Lynden Christian snapped a football program’s four-year winning streak. There are no longer any unbeaten volleyball teams in the Northwest Conference. Swim and dive teams adjusted to a new pool. Western Washington University golf teams got their seasons going.
A lot happened in Whatcom County sports last week; don’t miss these highlights.
Prep
Volleyball
Sehome snapped a two-game losing skid on Sept. 21 with a 3-1 win over in-town rival Bellingham (26-24, 25-23, 25-27, 25-19). The win helped the Mariners stay firmly in conference contention, as they moved to 2-2 in NWC matches and 2-3 overall. Bellingham dropped to 2-3 in league play and 2-3 overall.
“We had a tremendous turnout of friends, family and fans to support our team to victory,” Sehome head coach Clayton Sin said. “The team fought hard, stayed composed and executed our game plan against Bellingham in very close sets.”
Sehome’s Samantha Valett spikes the ball past Bellingham’s Maleah Macdonald and Lily Hughes. Bellingham downed in a four-set loss to Sehome on Sept. 21. (Andy Bronson/Cascadia Daily News)
Senior outside hitter Sami Valett led Sehome with 13 kills and two aces. Freshman outside hitter Hayden Niewiadomski added 12 kills, three aces and 10 digs, as sophomore setter Emmy Lee ran the offense contributing 37 assists, seven digs and two aces.
Meridian suffered its first loss of the season to Lynden Christian in a four-set match on Sept. 20. The Trojans took the first set 25-21, but dropped the next three 25-21, 25-18 and 25-18. It was a bounce-back game for an LC team that was coming off a 3-0 loss to Lynden. The Lyncs have now won two straight games after a 3-2 victory over Blaine on Sept. 22.
Lynden is also no longer undefeated as Curtis swept the Lions on Sept. 24 in a non-league match. Although, within NWC play, Burlington-Edison, Lynden and Ferndale are the only unbeaten teams, all sitting at 4-0.
Girls soccer
Sehome remains unbeaten after kicking off its league schedule against Sedro-Woolley with a 1-0 win on Sept. 21. The Mariners are now 5-0-1 overall on the year, with their tie coming in a 2-2 stalemate versus Lynden in the first game of the season.
The lead in the NWC 1A standings is up for grabs with Nooksack Valley possessing the best record at 3-2-1. Blaine (1-2), Lynden Christian (2-2-2), Meridian (2-2-1) and Mount Baker (1-0) are all right in the mix as league matches get going this week.
Boys tennis
Sehome and Anacortes continue to dominate the competition with each team sitting at 5-0 in NWC matches and are undefeated overall. Bellingham, Squalicum and Burlington-Edison are all neck-and-neck in the middle of the standings at 4-3 overall.
Squalicum and Bellingham played a crucial match on Sept. 23, with the Storm coming out on top 4-3. The two teams met before to open the season on Sept. 8, with the Bayhawks winning by the same margin. Squalicum got the benefit of a league win the second time around.
Sehome and Burlington-Edison will play a key league contest on Sept. 28, which could narrow or widen the standings a bit.
Blaine’s Hailey Ferrell swims in the 200-yard freestyle as Ferndale, Squalicum, Blaine and Meridian competed in a swim meet at Forge Fitness pool on Sept. 22. (Andy Bronson/Cascadia Daily News)
Girls swim and dive
Squalicum met Ferndale’s co-op team for a meet on Sept. 22 that included four total teams. Blaine and Meridian swimmers competed with the Golden Eagles. Squalicum won all three duals, defeating Meridian 110-2, Ferndale 83-65 and Blaine 90-42.
“Forge Fitness is a tough pool to swim in, as it doesn’t have the same type of drainage systems other pools have, causing a lot of water to splash back, making the water feel a bit choppier,” Squalicum head swim coach Randy Elsner said. “Both teams swam in it for the first time this season as it was Ferndale’s first home meet.”
Blaine’s 200-yard medley team of Eden Shields, Sylvie Lausier, Hailey Ferrell and Jade Shields took first place with a time of 2:35.44. Ferrell also finished first in the 200-yard freestyle and the 100-yard breaststroke. Lausier had another first-place finish in the 100-yard backstroke with a time of 1:25.62.
Ferndale’s Alicia James finished first in the 200-yard individual medley with a time of 3:05.35. Aiyanna Brown also took first in the 500-yard freestyle against teammate Nat Darr-Rehmert.
Squalicum’s Mars Molina captured the crown in the 50-yard freestyle with her time of 29.41 seconds. Celeste Fisher finished first in the 100-yard butterfly with a time of 1:28.24, and Mackenzie Millican clocked a 1:05.89 in the 100-yard freestyle to win the event.
Ferndale’s Sam Toepper, right, leads in the breaststroke leg of the 200 yard medley as Ferndale, Squalicum, Blaine and Meridian compete in a swim meet at Forge Fitness pool on Sept. 22. (Andy Bronson/Cascadia Daily News)
“Girls from all of the teams swam well, with those Blaine kids really impressing me with what they can do with just a group of four,” Elsner said. “For Squalicum, everyone swam tough, with new district times for Mars Molina and Celeste Fischer.”
The Storm’s relay team of Michaela Lemcke, Alexa Hulbert, Molina and Millican took first place in the 200- and 400-yard freestyle relays.
Squalicum will face Sehome at 3:45 p.m. Sept. 27 at the Arne Hannah Aquatic Center. Ferndale co-op team will visit Burlington-Edison at 7:30 p.m. Sept. 27 at the Skagit Valley YMCA.
Football
It was a big week for football teams around the county, with several top storylines emerging as the weekend got going.
