The Montesano Bulldogs are the lone Twin Harbors prep football team left in the state playoffs as we review their state-quarterfinal game this week.
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No. 5 Montesano vs. No. 4 Lynden Christian
When and where: 4 p.m. Saturday at Blaine High School
Players to watch: Montesano — Tyson Perry QB/DB, Toren Crites RB/DB, Kole Kjesbu REC/LB, Zach Timmons RB/DB, Terek Gunter RB/DB, Mason Fry REC/DE, Kyle Caton OL/DL. Lynden Christian – Eli Mayberry QB, Chris Kooiman RB/OLB, Boyce Robertson WR/DB, Wyatt Kamphouse WR/DB, Kaden Veldman TE/OLB.
Montesano has an opportunity to return to the state semifinals for the second-consecutive season with a win over Lynden Christian when the two teams face off in a 1A State Tournament quarterfinal Saturday afternoon.
The Bulldogs (10-1 overall) were done no favors by the seeding committee, which punished Monte with a No. 5 seed likely due to a 13-7 loss against Nooksack Valley in a deluge on Oct. 24.
That loss pushed Monte out of the top four seeds, meaning a league-champion in the Bulldogs had to play last week – throttling No. 12 Tenino 49-7 – while the Lyncs (9-1) – which placed second in a tough 1A Northwest League to No. 3 Mount Baker – got a week of rest with a bye.
That could be a blessing in disguise for the Bulldogs as they have been on a roll in two postseason wins and are relatively healthy, being able to rest its starters for large swaths of the second half due to blowout victories.
Montesano senior quarterback Tyson Perry is as experienced running the Bulldogs run-pass option offense as any Monte quarterback under head coach Terry Jensen, having started since early his sophomore season, and will have a wealth of game-breaking weapons at his disposal in receivers Toren Crites and Kole Kjesbu and running back Zach Timmons, all well-established, all-state caliber seniors.
PHOTO BY FOREST WORGUM Montesano senior quarterback Tyson Perry, seen here in a file photo from Nov. 8, will lead the Bulldogs when they face Lynden Christian in a 1A State Tournament quarterfinal game on Saturday at Blaine High School.
Monte also got some good news when standout senior Terek Gunter, who was out for several weeks earlier in the season with an injury, saw plenty of snaps on the defensive end over the past two weeks and had 57 rushing yards and a touchdown on just four carries last week.
Against Lynden Christian, Montesano will face a similar high-scoring, RPO offense that is led by Lyncs record-breaking senior quarterback Eli Mayberry, who holds program records for career passing yards (4,509 through Oct. 24) and touchdowns (57 through Oct. 24).
Mayberry can make throws deep as well as to the sidelines and has approximately 2,000 passing yards this season.
He’s complemented by 1,000-yard running back Chris Kooiman and a host of capable receivers in wideouts Boyce Robertson, Wyatt Kamphouse and tight end Kaden Veldman.
This one might come down to which of the two defenses can get stops and create turnovers.
Monte’s “Maroon Storm” got the ball rolling with an Ashton McKinney pick-6 to open the scoring last week and has come up with clutch stops and turnovers in several wins, including a key fumble recovery to preserve a 22-14 win over a ranked Rochester team on Oct. 17.
The Bulldogs allowed a season-high 19 points to La Center back in the season-opener and have not allowed more than 14 points in a game since against one of the toughest schedules in the 1A class.
The Lyncs defense shutout Naches Valley 49-0 in the state-qualification round two weeks ago and have allowed three or more touchdowns in two games this season, a 45-21 win over Lakeside (Nine Mile) on Sept. 27 and a 34-33 loss to Mount Baker on Oct. 17, the Lyncs’ lone loss of the season.
A win for Montesano would not only put the Bulldogs one step closer to the state-title game but would go a long way in proving they were deserving of one of the class’ top-four seeds all along.
