Tumwater's road to the Dome: The Lynden connection for QB Jayden Croft

Jayden Croft has few memories of the four years he lived in Lynden, a town of 12,000 that sits five miles from the U.S.-Canadian border as a young child. But one that sticks out the most is its similarity to the town he lives in now.

“I remember it being a cool community,” he said.

And now, he’s facing a Lynden team in Saturday's Class 2A state title game at the Tacoma Dome -- a team he might've played for had his family stayed in Lynden.

“It’s crazy to think about it,” Croft said.

Croft, Tumwater High School's junior starting quarterback, was born in Bellingham and lived in Lynden until age 4 before he and his family moved to Tumwater when his mother, Tana, got a teaching job at Tumwater High School. The last name Croft is well-known in Lynden. Jayden Croft’s father, Derric Croft, is one of the top basketball players to ever come out of Whatcom County. A 1991 graduate of Lynden High School, Derric Croft was part of a star-studded senior basketball class around the state that included Newport's Mark Pope, Kent-Meridian's K.J. Roberts, and Mercer Island's Scott Didrickson. Derric Croft averaged 25 points, six rebounds and five assists per game as a senior, leading the Lions to the Class A title in March of 1991. His name is still in the Lynden record books for most points scored in a season (652).

Last year, Jayden Croft traveled back to Lynden with his father, toured the town and the high school. He was in awe of what he saw, including a wall painting of his father dunking inside the boys locker room.

“It was really cool,” Jayden Croft said. “I love seeing all of his old articles in the paper.”

Class 2A state title game
NO. 2 LYNDEN (12-1) vs. NO. 4 TUMWATER (12-1)
1 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 1, Tacoma Dome