BELLINGHAM – Bend, but don’t break. We’ve all heard that term, and that’s exactly what the Lynden defense did against the Storm on Friday night. All-State running back Djouvensky Schlenbaker got his yards (185 on 32 carries), but he was held without a touchdown for the first time since week two of the 2019 season, and the Lions beat Squalicum 9-6 at Civic Stadium.
It was the first time since 2007 that Lynden scored under 10 points, and still walked away with the victory. The last time was a 7-0 win over Bellingham, in a game that was also at Civic Stadium.
A scoreless first half saw a lot of running plays from both teams, but points were never able to be put on the scoreboard. Both teams were able to get into each other’s territory, but turnovers on downs, and a missed field goal by Lynden ended those possessions.
The Lions put together a strong drive in the third quarter, which ended in a 26-yard field goal by sophomore Troy Petz.
Schlenbaker’s hard running continued in the third quarter, one carry resulted in a 40-yard gain that gave the Storm their best field position of the game. Senior quarterback Mason Binning then rolled to his left and threw a perfect strike to junior wide receiver Reed Richardson which resulted in a 12-yard touchdown.
The extra point was blocked, but Squalicum held the narrow 6-3 advantage at that point.
Lynden seniors Baylor Ayres and Caleb Wheeler began trading carries in the fourth quarter, and they leaned heavily on their massive offensive line. Both the quarterback and running back started picking up larger chunks of yards on each carry, and Ayres was able to sprint in a 2-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter that would give the Lions the lead for good.
Ayres finished with a team-high 91 yards on 27 carries, and Wheeler had 74 yards on 15 carries.
Lynden’s defense was able to hold on late, as junior defensive lineman Case Zweegman’s consistent play at the line of scrimmage helped lead the Lion attack. He finished with eight tackles, two tackles for loss and two sacks. Senior defensive end Ian Jacob contributed with five tackles, one tackle for loss and a fumble recovery.
Schlenbaker’s 32 carries broke his own personal record from last week, and he also racked up 8.5 tackles on defense, and teammate Bryson Lamb had 8.5 stops as well as one tackle for loss and a sack.
Lynden (2-1) will travel to Sedro Woolley (1-2) and face the Cubs on Thursday at 7:00. Squalicum (2-1) will try to regroup this Friday when it travels to Sehome to take on the Mariners.
Lynden 9
Squalicum 6
LYN 0 0 3 6 – 9
SQU 0 0 6 0 – 6
LYN – Petz 26 FG
SQU – Richardson 12 pass from Binning (kick blocked)
LYN – Ayres 2 run (kick failed)
LYN SQU
42-165 Rushing Att-Yards 38-177
5-11-0 Comp-Att-Int 8-14-1
49 Passing yards 76
Individual Leaders
RUSHING – LYN: Ayres 27-91, Wheeler 15-74. SQU: Schlenbaker 32-185, Hawkinson 2-5, Binning 4-(-13).
PASSING – LYN: Ayres 5-11-0-49. SQU: Binning 8-14-1-76.
RECEIVING – LYN: Stanley 3-32, Wheeler 1-13, Slayton 1-4. SQU: Hawkinson 4-31, Richardson 2-25, Pennock 1-14, Takabe 1-6.
Great job on the reporting. Always look forward to your posts.
Thank you so much!