RECORD: 10-2 – COACH: Rollie DeKoster

LEAGUE: 8-1 (T-1st Place in the WCL)

CLASSIFICATION: “A” – Playoffs: State Semifinalist

POINTS PER GAME: 29.4 – POINTS ALLOWED PER GAME: 7.8

POINT DIFFERENTIAL: +21.6

GAME BY GAME:

Week 1: Lynden 34, Mount Baker 7

Week 2: Meridian 38, Lynden 33

Week 3: Lynden 28, Nooksack Valley 0

Week 4: Lynden 41, Blaine 0

Week 5: Lynden 19, Lynden Christian 6

Week 6: Lynden 27, Mount Baker 0

Week 7: Lynden 35, Meridian 8

Week 8: Lynden 47, Nooksack Valley 7

Week 9: Lynden 14, Blaine 6

State Playoffs: 1st Round: Lynden 54, Chimacum 0

State Quarterfinals: Lynden 7, Meridian 0

State Semifinals: Castle Rock 21, Lynden 14

Coming off of an appearance in the state championship game, Lynden was close to making it happen again. In Rollie DeKoster’s final season as head coach, the Lions narrowly lost to Castle Rock in the semifinals, which made the Lions lose to the eventual state champions for the second year in a row.

Senior quarterback Tim Goering had one of the best passing seasons that Whatcom County saw in the decade of the 1980’s. He completed 87 passes for 1336 yards. He also became the first player in Whatcom County history to throw over 20 touchdown passes in a season, as he finished with 22. He also ran for four touchdowns, and was named both All-League 1st Team and All-State 1st Team.

Senior running back Rene Silva had that special combination of speed and toughness. He totaled 847 yards on the ground (5.5 average) and eight touchdowns, and he was named All-League 1st Team. Joining Silva in the backfield was 6-foot-3 210-pound senior fullback Mike Cowin, and he was one bad dude. He ran for 763 yards (4.8) and seven touchdowns, and was named All-League 2nd Team. Senior Dan Parcher’s speed made a huge impact, averaging 10.5 yards per carry, totaling 220 yards and three touchdowns.

Junior wide receiver Aaron Crabtree was a big-play threat every time he caught the ball, and he was named All-League 1st Team. He finished with 25 receptions for 483 yards (19.3) and a team-high 11 touchdowns. Parcher caught 17 passes for 223 yards (13.1) and three touchdowns, while Silva had 14 receptions for 217 yards (15.5) and three scores. Seniors Craig Van Zanten and Ryan Hope each had a big role in the passing game as well, catching 14 and 10 passes, respectively.

The Lynden offensive line was senior-driven, and in the driver seat was 6-foot-4 210-pound tackle, Torrey Lautenbach. His size and strength allowed him to be named All-League 1st Team and All-State 1st Team. Kendall Burnett was a load at center, and the 6-foot-1 215-pounder was also named All-League 1st Team. Doug Clark (175 pounds) and Eddy Martin (195 pounds) were dominant at the guard position, with Clark being named All-League 1st Team and Martin All-League 2nd Team. They collectively blocked their way for over 3700 yards of offense and 48 touchdowns.

Lautenbach and Burnett let the defensive line. Lautenbach was named both All-League 1st Team and All-State 1st Team, and Burnett was named All-League 2nd Team. Cowin was possibly the most feared hitter in the Whatcom County League, and was named All-League 1st Team at linebacker for the second consecutive season. He was joined at linebacker by junior Troy Dykstra, who was named All-League 2nd Team. Parcher and Van Zanten led the secondary, with Parcher being named All-League 1st Team and Van Zanten was an All-League 2nd Team pick. The defense also scored four touchdowns, with Clark scoring a pair and Cowin and Burnett each scoring a defensive TD.

Goering booted 37 extra points, and he was named All-League 2nd Team as a kicker. Burnett had a booming leg, and he was named All-League 2nd Team at punter.

