LYNDEN – In a contest between two powerhouse teams, it will come down to the little things that win ballgames. In this battle between two rivals, it was the offensive line play that helped the Golden Eagles defeat Lynden 35-25 at Rollie DeKoster Field on Friday night.
Long, sustained drives, coupled with a smash-mouth mentality resulted in 363 yards on the ground for Ferndale, and of the 59 rushing plays they were stopped for no gain, or a loss, just once. The down-blocking of senior tackle Tre Kyle and junior guard Trevor Fetty, coupled with the kick-out blocking of junior guard Jordan Mason and the pulling/mauling ability of junior center Landen Hatchett and junior tackle Jake Mason opened up numerous holes for the Golden Eagle rushing attack.
As is typical of a Ferndale game, the pounding of the football allowed for opportune passing plays, and senior quarterback Mark Schlichting made the most of those moments, completing 7-of-11 passes for 75 yards and two touchdowns.
Schlichting also scored on a 1-yard quarterback sneak in the third quarter, which came 10 plays after a tremendous one-handed, back-handed, interception by senior cornerback Thomas Broselle. After sophomore Jacob Mattingley’s extra point, the Golden Eagles enjoyed their largest lead of the game, 21-7. The lead didn’t last long, however, as the ensuing kickoff was returned 98 yards for a touchdown by junior Troy Petz. It was Petz’ first varsity touchdown, but his extra point attempt was blocked.
Lynden and Ferndale traded touchdowns throughout the rest of the game, with Golden Eagle junior running back Isaiah Carlson breaking two long touchdown runs. He went on to have a game-high 21 carries for 175 yards.
The Lions were without senior Max Moore due to injury, which allowed junior Kaedan Hermanutz to take every snap at the quarterback position. He completed 9-of-18 passes for 105 yards. He also completed a 31-yard touchdown pass to junior Campbell Nolte, and ran in a score from two yards out.
Lynden did get a lot of production out of junior Lane Heeringa. Defensively, he had a game-high 15.5 tackles, including a tackle for loss,. He also led the Lions in rushing with 95 yards on 12 carries, including a dazzling 25-yard touchdown run that saw him change his direction with one cut, and sprint to the end zone.
Golden Eagle senior middle linebacker Elijah McCormick led his team with eight tackles, and defensive end Jake Mason totaled three stops behind the line of scrimmage.
Ferndale (2-0) will host Arlington (2-0) on Friday night at Blaine High School, and Lynden (1-1) will host Squalicum (1-0) on Friday night.
Ferndale 35 Lynden 25 FERN 7 7 7 14 - 35 LYN 6 0 6 13 - 25 FERN - Pelton 8 pass from Schlichting (Mattingley kick) LYN - Nolte 31 pass from Hermanutz (kick failed) FERN - Broselle 11 pass from Schlichting (Mattingley kick) FERN - Schlichting 1 run (Mattingley kick) LYN - Petz 98 kickoff return (kick blocked) FERN - Carlson 28 run (Mattingley kick) LYN - Heeringa 25 run (pass failed) FERN - Carlson 47 run (Mattingley kick) LYN - Hermanutz 2 run (Petz kick) FERN LYN 59-363 Rush Att-Yards 22-113 7-11-1 Comp-Att-Int 9-18-1 75 Passing Yards 105 Individual Leaders RUSHING - FERN: Carlson 21-175, Pelton 16-86, McCormick 9-46, Broselle 6-40, Schlichting 7-16. LYN: Heeringa 12-95, Hermanutz 6-18, Nolte 3-4, Stanley 1-(-4). PASSING - FERN: Schlichting 7-11-1-75. LYN: Hermanutz 9-18-1-105. RECEIVING - FERN: Pelton 3-38, Broselle 2-14, Castleberry 1-19, Walcker 1-4. LYN: Stanley 4-47, Nolte 2-38, Antypas 1-9, Jandoc 1-6, Anker 1-5.
