BY MAKAYLA SPARKS – For Whatcom Preps
FERNDALE – The Ferndale/Lynden rivalry is among the biggest in Whatcom County and it’s no surprise the stands were packed on Friday night. The teams have traded wins over the past eight years, and it was no different this year. The Lions grabbed the come-from-behind 28-24 win this year after losing to Ferndale in week one of the 2023 season.
Lynden kicked off the ball game and Ferndale took the ball at the 20-yard line after a touchback. The Golden Eagles powered down the field and into the Lions red zone but a sack and penalty on back-to-back plays forced Ferndale to settle for a 35-yard field goal by senior kicker Kaden Eldridge.
The Lions put together their first drive and senior quarterback Brant Heppner connected with junior wide receiver Dani Bowler on a 35-yard reception to set Lynden up for the first score of the night. Heppner found sophomore wide receiver Sam Arango in the corner of the end zone for a six-yard touchdown pass as the first quarter expired.
Sophomore kicker Malachi Koenen’s point-after attempt was good and the Lions held the only lead they would have until the final moments of the game, 7-3.
The second quarter was where the Golden Eagles shined. They converted a 4th-and-11 for a 31-yard touchdown pass from junior Nolan Boleak to senior Eli Kennerley, to take a 10-7 lead. With 3:37 left in the quarter, Ferndale senior Zach Nielsen came down with a 14-yard reception in the end zone and the Eagles led 17-7 at the half.
After a rough first half for Lynden, the Lions wanted to change the tides in the second half.
“We weren’t competing. You saw, in the second half, a very competitive team. We started to compete,” Lynden head coach Blake VanDalen described after the game, comparing his team’s performance in the first and second halves.
The Lions struck first in the second half when Heppner linked up with senior tight end, Isaiah Oudman for a 15-yard touchdown pass.
Up 17-14, Ferndale responded with a nine yard touchdown from sophomore running back Elliott Lenssen which pushed their lead to 24-14. That would be the last time the Goleden Eagles saw the end zone.
With only 15 seconds left in the quarter, the Lions took possession of the ball and Heppner connected once again with Oudman. Oudman powered through tackles and raced the ball 80 yards to the house for his second receiving touchdown of the night. The third quarter ended with the Lions just three points shy of the Golden Eagles, 24-21.
The final quarter of play began and just as it felt like Ferndale had something going again, Lynden’s junior defensive back, Brody Price tipped a Golden Eagles pass. The ball fell into the hands of his fellow defensive back, Jaydin Oaks for the senior’s first career interception.
After trading possessions of the ball, it was the Lion’s ball with just a few minutes remaining in the game. Lynden, with all the momentum behind them, found the end zone to retake the lead for the first time since the first quarter.
Junior running back Max Assink rushed in from two yards out and the Lions jumped in front 28-24.
Ferndale received the ball with 2:22 seconds to go but was unable to make something happen and turned the ball over. The Lions grabbed a first down to wipe out the remaining Golden Eagle timeouts before kneeling out the final seconds of the game.
“As soon as the game ended, I don’t even know what was going through my mind…it’s unexplainable, it’s amazing,” Oaks said of the win.
Oudman felt similar. “We’ve been playing these guys since we were all fourth and fifth grade so being able to come out here my last year and get it done against them makes me happy.”
Lynden was led offensively by Heppner and Oudman, who each had career-nights. Heppner completed 24-of-37 passes for 365 yards, while Oudman was the main target with 12 receptions for 229 yards.
Ferndale senior Talan Bungard also had career-high numbers with 223 yards rushing on 32 carries.
“I’m just proud of the kids. I kept saying we got to make it a one-score game and give ourselves a chance, and that’s exactly what we did. I respect their (Ferndale) program so much.” Coach VanDalen said about both teams.
The Lions (1-0) will be at home on Friday to take on Mariner (0-1) at 7:00, and there will be a special ceremony to honor former coach Curt Kramme at halftime.
The Golden Eagles (0-1) will try to bounce back on Friday when they host Oak Harbor (1-0) at 7:00.
Lynden 28 Ferndale 24 LYN 7 0 14 7 - 28 FER 3 14 7 0 - 24 FER - Eldridge 35 FG LYN - Arango 5 pass from Heppner (Koenen kick) FER - E. Kennerley 31 pass from Boleak (Eldridge kick) FER - Nielsen 14 pass from Boleak (Eldridge kick) LYN - Oudman 16 pass from Heppner (Koenen kick) FER - Lenssen 9 run (Eldridge kick) LYN - Oudman 80 pass from Heppner (Koenen kick) LYN - Assink 2 run (Koenen kick) LYN FER 21-40 Rush Att-Yards 59-290 24-37-0 Comp-Att-Int 2-9-1 365 Passing Yards 45 Individual Leaders RUSHING - LYN: Heppner 15-24, Assink 6-16. FER: Bungard 32-223, Nielsen 10-55, E. Kennerley 5-20, Lenssen 3-10, Gandy 3-9, Boleak 6-(-27). PASSING - LYN: Heppner 24-37-0-365. FER: Boleak 2-9-1-45. RECEIVING - LYN: Oudman 12-229, Arango 6-72, Bowler 3-47, Assink 3-17. FER: E. Kennerley 1-31, Nielsen 1-14.