RECORD: 10-1 – COACH: Curt Kramme

LEAGUE: 7-0 (1st Place in the 2A NWC)

CLASSIFICATION: 2A – Playoffs: Lost in 1st Round

POINTS PER GAME: 34.5 – POINTS ALLOWED PER GAME: 16.7

POINT DIFFERENTIAL: +17.8

GAME BY GAME:

Week 1: Lynden 37, Centennial 18

Week 2: Lynden 41, Bellingham 13

Week 3: Lynden 42, Blaine 21

Week 4: Lynden 42, Sehome 21

Week 5: Lynden 35, Ferndale 21

Week 6: Lynden 42, Squalicum 14

Week 7: Lynden 35, Mount Baker 21

Week 8: Lynden 21, Burlington-Edison 20

Week 9: Lynden 27, Anacortes 14

Week 10: Lynden 48, Bellingham 0

State Playoffs: 1st Round: Tumwater 21, Lynden 10

After winning the state championship in 2009, the 2010 version of the Lions looked very different. They were still very effective, but they were also very young. It was easy to see that the future was extremely bright.

Josh Kraght had what could be the best season a sophomore quarterback has ever had in Whatcom County history. His completion percentage of 68.5% still ranks as the highest for a season in Whatcom County history. He completed 113 passes for 1467 yards and 19 touchdowns, to only three interceptions. He also ran for a team-high 885 yards (6.8 average) and a team-high 14 touchdowns on his way to being named All-League 1st Team, and All-State 2nd Team.

Seniors Joey Garcia and Roman Reyna held down the running game when Kraght wasn’t carrying the ball. Garcia ran for 573 yards (5.5) and five touchdowns, and was named All-League 2nd Team. Reyna finished with 269 yards (5.3) and five touchdowns, and he was named All-League Honorable Mention. Garcia also caught eight passes for 95 yards (11.9) and a pair of scores.

The Lions really spread the wealth through the air in 2010, with five different receivers going over 200 yards receiving. Senior Jake Jones led the team with 37 receptions for 479 yards (12.9) and two touchdowns, and he was named All-League Honorable Mention. Sophomore Zach Vis was an All-League 2nd Team pick, with 26 catches for 405 yards (15.6) and four TD’s. Junior Nate Wielenga caught 25 passes for 357 yards (14.3) and six touchdowns, and he was named All-League Honorable Mention pick. Sophomores Luke Christianson and Dak Shagren finished with 22 and 18 receptions, respectively, and they each caught three touchdown passes.

The offensive line was led by 300-pound junior, Taylor Witman, who was named All-League 1st Team and All-State 2nd Team. 6-foot-4 240-pound senior Joshua Tippins was named All-League 2nd Team, and the future looked bright as 6-foot-3 250-pound sophomore Matt Meyer was named All-League Honorable Mention. Lynden was incredibly balanced, rushing for over 2000 yards, and passing for over 1800 yards.

The defensive line was led by Tippins, who was named All-League 1st Team. He finished with 43 total tackles, five tackles for loss and two sacks. He was joined by senior Jake Kraght, junior Jeremy Korthuis and sophomore Caleb Newman, of which all were named All-League Honorable Mention. Kraght had 76 total tackles, nine tackles for loss and three sacks. Korthuis totaled 84 tackles, five tackles for loss and two forced fumbles, and Newman finished with 60 total tackles, four tackles for loss and three forced fumbles.

Reyna set the tone for the entire defense at linebacker. He was named both All-League 1st Team and All-State 2nd Team, with 109 total tackles, one tackle for loss, one forced fumble, one fumble recovery and one interception. Junior Blake Korthuis was an All-League 2nd Team pick at linebacker, and he finished with 91 total tackles, four tackles for loss, one fumble recovery and one interception. Senior Conner Anderson was an All-League Honorable Mention as an outside linebacker, and he totaled 54 tackles, five tackles for loss, one sack and one fumble recovery.

