LYNDEN – When junior Cub quarterback Kaden Plymale ran up the middle for a 13-yard gain on 3rd-and-1 in the closing minutes, it was known that three kneel-downs were all that was needed as Sedro Woolley defeated the Lions 14-7 at Rollie DeKoster Field on Friday night.
It was a hard-fought game that was extremely even throughout. Neither team looked to have a big advantage at any point, and the Cubs made more plays at the end of the game when they were needed the most.
After forcing a punt on the opening drive, Lynden looked strong with senior quarterback Brock Heppner leading his team on an 81-yard scoring drive that ate up the rest of the first quarter and took 20 plays. It concluded with Heppner scoring on a 1-yard plunge in the second quarter.
Sedro Woolley then took its turn with a methodical drive of its own which encompassed many formations, including using star wide receiver Brent Vanderveen in the Wildcat formation. Lynden senior Eric Bode nearly picked off a pass on the drive, and moments later he was able to get the interception that he wanted when sophomore linebacker Cade Slayton tipped a pass near the goal line.
The Lions were able to pick up a few first downs, and drive to the 25-yard line but eventually fumbled and the Cubs recovered in Lynden territory.
Sedro drove to the Lion 5-yard line and were able Plymale found Vanderveen in the corner of the end zone for a touchdown on a 4th-and-goal play late in the second quarter.
It did look like Lynden had a chance to go into halftime with a lead as quarterback Baylor Ayres led a quick-strike attack on the following drive. His pin-point passes to Heppner and running back Steven DiLorenzo helped the Lions gobble up big chunks of yards as the clock continued to wind down towards the break. They were able to set up All-State kicker Marko Samoukovic for a 33-yard field goal just before the half, but it was wide left, and Lynden settled for a 7-7 score at the break.
The Lions received the ball to begin the second half, but were forced to punt. Sedro Woolley then drove into Lynden territory, but was stopped on a 4th down play when 6-foot-4 sophomore defensive lineman Case Zweegman was able to get under the running back and stop him for no gain.
Lynden couldn’t capitalize as a fourth down pass fell incomplete, which gave the ball back to the Cubs. Sedro then drove back down the field with strong running plays and quick passes to the sidelines, and the Cubs scored on a 17-yard pass over the middle on the first play of the fourth quarter.
Each team traded punts, but Lynden was able to get some first downs following those two possessions. However, a pass to Heppner fell incomplete on fourth down, and Sedro Woolley took over at its own 46-yard line, and was able to run the clock out from there.
The result now leaves a log-jam on top of the Northwest Conference 2A Sky Division as Lakewood joins both Lynden and Sedro Woolley at 3-1 in conference play with one game left.
The Lions (5-2) will host Blaine (1-6) this Friday. Sedro hosts Archbishop Murphy and Lakewood travels to Burlington-Edison.
Sedro Woolley 14
Lynden 7
SW 0 7 0 7 – 14
LYN 0 7 0 0 – 7
LYN – Heppner 1 run (Samoukovic kick)
SW – 5 yard touchdown pass (kick good)
SW – 17 yard touchdown pass (kick good)
SW LYN
37-101 Rushing Att-Yards 33-125
13-22-1 Comp-Att-Int 11-18-0
118 Passing yards 114
Individual Leaders
RUSHING – LYN: DiLorenzo 16-62, Heppner 13-47, Ayres 4-16. SW: N/A.
PASSING – LYN: Ayres 7-12-0-75, Heppner 4-6-0-39. SW: N/A.
RECEIVING – LYN: Heppner 4-50, DiLorenzo 4-28, Lohrer 2-25, E. Bode 1-11. SW: N/A.
