Most every high school fan in Whatcom County knows about the skill level and leadership of fourth-year quarterback Brant Heppner. Now a whole lot more football followers are learning about how talented third-year tight end Isaiah Oudman is.
Oudman scored two of Lynden’s three second-half touchdowns, including a spectacular 80-yarder after a short pass from Heppner, and set up Max Assink‘s game-winning score with 2:22 to play in Lynden’s 28-24 victory over Ferndale before a highly entertained capacity crowd Friday night at Ferndale.
“Isaiah is a clutch, clutch player,” said fellow senior Jaydin Oaks, whose interception of a deflected pass helped hold off the Golden Eagles in the fourth quarter.
Oaks marveled at Oudman’s 11 catches for 225 yards, helping Heppner finish with 370 yards via 23-for-34 accuracy, moving the 6-foot-6, 220-pound leader over the 3,000-yard career passing mark.
“Definitely my best overall game,” said Oudman, an all-leaguer who has verbally committed to Eastern Washington, when asked to evaluate his effort.
“I had 13 catches last year.”
The Lions needed all of their 413 total yards, considering how well Ferndale all-leaguer Talan Bungard responded to his last game in the classic rivalry, in which the teams split their previous 12 meetings.
Bungard’s 208 yards rushing on 30 carries helped set up touchdowns by Zach Nielsen after a year out of football along with a 31-yard scoring strike to Eli Kennerley from new quarterback Nolan Boleak and a 9-yard run by sophomore Elliot Lenssen. They were the first varsity scores for Kennerley and Lenssen.
Ferndale coach Jamie Plenkovich and his staff had Bungard and his line ready from the start. Kaden Eldridge capped a season-opening 62-yard drive with a 35-yard field goal after the 225-pound Bungard battered his way to 55 yards on the thrust.
“This was a high-level game, a beautiful, beautiful effort (by both teams) and surely one of the best season-opening games in the entire state,” said Lions coach Blake Van Dalen, who improved his record against the Golden Eagles to 4-3.
“This is surely one of the youngest teams we’ve started at Lynden,” said Van Dalen, who saw only six seniors play important minutes. “I’m so proud of how hard our guys worked in the off-season.”
The Lions took a 7-3 lead late in the opening quarter with a 6-yard scoring pass from Heppner to varsity newcomer Samm Puello Arango, a sophomore born in Colombia. Arango, who caught six passes for 82 yards, took advantage of a 35-yard pass from Heppner to junior flash Dani Bowler.
Ferndale responded with a 67-yard, eight-play drive that Boleak capped with his perfect slant pass to Kennerley. Eldridge made the first of three conversion kicks, making him 29 for his first 30 at the varsity level.
On Ferndale’s next drive, Boleak produced a 17-7 halftime advantage with a perfectly timed 14-yard touchdown pass to Nielsen, who has returned to football after qualifying for the state tennis tournament as a junior. Nielsen also rushed 11 times for 68 yards.
“We challenged our guys to compete harder in the second half,” Van Dalen said. “And they responded well.”
Lynden cut its deficit to 17-14 when Heppner threw a 16-yard scoring pass to Oudman after passes of 13 and 33 yards to Arango. But the Golden Eagles made it 24-14 with a 10-play, 82-yard drive, ending with Lenssman’s touchdown for 24-14.
At that point, on the final play of the third quarter, Oudman broke two tackles after a short pass from Heppner to create an 80-yard touchdown.
“I just ran a 10-yard and stop, then broke a couple of tackles, then saw green grass,” Oudman said.
On Lynden’s last full drive — set up when Dane Marti forced a fumble and Zach Dykstra recovered — Oudman caught four passes for 49 yards. The last was a nifty 27-yarder to the 2-yard line. Assink took it from there and Malachi Koenan kicked his fourth extra point.
Heppner’s 8-yard run for a first down with 55 seconds to play prevented Ferndale from getting a last-gasp chance.
“All the sophomores and juniors really stepped up,” Oaks said. “And Brant, he’s always there to help anyone with what’s needed.”
