffs.
Moving up the record book: Junior quarterback Nolan Wright is just two touchdown passes away from being the 10th player in Whatcom County history to pass for 60 touchdowns in his career.
FERNDALE (4-4) AT SHOREWOOD (5-3)
Time: 5 PM Friday
Site: Shoreline Stadium
What to expect: Last week was the best the Golden Eagles have looked all season, and they will look to build upon that this week. Ferndale’s Wing-T will be extremely tough to defend with less than a week to prepare for it, and the Golden Eagles have also capitalized on big passing plays with quarterback Nolan Boleak already completing nine touchdown passes this season.
Player to watch: Senior running back/linebacker Jacob Gandy. He has been utilized more than usual in the offense, and has ran extremely well, but his calling card is on defense. His speed and toughness are hard to contain when he’s at linebacker, and he’s one of the surest tacklers in the county.
Historical significance: The only time these two teams played was in 1983. Ferndale lost 7-6, with sophomore running back Donny Finkbonner scoring the lone touchdown for the Golden Eagles.
Moving up the record book: The Talan Bungard watch has been on all year, and he is currently in ninth place in school history with 2809 career rushing yards. He is now 44 yards away from Jake Locker.
LYNDEN (7-1) AT BURLINGTON-EDISON (4-4)
Time: 7 PM Friday
Site: Roland Kirkby Field
What to expect: The Lions broke out last week, and look to be peaking at just the right time. Playing at Burlington-Edison is always tough for any opponent, but Lynden is on a mission right now. The defense it at the top of its game, and will be extremely tough to score upon.
Player to watch: Junior safety Brody Price. His improvement throughout the season has been awesome to watch. A thumper in the secondary that is definitely not afraid to hit you. He has gone to a first-year varsity player to an All-Conference caliber player.
Historical significance: This is the 30th matchup between these two rivals, with Lynden holding a 23-6 advantage. The Tigers won the first meeting in 1993, but Lynden came back and won the next season 21-14 behind the 119 yards rushing of Ben Wall, along with a passing touchdown and rushing touchdown from quarterback Matt Wall.
Moving up the record book: Last week, senior tight end Isaiah Oudman became the 15th player in school history to surpass 1,000 career receiving yards. Another 100-yard game would surge him pas Luke Christianson, Trevor Ottman and Ryan Gaylord.
BELLINGHAM (2-6) AT SQUALICUM (4-4)
Time: 7 PM Friday
Site: Civic Stadium
What to expect: Another great city rivalry renewed. The Bayhawks are coming off their best performance of the season last week, and also picked up their first conference victory in half a decade. They are riding high at the moment, and have a lot of confidence. The Storm can’t take Bellingham lightly, or it could be a long night for them.
Matchup to watch: Bellingham junior defensive end Kaiser Barker against Squalicum senior running back Marcus Nixon. Barker is a tough-nosed kid that likes to mix it up, and he might meet Nixon at the line of scrimmage many times. It will be fun to see how it plays out.
Historical significance: These two teams have played each other just 15 times, with Squalicum leading the series 9-6. Hard to believe that it’s been nine years since they have played each other, with the last game being a 41-14 win for the Storm when Garrett Sorenson passed for 191 yards and three touchdowns.
Moving up the record book: Squalicum senior Joaquin Ortiz is currently tied with Paul Smith for the sixth most receiving yards in school history, and he’s currently 68 yards away from Kai Posey.
NOOKSACK VALLEY (6-2) AT LYNDEN CHRISTIAN (5-3)
Time: 7 PM Friday
Site: Lynden Christian High School
What to expect: A packed house, a great rivalry, a four-hour long pregame show on KPUG, it should be awesome. An extremely evenly matched game here, with the two teams that were on top of the conference last season are back at it again. The Lyncs are dealing with injuries, but unlike most 1A teams, they are very deep with a lot of varsity-level athletes. The Pioneers are coming off a tough non-conference loss of last week, and will be ready to go in this one.
Matchup to watch: Nooksack Valley senior outside linebacker Tristan Kamphouse against Lynden Christian sophomore running back Chris Kooiman. A couple of really tall athletes, that won’t be tough to miss. Kooiman has the ability to get outside the defense quickly on plays with the ball in his hands, and Kamphouse does a great job of getting the edge. This meeting should take place multiple times.
Historical significance: Over the last 51 years, these two teams have played each other 83 times, with the Lyncs holding a 45-38 lead. In the first meeting of the 1982 season, the Pioneers won a close 13-12 game behind two touchdown passes from Dave Zapien. One to Glenn Leenders, and the other to Mike Lambert. Tim VanderVeen scored the two touchdowns for the Lyncs.
Moving up the record book: Now the all-time leading rusher in Nooksack Valley history, Colton Lentz is currently 29 yards away from Matthias Wilson for fifth place in Whatcom County history.
