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LYNDEN HIGH SCHOOL
SPORTS INFORMATION DEPT.
September 14th, 2009 Advisor:
Mr. Blake Van Dalen
Co-Editors: Ryan Seto
and Lucas Jacobs
Lynden Lions 42 (1-1) (1-0) Squalicum Storm
17
(1-1) (1-1)
Season Forecast:
Lions
Trying To Live Up to High Expectations
By: Adam
Lewis
The Lynden Lions showed flashes of their 2008 Championship form Friday
night with a 42-17 drubbing of the Squalicum Storm in front of a near
capacity crowd at Rollie Dekoster Field. After falling behind early on
a lengthy Squalicum scoring drive, the Lions (1-1) captured the lead on
one of Jordan Hastings three touchdown runs and never relinquished the
lead from there. Lynden players’ morale was boosted enormously over
four quarters of action as the Lions rebounded from a flat performance
against state powerhouse Archbishop Murphy in the first game of the
season.
The Lions
enter this season with higher expectations than any time in school
history. They are coming off a season that was capped off with a
miraculous 35-34 state championship victory, and they return a plethora
of starters on both sides of the ball. Lynden wide receiver Blair
Bomber is the first Lynden player to commit to play football at the
division one level since Curt Kramme grabbed the reigns as Lynden’s head
coach almost 20 years ago. As a current WSU student, I can say I can’t
wait to see how Bomber’s speed stacks up at the Pac-10 level.
And with the likes
of senior leaders Jake Christianson, Ryan Seto, Brett Bajema, and Jordan
Hastings back, the Lions have been chosen as the consensus pick to
repeat as state champions. However, this preseason recognition is
relatively foreign to Lynden, a team who, over Curt Kramme’s coaching
tenure, has thrived off of a lack of a respect and recognition from the
media. This year the Lions will have to find motivation from somewhere
else if they want to make another championship run.
Many fans and
former athletes know that with all the local recognition and high
expectations comes the opportunity for every high school athlete’s head
to swell up bigger than a Goodyear Tires Blimp. As a former teammate of
Bomber and Hastings, I felt it was my duty to make sure egos weren’t
getting out of hand on the Lynden High School campus. I talked to both
about how they felt about being picked to repeat as state champions and
how they are staying grounded.
“After the loss to
Archbishop Murphy it really brought us down to earth, but after the win
last night we really gained the confidence back that we need to move
forward,” Bomber said. “As for repeating, we aren’t thinking that far
into the future. One game at a time.”
In addition,
Hastings isn’t struggling to find motivation for his final year as a
Lion despite already owning a state championship ring. “We have a lot of
support from our community and fans to keep us motivated,” he said the
day after rushing for three touchdowns against a strong Squalicum
defense. In addition, Hastings has taken the loss of starting
linebacker Colin Burke to heart. “Having lost our middle linebacker
Colin Burke for the season, we really don’t want to let him down.
Because if he was playing he wouldn’t let us down.”
Leaders with
strong, positive attitudes like Bomber and Hastings should spell success
for Lions in 2009. Both players have the talent and intangibles that
should elevate their teammates’ play. If both can play up to their
potential and keep the Lions focused on playing with passion every down,
look for Lynden to reach the Tacoma Dome for a third consecutive year
Players of the Week:
Offensive Line: Marcus VanVoorst Pancake:
Marcus VanVoorst
Offensive Back: Ryan Seto Big
Play: Ryan Seto
Defensive Line: Matthew VanVoorst Special
Teams: Santiago Lopez
Defensive Back: Ben Vanderhoek Scout
Offense: Lucas Jacob
Big Hit: Josh Tippens
Scout Defense: Kevin Brouwer
2009 STATISTICAL LEADERS
RUSHING
Carries Yards TD’s
Jordan Hastings
32 173 3
Brett
Bajema 14
73 0
Jake Christianson
9 32 1
Nyles Varner
1 11 1
Blair
Bomber 3
9 1
Roman Reyna
1 5 0
RECEIVING
Catches Yards TD’s
Ryan
Seto 5
119 0
Nolan Gudde
5 95 0
Blair
Bomber 6
81 3
Blake Groves
3 50 0
Nyles
Varner 1
12 0
Brett
Bajema 1
-1 0
PASSING
Complete Attempts TD’s Yards
Jordan Hastings
21 41 3 355
DEFENSE
Tackles Assists
Eric Conner
14 15
Brett Bajema
12 9
Ben Vanderhoek
11 4
Jake Christianson
10 3
Roman Reyna
8 6
Collin Burke
7 7
Blair Bomber
6 5
Justin Korthuis
5 3
Connor Anderson
4 8
Nolan Gudde
4 2
Tyler Lingbloom
3 4
Matthew VanVoorst
3 2
Ryan Seto
2 9
Josh Tippens
2 5
Beau Keown
2 3
Jordan Hastings
2 1
Blake Korthuis
1 1
Sam Brar
1 0
Jordan Kreider
1 0
Gibb Dallas
1 0
Braden Weibe
1 0
Derek Sandland
0 2
Nate Weilenga
0 1
Cody Braam
0 1
Jake Jones
0 1
Caleb Richardson
0 1
PUNTING Attempts
Yards Average Long
Jordan Hastings 3
143 47.7 61
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