Whatcom County saw two of its own go to battle for state championships on Saturday, Dec. 3. The Lynden Lions came out on top, beating North Kitsap 31-24 for their second straight state title, and the Mount Baker Mountaineers lost to Royal 35-20.
The Mountaineers took the field first, facing Royal for the Class 1A title at Harry Lang Stadium in Lakewood. Mount Baker went up early after an interception by senior quarterback/safety Landon Smith led to an 8-yard touchdown run by Wilhelm Maloley. The Knights responded with two touchdowns to notch a seven-point lead at halftime.
Smith threw a pick early in the third quarter, but rebounded immediately with his second interception of the game on defense and led the Mountaineers on a game-tying touchdown drive. The Knights would go on to score three fourth-quarter touchdowns, two through the air and one on the ground, to secure the victory. Mount Baker senior running back Marcques George took off for a 60-yard run that ended in a touchdown a few plays later in the final minutes, though it wasn’t enough to catch the Knights. George would finish with 243 rushing yards and two touchdowns, according to ScorebookLive.
Two hours later, about 14 miles east, the Lions faced off against the North Kitsap Vikings at Sparks Stadium in Puyallup for the Class 2A championship. The Lions started off with a scare, fumbling the kickoff to set up the Vikings on Lynden’s 11-yard line. The Lions defense stepped up, however, and North Kitsap ended the drive with just three points.
From there, a fumble recovery for a touchdown swung the momentum Lynden’s way, as they scored 17 unanswered points to end the first half with a two-touchdown lead. The Vikings led off the third quarter with a touchdown to narrow the deficit to one-score, but the Lions kept their distance with a touchdown of their own. Still, the Vikings showed championship heart, and ripped off a pair of touchdowns to tie the game at 24 with two minutes remaining.
The Lions embarked on a stellar late-game drive that featured a pair of clutch catches by receiver Isaiah Stanley, ending in sophomore quarterback Brant Heppner running in his third touchdown of the game. With the Lions up seven with just under a minute to go, a North Kitsap fumble early in their drive secured Lynden their second consecutive state championship.