LYNDEN – The Lion defense allowed less than four yards a play for the game as Lynden won its third game in a row by defeating Lord Tweedsmuir 23-0 at Rollie DeKoster Field on Friday night.
Senior Payton Scott and junior Brock Heppner each had quarterback sacks and senior defensive back Kobe Elsner intercepted a pair of passes to lead the Lion defense.
“Our defensive line was amazing,” Lynden defensive coordinator Blake Witman said. “They did their jobs, which our linebackers Bodie Human and Preston King to be freed up and make tackles. Also, our defensive ends, Brock Heppner, Trevin Melendez and Carson Bode were able to set the edge the entire game.”
The offense was also clicking in the first half, partly because of the return of senior running back Eric Martin-Mann, who had missed the first two games. He picked up first downs on multiple carries before scoring from 12 yards out in the first quarter to put Lynden on the board.
Martin-Mann nearly had his second touchdown of the game in the second quarter, but fumbled just before reaching the end zone, and Heppner fell on top of it for the touchdown. Senior quarterback James Marsh hit Heppner on a 6-yard strike near the end of the second quarter for a touchdown.
There was no scoring from each side in the second half, with many drives ending in turnovers during the rainstorm.
Junior running back Steven DiLorenzo came into the game as Whatcom County’s leading rusher, and he led the Lions with 64 yards rushing on 15 carries.
Lynden (3-0) will begin conference play on Friday when they host Archbishop Murphy (1-1) in a battle of two top teams in the 2A ranks.
Lord Tweedsmuir 0
Lynden 23
LT 0 0 0 0 – 0
LYN 7 16 0 0 – 23
LYN – Martin-Mann 12 run (Samoukovic kick)
LYN – Safety, center snap over punter’s head
LYN – Heppner fumble recovery in end zone (Samoukovic kick)
LYN – Heppner 6 pass from Marsh (Samoukovic kick)
LT LYN
23-50 Rushing Att-Yards 34-115
12-28-2 Comp-Att-Int 9-18-2
96 Passing yards 93
Individual Leaders
RUSHING – LT: N/A. LYN: DiLorenzo 15-64, Martin-Mann 8-58, Wheeler 2-3, Melendez 2-(-1), Heppner 5-(-4), Marsh 2-(-5).
PASSING – LT: N/A. LYN: Marsh 5-12-2-51, Heppner 2-4-0-11, Ayres 2-2-0-31.
RECEIVING – LT: N/A. LYN: Heppner 2-26, VanderYacht 2-20, Melendez 2-12, Baar 1-24, E. Bode 1-7, DiLorenzo 1-4.
