4 games you should not have missed in Week 1 of Washington high school football

Seniors Brant Heppner and Isaiah Oudman come up big in Lynden's last-minute rivalry victory over Ferndale to open 2024 season

Brant Heppner has already won two Class 2A championships under center at Lynden entering 2024. / Photo by Todd Milles

Lynden High School football coach Blake VanDalen won't just go off-script for any good reason. But his two seniors were playing too well not to.

it netted the Lions a last-minute victory in their biggest annual rivalry game.

Max Assink's 2-yard touchdown run with 2:22 remaining proved to be the game winner as the second-ranked Lions rallied for a 28-24 victory Friday over Ferndale.

But the real story was quarterback Brant Heppner and tight end Isaiah Oudman - the Lions' playmaking seniors - and how that connection paid dividends on that series.

Oudman converted a pair of fourth downs before VanDalen called a play "the team had never practiced" - but one that got Oudman loose behind the secondary for a 27-yard gain that set up Assink's short touchdown run.

"They were on the same wavelength," VanDalen said.

Oudman set a program single-game receiving record for a tight end Friday with 12 catches for 234 yards and a pair of touchdowns, inclduing an 80-yard score.

Heppner completed 24 of 36 passes for 370 yards and three touchdowns.

"This rivalry, it doesn't matter who the better team is - it usually comes down to the end of the game," VanDalen said.

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TUMWATER GETS WING-T ROLLING

Willie Garrow had a good feeling about his new skill-position playmakers at Tumwater, even when others had their doubts.

Well, nobody is doubting the Thunderbirds anymore.

Against perennial Class 4A playoff team Puyallup, Tumwater amassed 524 yards, including 414 on the ground, in handling the shocked Vikings, 56-6, at Sid Otton Field.

"It does not matter the size of the school," Garrow said, "our guys just like playing in big games."

Tumwater recovered a kickoff to start the game, and immediately cashed in on Peyton Davis' 15-yard touchdown run.

After a short Puyallup series, Davis rumbled in from 42 yards out, and the Thunderbirds had a 14-0 lead at the 7:38 mark - and kept building on it after that.

Davis finished 197 rushing yards and three touchdowns.

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DECATUR SINKS ENUMCLAW

Matt Vaeena doesn't know the entire history of Decatur football, but he does know the banner hanging in the gymnasium representing football is bare with no league championships.

His Gators took a big early step Friday in reversing that trend.

In a preseason matchup of the top two 3A NPSL squads, Decatur handed ninth-ranked Enumclaw its first league loss since 2021 with a 14-7 win at Federal Way Memorial Stadium.

The win came two days after standout running back Nehemiah Washington broke his arm in practice Wednesday, and will miss at least the next month.

Joseph "Sefa" Leapai picked up the slack in the run game, and Spencer Holloway tossed two touchdown passes to tight end Thomas Riggins, including the go-ahead 34-yard score with 4:20 remaining.

"Every program wants to preach about brotherhood or family, or some version of that - and we are about ourselves first and playing for each other," Vaeena said. "Last night was a good reflection of that."

Enumclaw took a 7-6 lead on Seamus Twohey's 1-yard touchdown with 11:11 to go, but could not hold onto it.

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CENTRAL VALLEY BLANKS MOUNT SPOKANE

Looks like the 3A Greater Spokane League race could be a three-team race in 2024.

Beau Butner blocked a punt that led to a safety, recovered a fumble for a touchdown - and also ran and caught a pass for a score as Central Valley beat Mount Spokane, 33-0, on Friday night.

Held to 150 yards, the Wildcats were shut out for the first time since 2016.

"Our defense played really well," Central Valley coach Ryan Butner said.

So did his son, who continues his mastery of blocking kicks. He had eight of them in 2023.

And in the first quarter Friday, he busted off the edge to block a punt, which was recovered by Mount Spokane for a safety - and 9-0 Bears' lead.

"It's his first step," Ryan Butner said. "He gets to the edge before anybody touches him, and then the speed takes over."

Beau Butner caught a short touchdown pass from Ryan Tuff to extend the Bears' lead to 16-0 early in the second quarter.

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