The biggest among them was Lynden Christian’s 21-14 victory over Royal on the Knights’ home turf. The Lyncs snapped Royal’s 36-game winning streak — dating back to the 2018 state semifinals when the Knights lost to Colville 31-28. It’s also Royal’s first loss at home in over a decade.
Lynden Christian and Nooksack Valley, each 4-0, are tied at the top of the 1A NWC standings. Mark off your calendars for Oct. 7 when the two teams meet on the field in what should be one of the best games of the season.
Sehome got back on the football field Sept. 22 after forfeiting its first league game against Sedro-Woolley the week before due to a hazing incident investigation.
Sehome’s Coleby Chambers blocks a pass intended for Burlington-Edison’s Hamza Abdalle but is called for defensive pass interference on the play. Sehome beat Burlington-Edison 31-7. (Andy Bronson/Cascadia Daily News)
The Mariners avoided player suspensions, Sehome’s head coach Kevin Beason said. The team defeated Burlington-Edison 31-7 in its return, led by 180 yards and three touchdowns on the ground by senior running back Tommy Funk.
Lynden recorded a narrow 24-21 rivalry win over Sedro-Woolley on Sept. 22 to stay unbeaten. Sophomore quarterback Brant Heppner rushed in for the game-winning touchdown with under a minute to play.
Sedro-Woolley gave the Lions one of their toughest contests last season as well, a 14-6 win for Lynden that nearly got away from them in the fourth quarter. Lynden will visit Sehome on Sept. 30 in what should be one of the top Whatcom County games of the week.
WWU
Men’s soccer
The Vikings (6-0-3) continue to avoid a notch in the loss column, pulling off two solid victories during the week. Western defeated Saint Martin’s 5-2 on Sept. 22 and followed that up with a 2-0 win over Western Oregon on Sept. 24.
Western freshman forward Albin Jonsson scored three of the Vikings’ seven goals over the two-game stretch and leads the team with six goals this season.
Women’s soccer
Northwest Nazarene snapped Western’s three-game winning streak with a scoreless tie Sept. 24. The Vikings are now 4-1-3 overall and 3-0-1 in conference play.
Western began its week with a 3-0 win over Central Washington on Sept. 22. It was a dominant win for the Vikings who took 21 shots on goal while allowing just four. Junior forward Ellie Busik, freshman midfielder Morgan Manalili and senior midfielder Tera Ziemer all scored on the day.
Volleyball
Western volleyball embarked on its Alaskan road trip this past week, splitting two games.
The Vikings were swept by Alaska Anchorage on Sept. 22, but got back in the win column on Sept. 24 with a 3-1 win over Alaska Fairbanks (25-23, 25-15, 20-25, 25-17).
Senior middle blocker Olivia Fairchild led Western in the second game with 14 kills and nine blocks. Senior setter Malia Aleaga recorded 34 assists, 11 digs and two aces. The Vikings’ defense was bolstered by senior libero Kasey Woodruff’s 19 digs.
Men’s golf
Western’s men’s golf team got its season underway at the Saint Martin’s University Invitational on Sept. 23. The two-day event saw the Vikings tied for first at the end of day one. They finished second out of 14 teams, with sophomore Ryan Ho tying for second out of 77 players. Throughout the 36-hole tournament, Ho finished with a 5-under-par 139.
Women’s golf
The Western women’s golf team competed in its second tourney of the season Sept. 23 at the Saint Martin’s University Invitational.
The Vikings entered the second day in second place before erasing a nine-stroke deficit, led by senior Megan Billiter’s 1-under-par 143, to win the 36-hole tournament. It was also Billeter’s first collegiate tournament victory.
Western Washington University’s Mia Crocker trails Courtney Olsen in the women’s race. Crocker finished in fourth place and Olsen, a former WWU runner, finished in third. (Andy Bronson/Cascadia Daily News)
Cross country
Western cross country continued a strong start to its season on Sept. 24, capturing both team titles at the Bill Roe Classic, held at Hovander Homestead Park in Ferndale.
Both Vikings teams have now taken first place in each of their first two meets.
Kevin McDermott and Andrew Oslin headlined the men’s 8,000-meter race for Western, placing third and fourth, respectively. Mia Crocker was the first collegiate finisher in the 6,000-meter women’s race, placing fourth for the Vikings.
Football standings — Sept. 16
Wesco 3A North
| Football | League | overall |
|---|---|---|
| Team | W-L | W-L |
| Stanwood | 3-0 | 4-0 |
| Ferndale | 2-0 | 2-2 |
| Arlington | 2-1 | 3-1 |
| Marysville-Pilchuck | 2-1 | 3-1 |
| Mount Vernon | 0-2 | 0-4 |
| Marysville-Getchell | 0-2 | 0-4 |
| Oak Harbor | 0-3 | 0-4 |
2A Northwest Conference
| Football | League | overall |
|---|---|---|
| Team | W-L | W-L |
| Anacortes | 2-0 | 4-0 |
| Lynden | 2-0 | 4-0 |
| Squalicum | 1-1 | 2-2 |
| Sehome | 1-1 | 3-1 |
| Burlington-Edison | 1-1 | 2-2 |
| Sedro-Woolley | 1-1 | 3-1 |
| Lakewood | 0-2 | 1-3 |
| Archbishop Murphy | 0-2 | 0-3 |
1A Northwest Conference
| Football | League | overall |
|---|---|---|
| Team | W-L | W-L |
| Lynden Christian | 0-0 | 4-0 |
| Nooksack Valley | 0-0 | 4-0 |
| Meridian | 0-0 | 3-1 |
| Mount Baker | 0-0 | 2-2 |
| Blaine | 0-0 | 0-4 |
Independent
| football | league | overall |
|---|---|---|
| Team | W-L | W-L |
| Bellingham | N/A | 2-2 |
