LYNDEN – The Lyncs did it again, shutting out a conference opponent, this time with a 12-0 victory over the Mountaineers on Friday night.
The win gives Lynden Christian a firm grasp of the 1A Northwest Conference.
A scoreless first half saw numerous punts, and great defensive plays by both squads, and it was great field position in the third quarter that helped elevate LC’s game and get the Lyncs on the board.
Lynden Christian senior Caleb Van Dyken had a 48-yard punt, followed by a 45-yard punt that was downed at the Baker 1-yard line. With the Mountaineers pinned deep, they were then forced to punt it back after a three-and-out. Two plays later, Lync junior Kade Eldridge darted through the Mountie defense for a 21-yard touchdown run.
Eldridge led his team with 80 yards on 15 carries, with a high majority of it coming in the second half. His powerful running helped wear down the Mount Baker defenders, while also running the clock with the lead.
The Lyncs got big runs by Eldridge, Caleb Ryan and Will Colwell late in the third quarter to help them get back into the red zone. Moments after the quarter change, Lynden Christian put another score on the board with a 3-yard touchdown run on a fly sweep by junior Tyler Sipma.
Mount Baker had a few big plays in the fourth quarter, including a 23-yard run by junior Marcques George, a 28-yard completion from Davin Beason to Landen Hanstead, and a strip and a recovery by Jesse Sande, but a late interception by Sipma put an end to the Mountaineers’ chances.
George finished the game with a team-high 83 yards rushing on 17 carries.
Defensively, Eldridge had another stand-out game with 3.5 tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss and a quarterback sack. Senior Sam Penner returned from injury and registered four tackles, three passes broken up and an interception.
Mount Baker was led defensively by senior defensive tackle Thayer Brown who had seven tackles, three tackles for loss and a sack.
Lynden Christian (4-2) is scheduled to host East Valley of Spokane (4-2) at 1:00 on Saturday, and the Mountaineers (4-3) will host Meridian (4-3) at 7:00 on Friday.
Mount Baker 0 Lynden Christian 12 MB 0 0 0 0 - 0 LC 0 0 6 6 - 12 LC - Eldridge 21 run (kick failed) LC - Sipma 3 run (run failed) MB LC 35-120 Rush Att-Yards 38-177 5-15-2 Comp-Att-Int 4-12-0 51 Passing Yards 40 Individual Leaders RUSHING - MB: George 17-83, Sande 11-32, Beason 6-9, Hanstead 1-(-4). LC: Eldridge 15-80, Colwell 16-78, Owen 1-9, Ryan 3-9, Sipma 3-1. PASSING - MB: Beason 5-15-2-51. LC: Colwell 4-12-0-40. RECEIVING - MB: Pettigrew 3-22, Hanstead 1-28, Sande 1-1. LC: Eldridge 2-22, Ryan 1-9, Sipma 1-9.