Josh Kraght starred in the secondary, and was named All-League 1st Team and All-State 2nd Team. He had 50 total tackles, nine passes broken up, four interceptions, two tackles for loss, two fumble recoveries and two blocked kicks. Vis was amazing at safety, and was named All-League 2nd Team. He totaled 85 tackles, eight passes broken up, one interception, one tackle for loss and one fumble recovery. Jones and Garcia were also named All-League Honorable Mention. Jones had 34 total tackles, five passes broken up, two forced fumbles and an interception, while Garcia finished with 50 total tackles, three passes broken up, two tackles for loss and one fumble recovery. Junior Santiago Lopez was named All-League 2nd Team. He kicked 49 extra points and one field goal, and also booted numerous kickoffs through the end zone.

RECORD: 11-2 – COACH: Curt Kramme

LEAGUE: 5-1 (2nd Place in the NWL)

CLASSIFICATION: 3A – Playoffs: State Semifinalist

POINTS PER GAME: 30.1 – POINTS ALLOWED PER GAME: 17.4

POINT DIFFERENTIAL: +12.7

GAME BY GAME:

Week 1: Lynden 24, Sehome 14

Week 2: Lynden 35, Mountlake Terrace 14

Week 3: Lynden 21, Anacortes 0

Week 4: Lynden 48, Mount Vernon 21

Week 5: Lynden 40, Sedro Woolley 24

Week 6: Ferndale 28, Lynden 13

Week 7: Lynden 48, Squalicum 19

Week 8: Lynden 23, Kamiak 6

Week 9: Lynden 34, Burlington-Edison 12

State Play-In Game: Lynden 41, Stanwood 24

State Playoffs: 1st Round: Lynden 14, Mount Si 6

State Quarterfinals: Lynden 24, White River 23

State Semifinals: Mariner 35, Lynden 26

Although the magic of the 1998 season ran out in the state semi-finals for the Lynden Lions, they had a lot to be proud of, and they broke a few school records along the way.

There was a lot of passing of the pig skin on Rollie DeKoster Field that season. So much so, that it was the first time in Whatcom County history that a team passed for over 2000 yards in a season. And, who better to do that with than senior quarterback, Tony Wilson? He had a huge arm, to go along with a huge season, completing 172 passes for 2686 yards and 24 touchdowns, and he was named All-League 1st Team.

Senior Lance Ellis led the rushing attack, and was known as one of the toughest running backs in school history. He finished the season with 1126 yards on the ground (6.1 average) and 16 touchdowns. Senior Ryan Rathbun was a battering ram, rushing for 462 yards (5.6) and six touchdowns. Junior Tyson Felix ran for 374 yards (5.1) and five touchdowns, and he was even more effective in the passing game, catching 35 passes for 408 yards (11.7) and a touchdown on his way to being named All-League 2nd Team.

Senior wide receiver Ryan Van Diest had a season for the ages, and is regarded as one of the best wide receivers of all time. His 74 catches and 1266 yards receiving both became the new standards in Whatcom County. He also caught nine touchdown passes, was named All-League 1st Team, as well as All-State 1st Team. Fellow senior wide receivers Drew Langstraat and Rob Rodgers also had standout seasons in the wide open Lynden offensive. The 6-foot-6 Langstraat provided a gigantic catch radius for Wilson, and finished with 31 receptions for 572 yards (18.5) and eight touchdowns. He was named All-League 2nd Team. Rodgers had tremendous hands, catching 30 passes for 403 yards (13.4) and four touchdowns, and he was named All-League Honorable Mention.

The offensive line was led by a pair of extremely strong seniors, Sie Robinson and Jon Holman. Robinson had a little “nasty” in the trenches, and Holman was more of a “bring your lunch pail to work” kind of player, but both were named All-League 1st Team. They were joined up front by 240-pound junior Matt Alexander, who was named All-League Honorable Mention.

The defensive line was led by senior Casey Crnich. His physical play resulted in 75 total tackles, six tackles for loss, five sacks, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery, and he was named All-League 1st Team. He was joined on the line by seniors Derek Som and Chris Bargen. Som finished with 62 total tackles, seven tackles for loss, three pass deflections and two sacks, and Bargen totaled 52 tackles, four sacks and two tackles for loss. Both players were named All-League Honorable Mention.

