BY MICHELLE NOLAN
For fans of Whatcom County football

As usual, Lynden coach Blake Van Dalen has two quarterbacks ready to play and plans to use both.
This time, he has two highly athletic but somewhat unsung juniors. One opted to play only receiver and defensive back as a sophomore and the other was stuck behind a fourth-year star.
“We’ve got a quarterback who is very athletic, and we’ve got an athlete who can play quarterback,” said Van Dalen in the wake of a terrifically encouraging showing by both in Lynden’s 38-8 non-league win over Ferndale before a huge, overflow crowd Friday at Rollie DeKoster Field.
Starting quarterback Lukas Lalji and starting wide receiver Gordy Bedlington combined for 240 yards passing and rushing to lead the Lions to a 38-0 advantage in one of the state’s classic rivalries.
“This was the most decisive game in the series since 2012,” said Van Dalen, in his ninth season as head coach after many seasons as an assistant. It was the second consecutive win for the coach, who is now 5-4 in the series and 74-18 for his career.
That 2012 team was the middle group among three consecutive state champions. Considering that Anacortes, Archbishop Murphy and Sehome combined for 182 points in sweeping their opening opponents, it’s too early to be picking the Northwest Conference 2A champion, much less a state titlist.
But Lynden could take great pride in being part of eight Whatcom County winners who combined for 319 points in Week One. Yes, it indeed looks like yet another explosive season for the locals.
Lalji, who patiently waited for Brant Heppner to graduate, said he’s fine with having another quarterback capable of stepping in.
“We compliment each other. I also love  throwing to Gordy,” whose 15-yard catch started Lynden’s 60-yard drive in the first quarter, soon after returning running back Max Assink broke several tackles with a 36-yard touchdown dash on Lynden’s opening series.
Assink capped the 60-yard thrust with a 6-yard score. On this night, through, the nails tough 195-pound senior was needed for only 10 carries and gained 80 yards.
Soon after Assink caught an 18-yard pass from Lalji to open Lynden’s third series, Bedlington made his varsity debut at quarterback.
Bedlington, using a style perhaps best described as power personified, twice ran for 18 yards. He then capped an 88-yard drive with a 16-yard scoring pass to returning standout Dani Bowler.
“My last snap (on any level) was two years ago with the C team,” said Bedlington, who gained 67 yards on eight rushes and completed four of five passes for 46 yards. Lalji was also sharp with 9-for-12 passing for 115 yards.
“We’ve got seven returning starters on both offense and defense,” said Van Dalen, who was proud of the improvement shown by interior linemen Zach Dykstra, Jordan Dodge, Jax Baar, Carter Vrieling and Logan Ostry.
Third-year varsity kicker Malachi Koenen, still only a junior, kicked a 29-yard field goal and went 4-for-4 on extra points, with the fourth conversion following his own 1-yard touchdown on a wildcat run.
To help set up the field goal, Zay Harris made a 16-yard catch on a key throw from Lalji on third-and-eight from his own 47-yard line.
Returning receiving standout Samm Puello Arango displayed his considerable value with six catches for 60 yards.
Lynden’s last score was a 45-yard dash by reserve running back Dawson Van Dalen.
At that point, Ferndale displayed pride with a four-play, 73-yard scoring drive, capped by a 34-yard scoring sprint by talented returnee Elliot Lenssen, who had a game-high 90 yards on nine carries. Jon Stanek also showed he figures to help the Golden Eagles, since he gained 57 yards on 10 carries.
Lynden will play Saturday at Tacoma’s Franklin Pierce, with a 2 p.m. kickoff. Ferndale plays Friday night at Oak Harbor.