RECORD: 7-2 – COACH: Vic Randall
LEAGUE: 3-2 (3rd Place in the NWL)
CLASSIFICATION: AA – PLAYOFFS: None
Scoring Stats “Per Game”
Points: 36.2 – Allowed: 14.3 – Differential: +21.9
GAME BY GAME:
Week 1: Ferndale 54, North Delta 15
Week 2: Ferndale 35, Seattle Prep 0
Week 3: Ferndale 61, Mark Morris 14
Week 4: Ferndale 7, Olympia 6
Week 5: Anacortes 32, Ferndale 12
Week 6: Ferndale 48, Sedro Woolley 18
Week 7: Ferndale 40, Burlington-Edison 0
Week 8: Lynden 31, Ferndale 15
Week 9: Ferndale 54, Bellingham 13
The 1996 Golden Eagles had an abundance of talent, most of these talented players were first year varsity starters. They probably didn’t achieve as much as they wanted to, but it was still a good year.
Passing the ball was not high on the Ferndale priority list, but big plays were made in the passing game. Senior Gary Little had a strong arm, and he completed 14 passes for 357 yards and five touchdowns, and he was named All-League Honorable Mention. Most of the time he handed the ball off to All-League 1st Team junior fullback, Matthias Wilson. Arguably the best pure running back in Whatcom County history, Wilson stepped into the starting role and showed everyone what he could do. He ran for 1546 yards (7.6 average) and 13 touchdowns. He was joined by junior Britton Hanson who ran for 871 yards (8.5) and 14 touchdowns, and he was named All-League 2nd Team. Sophomore Justin Iwasaki also had some big plays running the ball, totaling 522 yards (7.4) and eight touchdowns.
Junior tight end Tyler Ryan led the Golden Eagles with eight receptions for 182 yards (22.8) and three touchdowns, and he was an All-League Honorable Mention selection. Junior wide receiver Jacob Ferry and Hanson each caught a pair of passes.
The offensive line had great ability to go along with tremendous size. 6-foot-6 291-pound senior Max Seppi represented the size, and was named All-League 1st Team, as well as All-State 1st Team. Fellow senior Kyle Johnson wasn’t nearly as big, but was unbelievably valuable at guard in the Wing T offense, and he was also picked as an All-League 1st Teamer. Juniors Bob Carlstrom and Mike Tull also had great seasons up front, and they were each named All-League Honorable Mention. As a team, they averaged 7.3 yards per carry, and had 37 rushing touchdowns.
Seppi led the defensive push up front, and was named All-League 1st Team. He was joined by Carlstrom, who was an All-League 2nd Team pick. The defensive ends were a pair of sophomore studs that the NWL offenses had to gameplan around for the next two seasons. Addison Perrin and B.J. Hoelzle were each named All-League Honorable Mention. Johnson and Iwasaki were great tacklers in the middle of the field, and were each named All-League 1st Team at linebacker. Iwasaki also returned two interceptions for touchdowns. Ryan, at 6-foot-3 with great speed, led the secondary and was named All-League 2nd Team.
Junior Tyson Oreiro had a very strong leg, and he kicked 28 extra points.