Friday’s other games
Sehome 14, Marysville-Pilchuck 7: Senior Andre Watson scored from the 6 for his 24th career touchdown on junior quarterback Nolan Wright’s 37th career scoring pass, and Solomon McAlister scored on a 6-yard run for a 14-0 halftime lead in a Northwest Conference 2A opener in Marysville. All-leaguer Grady Evans kicked the extra points.
“We had two outstanding defensive stands inside the 15,” Sehome coach Brian Young said. “The last one gave us the ball back with about three minutes to play. Nolan spotted an opportunity to run for the game-clinching first down and so he did after he told me about it.”
“Fisher Hall was a tackling machine” Young said of the senior linebacker, who earned special praise along with linebacker Carl Bach and edge rusher Koen Mathey.
“Marysville-Pilchuck was a lot bigger, but we have significantly improved our physicality,” said Young. “The credibility of our 2A league cannot be disputed.”
It was Marysville-Pilchuck’s first game at the 2A level after leaving the 3A Wesco North when Sedro-Woolley joined the league.
Squalicum 30, Burlington-Edison 10: The Storm showcased their speed with three long scoring plays a 48-yard pick six by Malakai Smith, a 53-yard run by all-leaguer Marcus Nixon for a 17-3 halftime lead and a 62-yard pass from new varsity quarterback Cole Burke to Joaquin Ortiz.
Slade Kaiser kicked a 23-yard field goal and three extra points, and Nixon also scored on a 3-yard run.
Squalicum reported via the Whatcom Preps web site that Nixon rushed for 94 yards on 18 carries. Burke completed 11 of 16 passes for 147 yards and no interceptions in a solid debut and Ortiz caught four passes for 74 yards.
It was Nixon’s first game back at running back after he served at quarterback last year.
Nooksack Valley 42, Onalaska 16: Junior quarterback Evan Brown completed 12 of 19 passes for 178 yards in his first varsity start, including a 2-yard pass to Cole Bauman and a 32-yard pass to junior Jaxon Hester for the Pioneers’ first and last touchdowns.
“Evan looked really good. I was impressed,” said Colton Lentz, who extended his school career record with his 49th and 50th touchdowns with runs of 5 yards for a 27-0 halftime lead and 1 yard.
All-leaguer Cory Olney threw a 47-yard halfback pass to junior Cole Coppinger for the second score on a trick play. Olney also scored on a 1-yard run and threw a two-point conversion pass to Coppinger, who caught six passes for 93 yards. Bauman snagged four for 65 yards and Lentz carried 14 times for 73 yards, passing his father, assistant coach Britt, for second on the school’s career rushing list.
“We got a taste of a long bus trip and hot weather,” Pioneers coach Craig Bartl said. “The kids played hard but we have a lot to work on. We will focus on doing the little thing better.”
Meridian 28, Deer Park 21: “Landen Downey scored three straight touchdowns and he then put the game away with an interception after the last TD with 18 seconds left,” Trojans coach Patrick Ames said.
Meridian’s winning drive of 74 yards and 14 plays lasted more than five minutes at the Apple Bowl in Wenatchee.
Downey finished with 22 points including four conversions, and rushed 17 times for 103 yards. Kelley Gray rushed 17 times for 84 yards with one touchdown.
Fourth-year quarterback Jaeger Fyfe completed 14 of 25 passes for 177 yards and punted twice for 95 yards. Trey Alexander caught four passes for 72 yards and completed one pass for 35 yards.
Ames was pleased to see that Fyfe also spread his passing to Jameson Hedahl (2 for 53), Kasey Brennan (2 for 39), Downey, Gray, Daniel Larsen and River Todd.
Xavier Perrin also had an interception for the Trojans.
Downey scored five seconds before the half for a 14-7 lead.
Heading into the weekend, standout senior lineman Lincoln Hoefer announced his verbal commitment to play for the University of Montana Grizzlies in the Big Sky Conference.
Mount Baker 49, Port Angeles 22: Dylan Moa, Brady Bruland and Brice Cooper ran for two touchdowns apiece on the road and Shaun Dugger rushed for his first varsity score. Freshman kicker Enoc Smith made good on all seven extra points.
