LYNDEN — Phoenyx Finkbonner’s would-be game-winning 31-yard field goal gave Ferndale a 10-point lead with 2:39 remaining and the Golden Eagles hung on to upset reigning back-to-back 2A state champion Lynden 17-14 in Friday night’s season opener at Lynden High School.
Lynden entered the game on a 24-game win streak dating back to Sept. 17, 2021. The Lions’ only loss during the 2021–22 season was a week two loss to Ferndale the week prior. The last time Lynden lost to a team not nicknamed the Golden Eagles was on March 16, 2021 — a 28-21 loss to Lynden Christian during the COVID-19-shortened spring season.
“This is life at Ferndale. We live to beat Lynden,” Ferndale junior running back and linebacker Talan Bungard said. “I mean, this is all it is. This is the game we live for.”
Bungard led the way for the Golden Eagles, carrying the ball 30 times for 138 yards and a touchdown. He also caught three passes for 24 yards and a score — tallying both of Ferndale’s touchdowns in the game.
Ferndale kicker Phoenyx Finkbonner (23) celebrates his game-winning kick with teammate Bishop Ootsey. (Andy Bronson/Cascadia Daily News)
“They’re good,” Bungard said of Lynden. “I mean, we were underdogs in this game. They’ve got two state titles [in the last few years]. We were ready to come out. We wanted to beat them.”
Finkbonner’s field goal was the insurance Ferndale needed, as the team previously took a 14-7 lead late in the third quarter. He missed a 26-yard try with 4:30 left in the game, making good on his second attempt. The multi-threat senior also notched 46 yards rushing on 10 carries.
Lynden, trailing 17-7 with less than two minutes to play, managed the most efficient drive of the night late in the game on a five-play, 76-yard drive to cut its deficit to three with 1:14 left. Ferndale recovered the ensuing onside kick, and that sealed it for the Golden Eagles.
“Did I think we were going to score 14 tonight? No. I thought we could score more, but they limited us, so tip the hat to them,” Lynden head coach Blake VanDalen said.
Ferndale, which finished last season 9-3 and reached the 3A state quarterfinals for the first time since 2017, lost 13 seniors to graduation — most of whom were high-level starters. This game was an affirming win for a team that was thought to have needed some time to find its identity early in the season.
Ferndale’s Conner Walcker hauls in a 45-yard pass. (Andy Bronson/Cascadia Daily News)
“You’re going to find out a lot about yourself week one. We didn’t play a jamboree last week, so we were pretty concerned coming in, playing it against a high caliber team like them, of how things would look,” Ferndale head coach Jamie Plenkovich said. “I thought our kids did a really good job of playing pretty crisp … We did what we had to do to beat a really good team. And defensively, we were outstanding.”
The Golden Eagles’ defense was indeed as impressive as its offense. Lynden junior quarterback Brant Heppner was held to 9-of-23 passing for 156 yards and two touchdowns. Five of those completions and one of the touchdowns was on the Lions’ final scoring drive with under two minutes to play.
More impressively, Ferndale held Lynden’s rushing offense to just 35 yards on 12 carries — an area the Lions have excelled in the past two seasons.
Lynden’s Brant Heppner (6) reacts after the Lions’ loss to Ferndale. (Andy Bronson/Cascadia Daily News)
Ferndale senior quarterback Bishop Ootsey completed 6-of-9 passes for 74 yards, including a 45-yard completion to senior wingback Conner Walcker. Walcker, an Eastern Washington University commit, finished the game with two receptions for 51 yards.
Lynden sophomore wide receiver Daniel Bowler caught three passes for 55 yards and a touchdown, while senior wideout Cooper Moore caught three passes for 46 yards and a score.
VanDalen, after the game, put the loss into perspective for his Lynden team.
“When you look at the big picture, you know, you go back to 2021 — that loss to Ferndale. That’s what started the streak, right?” VanDalen said. “The pain we felt that night, we didn’t lose again for almost one week shy of two years. So, this can be a very good thing. That doesn’t mean it’s not painful. Tip your hat, they executed better. They hit harder. They made plays that we didn’t make.”
