If setting the tone early in the season is an important part of having success on the high school football field, then Lynden High School is off to a strong start.

I watched about 45 minutes of the Lions’ practice this morning and they looked like a focused bunch. I saw Lynden work on its punting game and then run through a few plays with the first- and second-team offense working mostly against the first team defense.

Even with a steady rain it looked like the Lions got some good work in. For an opening practice the first two units seemed pretty comfortable with what they were doing.

It’s easy to see why the Lions are excited about their defense. Their linebacking group of Taylor Creighton, Brett Bajema, David Gaylord, and Ryan Seto could be the best four in the Northwest Conference and should garner some state-wide attention.

Creighton is a three-year starter and Bajema, a junior, started last year. Gaylord and Seto bring size and speed to a position that’s sort of a cross between outside linebacker and defensive end. Gaylord in particular is a very good pass rusher who has started to attract the attention of quite a few colleges.

After Lynden’s practice I headed back to Bellingham and spent a few minutes with Red Raiders’ coach Doug Trainor. Bellingham has an interesting practice schedule over the first 10 days of fall camp, basically having the team come to practice in different waves based on position for position practice from noon to 4 p.m. and then holding a full team practice from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. Some players will be in the weight room while others are on the field and others might be just arriving.

Trainor said it will give him the chance to work with every position group, something that’s nearly impossible with a more traditional practice plan. Bellingham plans on having a lot of wrinkles in its offense this season, so it’s a way for Trainor to make sure everyone is on the same page.

I didn’t get a chance to see the Red Raiders on the field, but did find out a couple of news items. The first is that Jeremy Rick, the Red Raiders top returning running back, is nursing an injured leg and probably won’t practice right away. Trainor said he thinks Rick will be available for Bellingham’s season-opener against Ferndale. Even if Rick isn’t ready, Bellingham has a lot of talent coming back.

The other bit of news is that Reid Chivers has transferred back to Bellingham after spending the last two years at Lakeside-Nine Mile Falls. He played at Bellingham as a freshman and is one of the best wrestlers in the state. He’ll give a big boost to the Red Raiders on offense and defense.

I’ll be at Ferndale later today and should be blogging about that sometime this evening. If anyone has been out to practice for any of the other schools in the area I would be interested in hearing your first impressions.

JOE SUNNEN