SEDRO WOOLLEY – Lynden put together the complete football game as it shut down, and shut out, Sedro Woolley 47-0 on Thursday night. It was the first time the Lions shut out the rival Cubs since 1994.
The opening drive of the game set the tone as Lynden marched 65 yards on 12 plays, ending in a 3-yard touchdown run by quarterback Baylor Ayres. The 6-foot-2 senior found the end zone three more times, and also had a touchdown pass.
The Lions’ second drive was quicker, mostly because of the 58-yard scamper down the left sideline by senior running back Caleb Wheeler. Ayres then put the exclamation point on the drive with a 5-yard touchdown.
Ayres then had four consecutive running plays to the right side during Lynden’s following drive, which was followed by a roll out to the right, which sucked the defenders in for a split second, and Ayres found sophomore wide receiver Isaiah Stanley on a perfectly thrown 28-yard touchdown pass.
Wheeler scored on the following possession from a yard out when he hurled his body over the goal line, and the Lions went into halftime with a 28-0 lead. Wheeler finished with a career-high 146 yards rushing on just 14 carries.
Ayres’ third touchdown run of the game came in the third quarter, but this time it was a designed pass play. He sat in the pocket, looking for someone open, and when he didn’t see anyone he spun around to his left side and decided to run it for himself. His speed allowed him to get near the end zone, but it was his power that allowed him to score the 19-yard touchdown.
Ayres finished with 127 yards rushing on 20 carries.
His fourth rushing touchdown of the game (a 3-yard score) was set up by one of the most exciting plays of the game. The Cubs completed a pass on Lynden’s side of the field, but the receiver was immediately hit by sophomore strong safety Collin Anker and the ball popped out. It was quickly grabbed out of mid-air by junior cornerback Kole Antypas who then sprinted 62 yards down the Lion sideline.
The kickoff the followed Ayres’ final touchdown of the game was mishandled by the Sedro returner, and the ball was recovered at the Cub 15-yard line by sophomore Lane Heeringa. Sophomore backup quarterback Kaeden Hermanutz scored on the following play with a quick run to his right.
The Lynden defense was in a groove all game, and allowed just three completions for 17 yards. Senior linebacker Connor White led with 9.5 tackles, and he also had a forced fumble. Senior defensive lineman Carter Van Diest also had a big game with 7.5 tackles, a tackle for loss, a forced fumble and a pass defended.
The Lions (3-1) will be hosting Lynden Christian (3-0) this Tuesday night in a game that has been a long time coming for the city of Lynden. Considering that Lynden assistant coach Scott Noteboom and Lynden Christian assistant coach Mike Apol were opposing running back s the last time these two teams played each other, there will be a lot of emotion at Rollie DeKoster Field in less than a week.
Lynden 47
Sedro Woolley 0
LYN 14 14 19 0 – 47
SW 0 0 0 0 – 0
LYN – Ayres 3 run (Petz kick)
LYN – Ayres 5 run (Petz kick)
LYN – Stanley 28 pass from Ayres (Petz kick)
LYN – Wheeler 1 run (Petz kick)
LYN – Ayres 19 run (Petz kick)
LYN – Ayres 3 run (kick failed)
LYN – Hermanutz 15 run (kick failed)
LYN SW
42-351 Rushing Att-Yards 36-173
8-11-0 Comp-Att-Int 3-12-0
96 Passing yards 17
Individual Leaders
RUSHING – LYN: Wheeler 14-146, Ayres 20-127, Heeringa 7-63, Hermanutz 1-15. SW: N/A.
PASSING – LYN: Ayres 6-9-0-87, Hermanutz 2-2-0-9. SW: N/A.
RECEIVING – LYN: Stanley 2-40, Wheeler 2-17, Langstraat 2-9, Jacob 1-18, Antypas 1-12. SW: N/A.
