WHATCOM COUNTY, WA (MyBellinghamNow.com) – State tournament football is finally upon us and four Whatcom County teams are still in the mix to bring home hardware. It’s been a long season that’s gone by too fast but ahead of the tournament’s kickoff, we likely have a few more weeks to enjoy the fun.

Lynden, Sehome, Nooksack Valley and Lynden Christian have all taken us on a ride, each in their own unique way. No one following this season will forget the Lyncs clawing their way back from a 21-point third quarter deficit to stun Meridian in overtime or the Lions’ gutsy win over fellow 2A powerhouse Archbishop Murphy amid a muddy field and heavy rain. 

If you’ve been a faithful KPUG listener, you have a handle on how these teams got here through our weekly Friday Night Lights pregame show that’s taken us across the entire county. Not only has it been a blast, but we’ve gotten insight from the best of the best: head coaches, players, athletic directors, broadcasters, parents, fans; basically, everyone who makes Whatcom County football tick. And if you haven’t been tuning in, you really are missing out.

Here’s the lowdown on the four remaining teams, how they arrived here and how they match up in this opening round of state tournament action on Saturday.

Lynden Lions (9-1): 36.8 points scored per game; 16.5 points allowed 

Being a Lions fan has not been for the faint of heart this season. It seems fitting that the season kicked off with their comeback win over Ferndale, but their best material came during a stretch of three straight wins in the middle of the season that were all decided by less than a touchdown.

It all started with a Week 5 comeback win over Sehome where Lynden was down 23-7 in the fourth quarter. It continued the next week in an overtime win over Squalicum and capped off in Week 7 with their 7-3 statement win over the state tournament’s #5 seed Archbishop Murphy.

What those wins showed wasn’t just that Lynden had the ability to pull out tight games, it told us they could do it in every way possible. Sure, they leaned on Brant Heppner’s spectacular passing ability for their comeback against Sehome, but it was their defense that showed up the next game and forced a fumble against Squalicum to set them up right next to their own endzone for the game-winning score in overtime. And then the next week, weather conditions forced them to run the ball down Archbishop Murphy’s throat and control the clock.

The only time we’ve really seen Lynden flustered was their 35-21 loss to Anacortes in Week 4, but the Lions didn’t go down easy, even when they were on the road against the defending state champs. Still, there were lessons to be learned from that loss. The Lions struggled running the ball against a strong Seahawks defense, and their run game could be the difference between an early exit and a state championship.

As someone who was on the broadcast for their final game of last year’s season – an overtime loss to North Kitsap in the state quarterfinals – I know this team is eager to avenge that defeat. I wouldn’t be surprised if Heppner is replaying the interception he threw in the endzone to finish that game as motivation ahead of his final season with the Lions.

Lynden has made it look easy over the past three weeks, beating their opponents by an average of 42 points per game over that stretch. They’ll expect to continue that dominance against a Fife team that played a much easier schedule in the South Puget Sound District. Their sole game against an opponent who qualified for the state tournament was a one-point loss to 12th-seeded Orting.

Next Up: #13 Fife @ #4 Lynden at Ferndale High School, 2 p.m. kickoff on KGMI

Sehome Mariners (7-3): 30.5 points scored per game; 20.8 points allowed 

Unlike the Lions, who basically expect to make the state tournament every year, the Sehome Mariners are seeing this as a new opportunity. Sehome has made state for the first time in five years and, even if they received help from the newly expanded Week 10 play-in bracket, they deserve to be here just as much as the rest of the field after the grueling schedule they played.

The Mariners own an impressive resume; blowout wins over Lynden Christian and Squalicum as well as a dominant victory over Chief Sealth in the play-in, but their Week 5 loss to Lynden is the game that sticks out for them.

The progress that this program has made over the past year can be seen in each of their games against the Lions. Sehome turned a 20-point blowout loss to Lynden last season into a single-point loss that brought the Lions to the brink of defeat. Even Sehome’s coach Brian Young calls that game a turning point in their season, where the team realized they have the ability to compete with any team in the state.

All three of the Mariners’ losses have come at the hands of top five ranked teams in the state (Anacortes, Lynden and Archbishop Murphy) and experience like that is invaluable come playoff time. It seems reasonable that Sehome is entering this postseason with a kind of confidence that you have to earn by having seen several of the state’s top teams and knowing you can, and have gone, score for score with some of them.

Also, Sehome has the ultimate fallback option of knowing they have one of the best offensive duos in the state with quarterback Nolan Wright and receiver Andre Watson. The two are coming off arguably the greatest game of their careers after Wright threw for a school record 467 yards against Chief Sealth and Watson set a Whatcom County single-game record with 345 receiving yards and four touchdowns to boot.

Although Othello is a bit of a mystery opponent to us here in the northwest part of the state, there’s all the reason in the world to believe that Sehome could advance. Othello’s sole game against a team in the state tournament was a 26-7 loss to 10th seeded Prosser. Compare that to the games we’ve seen Sehome compete in against much tougher opponents, and you tell me who the favorite should be.

Next Up: #9 Sehome @ #8 Othello, 2 p.m. kickoff

Nooksack Valley Pioneers (8-2): 34.1 points scored per game; 16.8 points allowed

A lot of people expected Nooksack Valley to take a step back from last season after graduating their starting quarterback and five other All-Conference players, but the Pioneers have remained the commanding force in the 1A Northwest Conference. 