The linebackers were a little undersized, but they made up for it with intensity and intensity. Senior Zach Boyd had 112 total tackles, a team-high nine tackles for loss, three forced fumbles and three passes broken up, and he was named All-League 1st Team. He was joined by Rathbun and senior Tony Stopperan. Rathbun finished with 116 total tackles, seven tackles for loss, six sacks, two forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries and an interception, and he was named All-League Honorable Mention. Stopperan led the team in total tackles with 120. Eight were for a loss of yards, he also forced two fumbles and broke two passes up on his way to being named All-League 2nd Team.

Van Diest led the secondary, and was named All-League 1st Team. He finished with 78 total tackles, 12 passes broken up, six interceptions and three forced fumbles. He was joined by senior strong safety Jason Vermulm who had 61 tackles, nine for loss and two forced fumbles. He was named All-League 2nd Team. Felix also contributed in the defensive backfield with 38 tackles, seven passes broken up and three picks, and he was named All-League 2nd Team.

Junior Darren Stauffer was named All-League 2nd Team at kicker, connecting on 15 extra points and two field goals. Sophomore B.J. Louws kicked 16 extra points and a field goal. Wilson was named All-League 1st Team, and All-State 1st Team at punter. Stopperan was named All-League 1st Team at long snapper. Van Diest returned a kick-off 90 yards for a touchdown against Mount Vernon.

RECORD: 10-2 – COACH: Rollie DeKoster

LEAGUE: 9-1 (1st Place in the WCL)

CLASSIFICATION: “A” – Playoffs: State Semifinalist

POINTS PER GAME: 20.7 – POINTS ALLOWED PER GAME: 7.8

POINT DIFFERENTIAL: +12.9

GAME BY GAME:

Week 1: Lynden 47, Mount Baker 6

Week 2: Lynden 35, Blaine 0

Week 3: Lynden 40, Nooksack Valley 0

Week 4: Lynden 15, Lynden Christian 8

Week 5: Lynden 3, Meridian 0

Week 6: Mount Baker 35, Lynden 14

Week 7: Lynden 9, Blaine 6

Week 8: Lynden 15, Nooksack Valley 14

Week 9: Lynden 28, Lynden Christian 12

Week 10: Lynden 28, Meridian 0

State Quarterfinals: Lynden 14, Sultan 6

State Semifinals: Winlock 6, Lynden 0

A six-point loss was all that kept Lynden from reaching its first state championship game. After a dominant beginning to the season (outscoring their opponents 122-6 in the first three weeks), the Lions came back down to Earth, but still managed to win close games, and also the League Championship.

It wasn’t a unique offense, if you were looking at formations. But, if you were looking at personnel, it was definitely different. Seniors Rick DeGraaff and Brent Rutgers shared time at quarterback, but when one was under center, the other would be playing somewhere else on the field. DeGraaff completed 29 passes for 404 yards, while Rutgers completed 28 passes for 486 yards and a touchdown. DeGraaff also ran for 215 yards (3.2 average) and three scores, while catching 10 passes for 167 yards (16.7). Rutgers ran for 419 yards (5.8) and a team-high 10 touchdowns, while catching nine passes for 111 yards (12.3) and a score.

Junior Mike Hill led the Lions on the ground with 430 yards (3.8) and four touchdowns. He was joined by senior Ray Alexander’s 403 yards rushing (3.8) and five TD’s. Junior Brian Anderson ran for 376 yards (6.1) and a touchdowns, including a 150-yard performance against Nooksack Valley. Senior Tim Martin contributed with 164 yards rushing (3.8) and three touchdowns.

Senior Tom Lange was named All-League 2nd Team at tight end, and led the team with 11 receptions for 212 yards (19.3). Alexander caught nine passes for 182 yards (20.7) and senior Alonzo Briones caught eight passes for 85 yards (10.6).

The offensive line was led by a trio of seniors. John Van Ieperen was named All-League 1st Team (amazingly the ONLY player on the team named All-League 1st Team on offense). Brian Reimer and Jeff Jones were each named All-League 2nd Team. They paved the way for 27 rushing touchdowns, which stood as the Whatcom County record for rushing touchdowns by a team in one season. The state championship Blaine team would break that record the following season.

