"High school football: Little Lynden rallies behind team" -- Nov. 24, 2006

Caleb Breakey
The Olympian

Located on Front Street at the heart of Lynden is Les’ Barber Shop, a rectangular room twice the width of a hallway and as long as a tractor trailer. Mounted outside its glass door entrance is a barber’s pole.

A boxed television tuned to North West Cable News sat on a table at the far end of the shop. On top of it laid a book: “The Family Handy Man: Helpful Hints.”

Clippings of grey hair and a few touches of darker trimmings spotted the linoleum floor as Les Molenaar, the shop’s owner, leaned over a middle-aged man to begin another cut.

The two talked about the out-of-town Thanksgiving visitors, the recent stormy weather, and the bank deposit Molenaar lost that day. But it didn’t take long for their conversation to move to Lions football.

Molenaar said he doesn’t see many Lynden players take seats in his barbershop, not since mothers starting cutting hair and beauty schools boomed. Still, Molenaar and most of the 10,000 people in the rural town’s community could point out its football players, whether strolling on the sidewalk by the big windmill or picking up a drink at Muddy Waters Espresso.

After a bit more chatter, Molenaar’s customer finally hinted at the Lions match up against the Tumwater Thunderbirds at 4 p.m. Friday in the Tacoma Dome.

“Lots of people will be out of town tomorrow, big football game,” the customer said.

Molenaar responded: “Especially when it’s indoor — so nice, no rain.”

The room quieted for a few seconds.

“Do you want it shorter on the sides?”

Community involvement thrives in Lynden, a town where family comes first, said Lions head coach Curt Kramme.

“People are crazy about football in Lynden,” said Lions wide receiver and captain Brady Bomber. “We walk around town and people are asking us about the game. They know more than we do about our stats. They’re always telling us ‘good job’ and telling us they’re going to be there on Friday night.”

Lynden High School is across town from Les’ Barber Shop, just short of a five-minute drive within the town’s 25 mph speed limit. Wood plaques are fixed on the outside walls, labeling the school’s departments with white engraved lettering.

Llamas lay in a field about four blocks away. Across the street are houses with finely trimmed lawns — some touting erect U.S. flags and others fronting worn basketball hoops. A rectangular sign with a red heart as its foreground stands at the entrance of the school’s main parking lot: “We love you, Buckle Up.”

Lynden impressed Tumwater head coach Sid Otton, whose daughter attended Western Washington University, which is about a 45 minute drive from Lynden.

“It’s a tremendous little town, a neat community,” he said. “And they’ve always done well in sports.”

The roots of the Lions’ football program trace back to an office in the school’s weight room. There, Kramme and his coaching staff developed schemes that led his team to four state semifinal appearances in the past six years, including consecutive trips to the state finals in 2001 and 2002. The Lions’ coach of 16 years said Lynden makes coaching a bit easier.

“Because our community is such a family-oriented place, the kids’ basic needs are being met somewhere else. I don’t have to be their pseudo-dad,” he said. “That’s not the case in a lot of schools around our state.”

The Lions program has produced stars such as this year’s quarterback Chris Bolt and wide receiver Dirk Dallas, both seniors.

Dallas has 70 catches this year for 1,024 yards, good for 14.6 yards per reception. Bolt has completed 201 of his 312 passes for 2,524 yards and 31 touchdowns.

On the ground, Lynden running back Steven Johnson has 633 yards and wingback Landon VandeHoef broke the school’s record with 26 touchdowns — 18 of those rushes.

Both of their names are well-known in Lynden, just like Dallas, Bolt, and the rest of the team’s players. Bomber said being a football player and a part of the Lynden community is something big cities miss out on, where people care for each other like family.

“I’ve been following the Lynden kids on the radio,” Molenaar said. “I keep up with the kids that way. I kind of remember their parents and where they came from. I keep in touch. It’s always been that way.”