KPUG’s Allan Fee took some flack on The Zone a few weeks ago because a listener complained that he wasn’t talking enough about Nooksack Valley, but in a weird way, it’s almost a compliment. We love to talk about the ups and downs of local teams on The Zone, the closest and most exciting games from the past weekend, but the Pioneers have been flat out dominant. They’ve played exactly one game this season that was decided by less than two touchdowns: a 34-28 loss to Montesano.

Some county teams squeak by in their wins, but Nooksack is the complete opposite. They’re winning games by an average of 27 points per game; basically, four touchdowns. Every time we’ve wondered if they’ll be challenged, the Pioneers have stomped their opponent into the ground.

Take Blaine for example. The Borderites start the season out 4-0 for the first time in 45 years, lose a competitive game to Lynden Christian and figure to give Nooksack a challenge in Week 6. The Pioneers respond by blowing them out 42-7. 

Then we thought, “well maybe Meridian.” The Trojans were off to a 5-1 start with their only loss coming to 4A Kamiak by a single point. Coming off a two score win over Mount Baker, Meridian was hailed as the “balanced” team, one that could kill you with its run or pass game. Well, not only did Nooksack Valley beat them, they shut them out 29-0. The Trojans barely managed 150 total yards of offense.

And if that still wasn’t enough, all of us prep football fans were waiting the whole season for Nooksack and Lynden Christian’s matchup for the Northwest Conference title in the regular season finale. Lynden Christian was hosting and it had that feeling of a truly big-time game. Allan Fee and the guys debated the outcome for hours during our Friday Night Lights pregame show on the Lyncs’ campus.

It was a 7-7 tie after the first quarter, but Nooksack Valley took it from there and scored four unanswered touchdowns on the way to a 32-7 drubbing.

The Pioneers excel in every facet of the game, but what it really comes down to is that no one seems to have an answer for senior running back Colton Lentz. He’s currently fourth all-time in career rushing yards for Whatcom County with 4,548 and needs just 30 more to move into third place, per WhatcomPreps.

Entering last weekend’s play-in game, Lentz had run for at least 140 yards in five straight games. His worst performance came in Week 4 against Tumwater, the top overall seed in the 2A state tournament. As long as Lentz is his usual self the Pioneers can pick up 5 yards whenever they need and control the game on the ground.

They’ll have a chance to avenge Mount Baker this weekend in their matchup against Zillah. The Leopards aren’t exactly one of the top-tier 1A schools in the state, with blowout losses to #1 seeded Royal and #4 seeded Cashmere, but they proved their grit last week against Baker.

The Mountaineers held a 21-7 lead in the second quarter before Zillah exploded for four unanswered touchdowns to advance. The Leopards featured an evenly-balanced offense, with 24 carries for 127 yards and 330 passing yards, while holding Baker to a single score in the second half.

Zillah seems to pose a real challenge coming off an impressive win, but as we’ve seen throughout the season, the Pioneers love to remind us what they can really do just when we think it’s getting close.

Next Up: #12 Zillah @ #5 Nooksack Valley at Civic Stadium, 4 p.m. kickoff on KPUG

Lynden Christian Lyncs (6-4): 25.6 points scored per game; 21.5 points allowed

We always talk about the advantage Whatcom County schools have from playing in what some would argue to be the toughest conference in the state, but Greg Terpstra and the Lyncs took it to a whole new level this season.

Believe it or not, this top 10 ranked team in the state had scored less points than it allowed coming into the Week 10 play-in. A quick look at their schedule would tell you why that is.

Lynden Christian took on top Canadian school Vancouver College in Week 1, reigning 2B state champs Okanogan (who have yet to lose a game all season) in Week 3 and 2A state tournament #9 seed Sehome in Week 6. And that’s not even including all their in-conference games against four schools that have all made regular appearances in the state 1A rankings throughout the season.

Maybe that’s why LC didn’t feel the pressure get to them when they took on King’s Way Christian in the play-in bracket and handled them 49-0. A case could be made that the Lyncs’ first two postseason opponents will be the two easiest games of their season. The same definitely can’t be said for most other teams in the state.

Lynden Christian features a strong air attack led by junior quarterback Eli Maberry, who has impressed with his mobility to make throws on the run when he’s forced out of the pocket. The real test for the Lyncs will be if they can get their run game going, because their offense looks terrifying when they do and it could help them make a deep playoff run. It struggled against the physical Nooksack defense in Week 9, but after racking up 158 on the ground against King’s Way Christian last week, we’ll see if it gives them momentum heading into the state tournament. 

Taking a look at Cascade Christian’s schedule, the Cougars beat 10th seeded King’s but lost to 7th seeded Life Christian Academy. They feature a high-octane offense that has scored at least 45 points in six of their games this season, including one where they put up 72. 

Cascade Christian might have some gamers, but the facts are that this LC team is arguably the best team they’ve seen all season and, conversely, the Lyncs have led up to this game with at least four opponents that would starch the Cougs.

I’d be remiss if I didn’t end by giving a shoutout to LC junior Jacob Penner, who thankfully seems to be doing well after being taken off the field in an ambulance at the end of the Lyncs’ play-in win last week. I’d also think he’d want me to mention that he got an interception just minutes before that chilling injury.

Next Up: #9 Cascade Christian @ #8 Lynden Christian at Blaine High School, 1 p.m. kickoff on KPUG