Moa amassed 149 yards on only nine carries, Whatcom Preps reported to coach Ron Lepper, and had a 63-yard score. Cooper ran 38 yards to score and Bruland had a 48-yard touchdown on the opening series of the second half before reserves played the rest of the game.
Cooper and Darius Gilstrap had interceptions and linebacker Kamden Moa recovered two fumbles for the Mountaineers, who led 42-0 at the half.
“Jet Ross made several big hits and Luke Smith ran the offense well and showed poise,” Lepper said. “Our offensive line played pretty well.”
The line enabled Baker to finish with a 10-plus yard rushing average — 337 yards on 32 carries.
Vancouver college 28, Lynden Christian 7: The defending British Columbia divisional champion led 21-7 at the half at LC, so Lyncs coach Greg Terpstra was proud of his team’s spirit.
“I think we responded well after halftime. We have a young team learning with every drive,” he said. “I’m very proud of them. Our young team is hungry and hitting. The mistakes they made (with four turnovers) were all going at full speed. The kids want to win now and Vancouver College is something like 33-1 in its last 34 regular-season games.”
Trey Bosman scored on a 10-yard pass from Eli Maberry and Jacob Penner kicked the extra point for a 7-7 tie to open the second quarter. But the winners took the lead for good with a 91-yard pass-run.
Maberry completed 18 of 27 passes for 140 yards, with two interceptions.
Saturday’s games
Blaine 42, Renton 20: Jaiden Paez scored on runs of 16, 1 and 59 yards and scooped a fumble in the air and returned it 43 yards for his fourth consecutive touchdown for a 28-0 lead at home.
Quarterback Colin Davis ran 27 yards for a 35-0 advantage at the half. On his only carry of the second half, Colby Shipp had a career-long 62-yard touchdown scamper after seeing a 21-yard score nullified by an early penalty.
Logan Villarreal kicked all six conversions before reserves took the field.
Blake Koreski, Zi Yu and Shipp led an outstanding first-half defensive charge, resulting in 11 runs for losses in 19 attempts.
“Our defense was great,” Davis said. “We really brought energy and we came out firing.”
“This team has a new hunger,” Shipp said.”
Coach Andy Olson is optimistic the Borderites will show great improvement after a 3-7 season.
“The guys are bigger, faster and stronger,” he said. “The guys have really bought in to our culture. They’re great kids.”
Chief Sealth 10, Bellingham 7 (2OT): “This was a tough loss in double overtime,” Bayhawks coach Adam Leonard said of the game at Seattle‘s Memorial Stadium, which ended with a field goal. “This was a game we should have won.”
In his first start at quarterback, junior Joe Harwood finished with more than 100 yards rushing, with 87 on the opening drive via two big runs plus a 25-yard touchdown run and the extra point by Cooper Whipple.
Junior defensive back Owen Hanstead had his ninth career interception.
“Sonny Powell, Kaiser Barker, Gabe Van Hofwegen and Tyler Frost led our defensive effort,” said Leonard, expressing pride in how they played.”
Bellingham won the turnover battle 4-2.
Quilcene 38, Lummi Nation 18: The young Blackhawks displayed offensive spirit on the road in the second half.
Junior Isaiah Yrizarris threw touchdown passes of 15 and 45 yards to Treyvon Lee. Freshman Russell George scored on a 4-yard run.
Lummi will play its home opener at 6 p.m. Friday against Darrington.
Friday Sept. 13
- Anacortes vs. Sehome at Civic Stadium, 7 p.m.
- Mariner at Lynden, 7 p.m.
- Oak Harbor at Ferndale, 7 p.m.
- Hockinson at Mount Baker, 7 p.m.
- Cedar Park Christian at Blaine, 7 p.m.
- Omak at Meridian, 7 p.m.
- Darrington at Lummi, 6 p.m.
- Squalicum at Marysville-Pilchuck, 7 p.m.
- Bellingham at Lakewood, 7 p.m.
- Lynden Christian at North Kitsap, 7 p.m.
Saturday, Sept. 14
- Nooksack Valley vs. Renton at Renton Memorial Stadium, 5 p.m.
Local News
Comments / 0