The First Rugby Match in Lynden
Facing a heavier, more experienced team from Blaine, Lynden's high school squad played their first-ever rugby game with grit and determination.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
The Lynden school boys met the Blaine H. S. at football Saturday. This was the first game of the season as well as the first Rugby game ever played in Lynden. The result from the standpoint of the score was unsatisfactory to the Lynden team, but the game must be considered in view of the following facts. Blaine has played football for two seasons. This was our first game. Blaine weighed on an average 150 pounds to the man. Our boys less than 128 pounds to the man. Their center weighed 180 pounds, ours 60 pounds less. The time played was forty minutes in two twenty minute halves. Score, 28 to 0. Blaine kicked three goals out of five touchdowns. The work of Lynden boys will be commended very highly. They played with grit and marked determination, in the face of heavy odds. The following named boys, Cline, Holmes, Jacobs, Worthen, Clarke, Smith, and Barnhart deserve special mention for open field tackles and decided gains when carrying the ball. Clarence Barnhart, Lynden's captain was our star while Martin Smith ran a close second. Twice Clarence tackled his man behind their line of scrimmage.
“The work of Lynden boys will be commended very highly. They played with grit and marked determination, in the face of heavy odds.”
Long before Friday night lights and massive stadiums, high school sports in rural Washington were community-defining events. This report captures the raw beginnings of the intense, decades-long athletic rivalry between Lynden and Blaine.
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