LYNDEN – In one of Whatcom County’s most hyped up 1A games in recent memory, it was Lynden Christian who walked away with a 30-7 victory over Nooksack Valley at home on Friday night.
Although the two teams were only separated by seven yards of total offense, it was three turnovers by the Pioneers, and the big plays by the Lyncs that ultimately made the difference.
Nooksack Valley did get on the board first when junior quarterback Joey Brown scored on a 1-yard run over right tackle, but the lead didn’t last long. It was former Pioneer, and current LC senior Kade Eldridge that returned the ensuing kickoff 88 yards for a touchdown. Braden Kuik’s extra point tied the game at seven.
It was, in fact, the first kickoff return in Eldridge’s varsity career.
The Lyncs were able to get into the end zone one last time before the half, when junior quarterback Jeremiah Wright sprinted to the right of his offensive line for eight yards out.
Wright then locked on to his senior wide receiver Tyler Sipma for a 17-yard touchdown pass, to give Lynden Christian a healthy two-touchdown advantage. It was Sipma’s eighth touchdown reception on the season, which leads Whatcom County.
LC really put it out of reach in the fourth quarter when Wright unloaded a deep pass down the Lync sideline, and junior wide receiver Dawson Bouma came down with it, and scored his first varsity touchdown, which covered 63 yards.
The Pioneers outgained the Lyncs on the ground, 141-99, with most of the damage coming from sophomore Colton Lentz who had a game-high 96 yards on 21 carries.
Lynden Christian was led defensively by junior inside linebacker Brody Bouwman who had 12.5 tackles and one tackle for loss. Nooksack Valley junior defensive end John Stremler led his team with 11 tackles.
The Lyncs (6-0) will host Meridian (4-2) this Friday, and the Pioneers (5-1) will try to get back on track this Friday when they travel to Mount Baker (3-3) to take on the Mountaineers. Both games are at 7:00.
Lynden Christian 30 Nooksack Valley 7 NV 0 7 0 0 - 7 LC 0 14 6 10 - 30 NV - Brown 1 run (Vigre kick) LC - Eldridge 88 kickoff return (Kuik kick) LC - Wright 8 run (Kuik kick) LC - Sipma 17 pass from Wright (kick blocked) LC - D. Bouma 63 pass from Wright (Eldridge run) LC - Safety, ball snapped over punter's head NV LC 42-141 Rush Att-Yards 26-99 7-22-2 Comp-Att-Int 8-15-0 67 Passing Yards 116 Individual Leaders RUSHING - NV: Lentz 21-96, Whittern 11-35, Brown 9-11, Olney 1-(-1). LC: Wright 10-49, Eldridge 12-44, Paxton 3-7, G. Dykstra 1-(-1). PASSING - NV: Brown 7-22-2-67. LC: Wright 8-14-0-116, G. Dykstra 0-1-0-0. RECEIVING - NV: Bennett 4-22, Olney 2-35, Lentz 1-10. LC: Sipma 4-40, D. Bouma 2-71, Kuik 1-4, Eldridge 1-1.
