BELLINGHAM – Lynden senior Cade Slayton is one of the best baseball players in Northwest Washington, and his ability to drive the ball all over the field is immense. However, his most memorable drive thus far happened on Saturday night at Civic Stadium when he entered the game at quarterback with 6:33 left in the game, at his own-20 yard line, with his team down 10-9.
The 215-pound senior put the team on his back. He followed his massive offensive line as the Lions marched 80 yards on 15 plays, and he scored the game-winning touchdown from a yard out with 38 seconds remaining as the Lions defeated North Kitsap 15-10 in the Class 2A state semifinals.
Before the final drive, Lynden had amassed just 149 of total offense for the game, and had just two plays over 10 yards. However, when Slayton moved from tight end to quarterback, and junior Trey Smiley took his place at tight end, the Lions packed their offense in tight. They knew it was time for power football, and the battle of attrition was on.
Inside handoffs to junior running backs Lane Heeringa and Campbell Nolte, as well as power runs by Slayton, were picking up between four and six yards at a time. The powerful offensive line of Dane Gatterman, Kuyper Assink, Josiah Vanderhaak, Bennett Roorda and Jesus Ortiz, along with Smiley and Case Zweegman at tight end, had enough left in the tank to allow the drive to take place.
In the opening quarter, Lynden got on the board first when the Vikings snapped the ball over the punter’s head, and through the end zone, which resulted in safety. Lion senior Kaleo Jandoc returned the ensuing kickoff to the North Kitsap 45-yard line, which gave Lynden tremendous field position. The Lions capitalized 10 plays later on a 4-yard touchdown run by junior quarterback Kaedan Hermanutz, and Lynden had an early 9-0 lead.
The Vikings scored in the second quarter when they connected on a 36-yard field goal. North Kitsap had another field goal attempt just before half time, but it was blocked by Taivin VanDalen. The senior linebacker also led his team defensively on the evening with 10 tackles, three passes broken up and a quarterback sack. Zweegman finished with 9.5 tackles and a tackle for loss.
After a scoreless third quarter, the Vikings put a strong drive together in the fourth quarter, which was aided by a 33-yard run by senior quarterback Colten Bower. North Kitsap eventually scored on the drive, which set up the Lynden heroics at the end.
The Lions will face number one ranked Tumwater for the state championship on Saturday at 4:00 at Sparks Stadium in Puyallup. It will be the seventh time the two powerhouse programs will face each other in the state playoffs. Lynden currently holds the 4-2 advantage.
North Kitsap 10
Lynden 15
NK 0 3 0 7 - 10
LYN 9 0 0 6 - 15
LYN - Safety, ball snapped over punter's head, through end zone
LYN - Hermanutz 4 run (Petz kick)
NK - 36 yard field goal
NK - 1 yard touchdown run (kick good)
LYN - Slayton 1 run (run failed)NK LYN 44-213 Rush Att-Yards 50-216 8-27-1 Comp-Att-Int 1-10-0 102 Passing Yards 13 Individual Leaders RUSHING - NK: N/A. LYN: Heeringa 19-76, Nolte 15-63, Hermanutz 10-40, Slayton 6-37. PASSING - NK: N/A. LYN: Hermanutz 1-10-0-13. RECEIVING - NK: N/A. LYN: Heeringa 1-13.
