BY MAKAYLA SPARKS – For Whatcom Preps
BELLINGHAM – The weather at Civic Stadium on Friday night wasn’t friendly but it didn’t hold back the Lynden Lions as they defeated the Bremerton Knights 41-7 in the first round of the 2A state football playoffs.
It was all Lynden early as the Lions created an early defensive stop, took the ball on a punt, and put the first points on the board.
Junior quarterback Brant Heppner rushed into the end zone from a yard away for first the score of the night, and he would repeat it five minutes later. His second one-yard touchdown run was set up by a momentum-securing 47-yard run by sophomore running back Max Assink.
On the night Assink rushed for 106 yards on 11 carries.
Bremerton started to get things going as the second quarter began but a blocked field goal by senior Cooper Moore sent the Knights back to their sideline with no changes to the scoreboard.
Senior defensive back Brady Elsner recovered the blocked kick and returned it to the Knight’s 32-yard line. Two plays later, Heppner found junior tight end, Isaiah Oudman in the end zone on a 23-yard touchdown pass down the seam, and the Lions held a 20-0 lead with six minutes to go in the half.
The Lynden defense forced another punt and Heppner scored his third rushing touchdown of the night following a 32-yard pass caught by sophomore receiver Dani Bowler. Heppner ran the ball in from two yards out and expanded Lynden’s lead to 27-0 with forty seconds left in the second quarter.
Senior Zach Welch recovered the ensuing kickoff for the Lions, and moments later Heppner connected with Elsner on a 20-yard touchdown pass to add another seven points to the board.
The Knights attempted to score before the half expired, but Moore grabbed the Bremerton pass attempt from his cornerback position and secured his team’s 34-0 halftime lead.
The Lions received the second-half kickoff and put the ball into the hands of senior back-up quarterback Charlie Ayres. Ayres continued what his teammates had started in the first half, breaking off a 23-yard and a 19-yard run. The latter went for a touchdown and gave Lynden a 41-0 advantage.
The Lynden defense was able to stop the strong rushing attack by Bremerton, as it was led by sophomore inside linebacker Lofa Tigilau who finished with seven tackles.
With a running clock and mostly second and third-string players in the game, the Lion’s offense stalled for the rest of the night.
The Knights managed to score a rushing touchdown midway through the fourth quarter. In a similar style to the end of the first half, Bremerton attempted to score one more time with less than 10 seconds to go but the pass was picked off by junior safety Jaydin Oaks.
The Lions successfully advanced to the quarterfinals with their 41-7 victory and will play at North Kitsap this Saturday at 3 pm.
Lynden 41 Bremerton 7 BRE 0 0 0 7 - 7 LYN 13 21 7 0 - 41 LYN - Heppner 1 run (kick failed) LYN - Heppner 1 run (Koenen kick) LYN - Oudman 23 pass from Heppner (Koenen kick) LYN - Heppner 2 run (Koenen kick) LYN - Elsner 20 pass from Heppner (Koenen kick) LYN - Ayres 19 run (Koenen kick) BRE - 12 yard touchdown run (kick good) BRE LYN 42-183 Rush Att-Yards 33-238 1-4-2 Comp-Att-Int 9-14-0 14 Passing Yards 133 Individual Leaders RUSHING - BRE: N/A. LYN: M. Assink 11-106, Ayres 2-42, Heppner 7-27, Marti 4-17, Human 3-16, Koenen 2-16, D. VanDalen 1-7, Bedlington 2-5, Tolsma 1-2. PASSING - BRE: N/A. LYN: Heppner 8-11-0-130, Bedlington 1-2-0-3, Marti 0-1-0-0. RECEIVING - BRE: N/A. LYN: Elsner 3-45, Bowler 2-38, Oudman 1-23, W. VanDalen 1-13, Moore 1-11, Oaks 1-3.