Van Ieperen led the defensive line, and was named All-League 1st Team as well as the Whatcom County League Defensive Player of the Year. He was joined up front by Reimer, who was also named All-League 1st Team. At 6-foot-2 and 190 pounds, Hill used his great size and speed at linebacker, and he was named All-League 1st Team. Rutgers led the secondary, and was named All-League 1st Team. DeGraaff made huge plays, returning two interceptions for touchdowns (one in each game against the crosstown rival Lyncs), and was named All-League 2nd Team. Alexander picked off a pass against Blaine, and took it 35 yards for a touchdown.

Lange was an exceptional kicker, and was named All-League 1st Team for the second year in a row. He finished with 25 extra points and two field goals. Alexander averaged nearly 40 yards per punt, and was named All-League 2nd Team.

RECORD: 9-1 – COACH: Rollie DeKoster

LEAGUE: 9-1 (T-1st Place in the WCL)

CLASSIFICATION: “A” – Playoffs: Lost Play-In Game

POINTS PER GAME: 21.8 – POINTS ALLOWED PER GAME: 5.2

POINT DIFFERENTIAL: +16.6

GAME BY GAME:

Week 1: Lynden 24, Lynden Christian 0

Week 2: Lynden 21, Blaine 0

Week 3: Nooksack Valley 12, Lynden 3

Week 4: Lynden 13, Mount Baker 12

Week 5: Lynden 49, Meridian 0

Week 6: Lynden 14, Lynden Christian 6

Week 7: Lynden 28, Blaine 7

Week 8: Lynden 15, Nooksack Valley 12

Week 9: Lynden 19, Mount Baker 3

Week 10: Lynden 32, Meridian 0

Mini Play-In Game: Nooksack Valley 12, Lynden 0

The 1975 version of the Lions was your typical Lynden squad. Big, tall, talented and a loaded senior class. They also only allowed three teams to reach double-digits in scoring, but couldn’t get past Nooksack Valley in a mini-playoff game.

The old saying goes, “When you have two quarterbacks, you don’t really have one.” But, it worked for Lynden, with seniors Dean Vander Yacht and Scott Rutgers sharing the duties behind center. Vander Yacht was named All-League 2nd Team, completing 24 passes for 403 yards and five touchdowns. Rutgers put up similar numbers, completing 21 passes for 290 yards and three touchdowns.

Senior Rick Ellis and junior Rick Honcoop split carries in the backfield. Ellis ran for 559 yards (4.5 average) and six touchdowns, while Honcoop totaled 533 yards on the ground (4.4) and seven touchdowns. Ellis was named All-League 1st Team, and Honcoop garnered second team honors. Senior Don Roe contributed on the ground with 103 yards (3.3) and a pair of scores.

Senior tight end Monte Maberry caught 11 passes for 124 yards (11.3) and a touchdown, and he was named All-League 1st Team. He was also involved on end-around trick pass plays, completing three long passes for touchdowns. Roe was a big-play receiver, catching 12 passes for 271 yards (22.6) and two touchdowns. Junior Dennis Hill caught a team-high 13 passes for 201 yards (15.5) and two touchdowns. Ellis hauled in a team-high three touchdown receptions.

6-foot-2 165-pound senior Bob Bonsen led the offensive line from his center position, and was named All-League 1st Team. He was joined up front by seniors Tim Vonk, Doug Helgath, Gregg Nelson and junior Wade Bailey.

Vonk was the unquestioned leader of the defense, and put fear into many opponents. The 5-foot-11 205-pound nose tackle was named All-State at defensive line, and was also named the Whatcom County League Defensive Player of the Year. Rutgers was the main man in the middle, at linebacker, and was named All-League 1st Team. Rutgers and Vonk shared Lynden’s coveted “High Tackle Award”. Rutgers also booted five extra points, and was named All-League 1st Team as a kicker.