Week 2 of the high school football season brought a full slate of games across Whatcom County on Friday and Saturday, September 12, with results ranging from a lopsided loss for Squalicum to marquee matchups at Blaine and Bellingham. Here is a rundown of what happened and what is still to come this weekend.
Thursday Night: Anacortes Hands Squalicum a 49-0 Loss
Squalicum High School fell to Anacortes 49-0 on Thursday night at Civic Stadium in Bellingham, a sharp reversal from the Storm's season-opening win over Sehome the week before. Anacortes quarterback Ryan Harrington, a Washington State University commit, threw four touchdown passes and ran in a fifth score in the dominant performance. Harrington's five-touchdown night underscored why the Anacortes program is regarded as one of the stronger teams in the northwest corner of the state heading into the 2026 season. For Squalicum, the 49-point shutout is a sobering data point early in the year, though it also came against a program that has legitimate state title aspirations. The Storm will need to regroup quickly with more league games ahead, and the margin of Thursday's loss should provide plenty of film to study heading into Week 3.
The game was also notable for the broadcast setup across the county that night. KGMI radio personality Allan Fee and the Zone crew were live at Blaine High School on Friday for the Borderites' game against Meadowdale, while KBAI carried the Bellingham versus Sultan matchup at Civic Stadium with Jason Upton and Rick Todd on the call. Having multiple simultaneous live radio broadcasts of county games reflects the depth of prep football interest across Whatcom County communities.
Friday Night Games Across Whatcom County
Friday featured games at multiple venues across the county. At Blaine, the Borderites hosted Meadowdale with the pregame show and kickoff at 7 p.m. on KPUG with Randy Farmer and Dan Kaemingk calling the action. Blaine's football program has shown improvement in recent seasons and home games at Blaine High School draw strong community support from the Birch Bay and Blaine area. Meadowdale, out of the Wesco League in Snohomish County, presented a nonconference test for the Borderites before league play intensifies later in the fall.
Bellingham hosted Sultan in a Northwest Conference matchup at Civic Stadium, also at 7 p.m. on KBAI. The Northwest Conference is one of the more competitive leagues in the 3A classification in western Washington, and early-season conference games carry significant weight for playoff positioning later in the fall. A win at home against a conference opponent in Week 2 provides early momentum and helps establish seeding expectations for October.
Nooksack Valley unveiled its new artificial turf field for its home game against Okanogan, a milestone for the Pioneers program. New turf fields represent significant capital investments for school districts and typically take years of fundraising, bond measures, and grant applications to complete. Nooksack Valley's new surface will benefit multiple sports programs through the school year, including soccer, lacrosse, and other fall and spring sports that use the same facility. The debut of the field for a home football game gave the moment some additional ceremony for the Nooksack Valley community.
Sehome traveled to face Archbishop Murphy, the reigning 2A state champion, in a tough road test. Playing the defending state champion in Week 2 is one of the more demanding nonconference scheduling choices a program can make, and the experience the Sailors gain from that kind of competition, win or lose, typically shows up later in the season. Lynden made the trip to face Lakewood, and Mount Baker traveled to North Kitsap, with both games kicking off at 7. Ferndale was on the road against Edmonds-Woodway in a later 8 p.m. start, giving the Golden Eagles a slightly longer evening on the road.
Saturday Games and Looking Ahead
Saturday brought two more local games. Lynden Christian traveled north to face Vancouver College at 1:30 p.m., a cross-border matchup that the Lyncs have made part of their early-season scheduling in recent years. Meridian was on the road against Cascade Christian at 7 p.m. in a game with implications for both programs as they work to establish early-season form.
The Western Washington University Vikings also have a big weekend. The WWU volleyball team opens GNAC conference play at 7 p.m. Saturday night at Carver Gym against 20th nationally-ranked Central Washington, following a tight five-set conference opening win the previous night over Northwest Nazarene. Winning a five-set match on the road to open conference play and then turning around for another home conference match within 24 hours is a demanding stretch for any roster, and the home crowd at Carver Gym will be an important factor against a ranked opponent.
College football fans in Whatcom County will be tracking the University of Washington Huskies, who host Utah State on Saturday in their second game of the season. The Huskies are ranked 19th nationally after a 14-point win over Washington State in the Apple Cup. Coverage begins at 10:30 a.m. with kickoff at 12:30 p.m. on KPUG. Washington State is on the road against Kansas State at 9 a.m. The college football world beyond the Pacific Northwest will be watching as the fourth-ranked Texas Longhorns host the top-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes at 4:30 p.m., a heavyweight matchup that arrived unusually early in the college football season.
For the latest scores and schedules across all Whatcom County prep sports, the Bellingham Herald sports section tracks local results throughout the fall season. For more on Whatcom County's athletic programs this fall, a look back at the strong Week 1 results provides context for how the county's teams entered the season.
