RECORD: 11-2 – COACH: Curt Kramme
LEAGUE: 5-1 (2nd Place in the NWL)
CLASSIFICATION: 3A – Playoffs: State Semifinalist
POINTS PER GAME: 30.1 – POINTS ALLOWED PER GAME: 17.4
POINT DIFFERENTIAL: +12.7
GAME BY GAME:
Week 1: Lynden 24, Sehome 14
Week 2: Lynden 35, Mountlake Terrace 14
Week 3: Lynden 21, Anacortes 0
Week 4: Lynden 48, Mount Vernon 21
Week 5: Lynden 40, Sedro Woolley 24
Week 6: Ferndale 28, Lynden 13
Week 7: Lynden 48, Squalicum 19
Week 8: Lynden 23, Kamiak 6
Week 9: Lynden 34, Burlington-Edison 12
State Play-In Game: Lynden 41, Stanwood 24
State Playoffs: 1st Round: Lynden 14, Mount Si 6
State Quarterfinals: Lynden 24, White River 23
State Semifinals: Mariner 35, Lynden 26
Although the magic of the 1998 season ran out in the state semi-finals for the Lynden Lions, they had a lot to be proud of, and they broke a few school records along the way.
There was a lot of passing of the pig skin on Rollie DeKoster Field that season. So much so, that it was the first time in Whatcom County history that a team passed for over 2000 yards in a season. And, who better to do that with than senior quarterback, Tony Wilson? He had a huge arm, to go along with a huge season, completing 172 passes for 2686 yards and 24 touchdowns, and he was named All-League 1st Team.
Senior Lance Ellis led the rushing attack, and was known as one of the toughest running backs in school history. He finished the season with 1126 yards on the ground (6.1 average) and 16 touchdowns. Senior Ryan Rathbun was a battering ram, rushing for 462 yards (5.6) and six touchdowns. Junior Tyson Felix ran for 374 yards (5.1) and five touchdowns, and he was even more effective in the passing game, catching 35 passes for 408 yards (11.7) and a touchdown on his way to being named All-League 2nd Team.
Senior wide receiver Ryan Van Diest had a season for the ages, and is regarded as one of the best wide receivers of all time. His 74 catches and 1266 yards receiving both became the new standards in Whatcom County. He also caught nine touchdown passes, was named All-League 1st Team, as well as All-State 1st Team. Fellow senior wide receivers Drew Langstraat and Rob Rodgers also had standout seasons in the wide open Lynden offensive. The 6-foot-6 Langstraat provided a gigantic catch radius for Wilson, and finished with 31 receptions for 572 yards (18.5) and eight touchdowns. He was named All-League 2nd Team. Rodgers had tremendous hands, catching 30 passes for 403 yards (13.4) and four touchdowns, and he was named All-League Honorable Mention.
The offensive line was led by a pair of extremely strong seniors, Sie Robinson and Jon Holman. Robinson had a little “nasty” in the trenches, and Holman was more of a “bring your lunch pail to work” kind of player, but both were named All-League 1st Team. They were joined up front by 240-pound junior Matt Alexander, who was named All-League Honorable Mention.
The defensive line was led by senior Casey Crnich. His physical play resulted in 75 total tackles, six tackles for loss, five sacks, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery, and he was named All-League 1st Team. He was joined on the line by seniors Derek Som and Chris Bargen. Som finished with 62 total tackles, seven tackles for loss, three pass deflections and two sacks, and Bargen totaled 52 tackles, four sacks and two tackles for loss. Both players were named All-League Honorable Mention.
The linebackers were a little undersized, but they made up for it with intensity and intensity. Senior Zach Boyd had 112 total tackles, a team-high nine tackles for loss, three forced fumbles and three passes broken up, and he was named All-League 1st Team. He was joined by Rathbun and senior Tony Stopperan. Rathbun finished with 116 total tackles, seven tackles for loss, six sacks, two forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries and an interception, and he was named All-League Honorable Mention. Stopperan led the team in total tackles with 120. Eight were for a loss of yards, he also forced two fumbles and broke two passes up on his way to being named All-League 2nd Team.
Van Diest led the secondary, and was named All-League 1st Team. He finished with 78 total tackles, 12 passes broken up, six interceptions and three forced fumbles. He was joined by senior strong safety Jason Vermulm who had 61 tackles, nine for loss and two forced fumbles. He was named All-League 2nd Team. Felix also contributed in the defensive backfield with 38 tackles, seven passes broken up and three picks, and he was named All-League 2nd Team.
Junior Darren Stauffer was named All-League 2nd Team at kicker, connecting on 15 extra points and two field goals. Sophomore B.J. Louws kicked 16 extra points and a field goal. Wilson was named All-League 1st Team, and All-State 1st Team at punter. Stopperan was named All-League 1st Team at long snapper. Van Diest returned a kick-off 90 yards for a touchdown against Mount Vernon.