Sports - High Schools

POSTED: Monday, Nov. 24, 2008

MONDAY MORNING QUARTERBACK: NWC 2A teams looking for a little revenge

The Northwest Conference hopes Saturday, Nov. 29, will be pay day - or more specifically, payback day.

The two remaining NWC football teams will both be in action on Saturday in the Class 2A state semifinals.

Lynden will face Archbishop Murphy at 10 a.m. at the Tacoma Dome, while Burlington-Edison will travel to Moses Lake for a 3 p.m. game against Prosser. With a pair of victories, it would be an all-NWC 2A final a week later.

The Lions (10-2) hope to avenge a 26-15 loss to the Wildcats (12-0) from Week 1 in Everett.

The Tigers (11-1), meanwhile, have had almost a full year to think about their 42-7 loss to the Mustangs (12-0) in last year's 2A state final.

YOUNGSTERS GET EXPERIENCE IN LOSS

Ferndale can look to the future with anticipation

The Class 3A quarterfinals matchup between Ferndale and Camas Union featured a lot big plays from the Golden Eagles' seniors.

While the 21-14 outcome was in the Titans' favor to end Ferndale's season, the Golden Eagles also were able to show the possibility of continuing its success next season with its younger players.

Sure Casey Locker, Jordan Finkbonner and Spencer Hannah posted big numbers as expected for Ferndale. Even Jordan Crim and Matt Catrain got in on the action against Union.

All five of the playmakers are seniors.

But junior Jeff Frost snagged a clutch 28-yard pass late in the fourth quarter from Casey Locker and sophomore Riley Locker followed with a big 9-yard run to put the Golden Eagles in better field position to set up for an attempt at a 44-yard field goal.

Riley Locker finished with 13 yards rushing on three carries.

Frost and Riley Locker will lead next year's Ferndale offense with the limited, but important, experience in the quarterfinals.

SOMER BREEZE

BLAINE SHOWS ITS TOUGHNESS

Though its season came to an end Friday, Nov. 21, in a Class 2A quarterfinal loss to Lynden, Blaine takes plenty of positives away from the 2008 season.

First, the Borderites advanced a round deeper into the playoffs than they did last year with their first-round victory over Mark Morris.

Second they built a never-quit attitude that coach Jay Dodd would like to see carried over to next year.

"That's all about the seniors we had this year," Dodd said. "They wouldn't let anybody quit."

Not when Lynden jumped out to a 7-0 lead on Friday, and certainly not earlier in the season after the team lost three of four games, including two in a total of five overtime periods.

"There was never any quit in any of these guys," Dodd said. "They had plenty of opportunities when things were tough for us earlier in the season. Losing like we did, they could have packed it in. But they didn't. They battled back and got the third seed, and they got us here."

On Friday, Blaine battled back to tie the game, and looked to be driving for a possible lead before a fumble and Lynden's switch at quarterback ignited 14 unanswered points by the Lions, who won 21-7.

"It's hard to see these seniors go, because they were a great group of guys, and they meant so much to this team," Dodd said.

DAVID RASBACH