LYNDEN – Sometimes the schedule works out perfectly where the final regular season game determines an outright conference championship. In this case, Nooksack Valley went on the road on Friday night and defeated Lynden Christian 32-7, to capture its first outright conference championship since 2008.
After forcing a punt on the game’s initial drive, the Pioneers found themselves backed up at their own 20-yard line, staring at a 3rd-and-18. Junior quarterback Evan Brown took the shot gun snap, set his feet and launched the ball deep down the middle of the field where senior wide receiver Cory Olney hauled it in for a 33-yard completion.
One play later, senior running back Colton Lentz took a counter run, followed the blocking of seniors Brady Ackerman and Adlei Whitworth who pulled from the left side of the line to the right, and finished off a 43-yard touchdown run.
The Lyncs answered with a 16-play, 84-yard drive that took up most of the remaining time in the opening quarter. It ended when junior quarterback Eli Maberry found senior tight end Trey Bosman in the back left corner of the end zone for a 3-yard touchdown, and the quarter ended with a 7-7 tie.
Lentz scored again early in the second quarter, which gave Nooksack Valley a 14-7 advantage.
Lynden Christian looked to answer, but came up empty on a deep pass on fourth down, and turned the ball over at the Pioneer 36-yard line.
After the two powerhouse 1A teams traded punts during the second quarter, Nooksack Valley looked to get into the end zone one last time before the half, and the tempo was gradually increased.
A 13-yard completion from Brown to senior Evan Bravo got the Pioneers to the 1-yard line with 17 seconds remaining, as the clock stopped to move the chains. Nooksack Valley hustled to the line and gave the ball to Lentz, and the hulking senior drug a would-be tackler into the end zone to give the Pioneers a 20-7 lead just before halftime.
A huge moment came a little more than halfway through the third quarter when Nooksack Valley was forced to punt. Cole Bauman’s punt was high, but short, and when the LC returner wasn’t able to catch it cleanly it was quickly recovered by Pioneer junior Jaxon Hester, which quickly gave the momentum to Nooksack Valley.
Three plays later it was Lentz again who found daylight, stiff-armed a defender, spun out of a tackle, and stiff-armed a second defender on his way to the end zone from 35 yards out.
Once the Pioneers gained possession in the fourth quarter, it was apparent that the game plan was to churn the clock down, and feed Lentz over and over again. Nooksack Valley’s final drive was plodding, but powerful, and ended with Lentz’s fifth touchdown of the game.
He finished the game with 216 yards rushing on a career-high 34 carries. Also, by doing so, he passed Ferndale legends Matthias Wilson and Robert Davis on the Whatcom County career rushing list. He now sits in 4th place, 69 yards behind current Washington State University running back, Djouvensky Schlenbaker.
Nooksack Valley (7-2) will now face Lakeside Nine-Mile Falls (3-5) on Saturday at 7:00 at Civic Stadium in a rematch of last season’s 1A semifinal game. Lynden Christian (5-4) will play host to King’s Way Christian (6-3), but the time, date and location are yet to be determined.
Nooksack Valley 32 Lynden Christian 7 NV 7 13 6 6 - 32 LC 7 0 0 0 - 7 NV - Lentz 43 run (T. Martin kick) LC - Bosman 3 pass from Maberry (M. Stipkala kick) NV - Lentz 1 run (T. Martin kick) NV - Lentz 1 run (kick failed) NV - Lentz 35 run (run failed) NV - Lentz 15 run (run failed) NV LC 40-213 Rush Att-Yards 23-58 12-22-0 Comp-Att-Int 15-32-0 138 Passing Yards 161 Individual Leaders RUSHING - NV: Lentz 34-216, Olney 2-10, Brown 4-(-13). LC: Kooiman 11-31, Johnson 3-13, Maberry 8-11, H. Owen 1-3. PASSING - NV: Brown 12-21-0-138, Olney 0-1-0-0. LC: Maberry 15-32-0-161. RECEIVING - NV: Olney 8-110, Bravo 3-26, Coppinger 1-2. LC: Bosman 5-57, Jax. Huleatt 3-30, Robertson 2-27, Jay Huleatt 2-24, Hintz 1-14, DeKoster 1-7, Kooiman 1-2.
