Coach: Ron Lepper, 23rd season with Mount Baker (163-72)
Home Field: Bob Tisdale Field at Mount Baker High School
Last Season: 7-4 (3-3 NWC)
Key Losses: WR/DB/P Thomas Barbo; RB/DB Carson Engholm; RB/LB Carson Brandland; OL/DL Kyler Steeves; OL/DL Luke Steeves; TE/LB Hayden Linderman; RB/DB/KR Junior Camacho.
Top Returnees: QB/DB Kaleb Bass; OL/DL Braeden Shannon; RB/DB Sam Barrett; WR/DE Michael Kentner; OL/LB Jay Allen; OL/LB Noah Rathjen; TE/LB Waylon Kentner.
Click HERE to listen to an interview with Coach Ron Lepper on the Doug Lange Network. For more interviews go to www.onthedln.com
2017 RESULTS
Mount Baker 49, Roosevelt 13
Mount Baker 56, Fulton BC 14
Mount Baker 48, Port Townsend 7
Nooksack Valley 26, Mount Baker 14
Mount Baker 27, Lynden Christian 21
Meridian 26, Mount Baker 15
Mount Baker 29, Nooksack Valley 12
Mount Baker 18, Lynden Christian 14
Meridian 52, Mount Baker 29
Mount Baker 45, King’s 15
LaCenter 42, Mount Baker 24
2018 SCHEDULE
08/31 – Lynden – 7 PM
09/08 – at Sehome – 7 PM
09/14 – Cascade – 7 PM
09/21 – Lynden Christian – 7 PM
09/28 – at Meridian – 7 PM
10/05 – at Nooksack Valley – 7 PM
10/12 – at Lynden Christian – 7 PM
10/19 – Meridian – 7 PM
10/26 – Nooksack Valley – 7 PM
The tradition continues. The Mountaineers have been to the Class 1A State Playoffs six years in a row, and with some key players returning, there is now reason why they can’t make it seven in a row.
To go along with a strong running game, a majority of the line returning and a hard hitting defense, Mount Baker is the only school in Whatcom County to have its quarterback return for a third year as the starter. Senior Kaleb Bass has a tremendous grasp of the offense, and he should lead the Mounties to big season.
Mount Baker has had at least one 1000-yard rusher in each of the last eight seasons, and it looks like that trend will continue. Senior Sam Barrett had a strong showing last season before getting injured in week six. He has a good mix of speed, agility and toughness, and he should get the bulk of the carries. Junior Jason Lee is a glider with quick feet, and we compliment Barrett perfectly in the Wing-T. Senior speedster Kobee Malone is battling a hand injury, but when healthy, he will see time as the wing back. Senior Colton Harkness, and sophomores Toby Jefferson and Ayden Rodriguez have shown at practice to be quality backups.
The school’s all-time leading receiver, Thomas Barbo, has graduated, and he won’t be easy to replace. 6-foot-3 senior Michael Kentner will step into the role, and he will supply a big target for Bass. Playing tight end for the Mountaineers isn’t always glamorous, and junior Waylon Kentner is working nicely into the position, catching everything thrown his way.
The Steeves twins have graduated, but the offensive line should be remain a strength with numerous returners. Senior center Braeden Shannon is one of the strongest players in the league, and senior left tackle Jay Allen is one of the most athletic linemen in recent history. Senior Noah Rathjen returns at right tackle, and seniors Logan Sanday, Adam Harrington and J.J. Kalsbeek all bring great experience to the line.
The interior of the defensive line appears strong with Shannon and junior Kanin Moa looking to have the inside track. It also has good depth with Sanday, Harrington, Kalsbeek and junior Cody Saulsbury in the mix. Michael Kentner had a strong season last year and returns at defensive end. Opposite of him could be Harkness, senior Owyn Alvino-Vance, or junior Kris Flowers.
Rathjen started at linebacker as a sophomore, was at defensive line last year, and is back at inside linebacker this season. He will be joined at linebacker by Waylon Kentner who led Baker in tackles a season ago. Allen should also be a force at linebacker along with Jefferson and junior Vincent Figueroa. Bass returns at corner back with Malone on the other side. Barrett and Lee should fit in a safety, with Rodriguez and sophomores Mason Jacoby and Garrett Smith getting substantial time in the secondary.
Lee split time at kicker last season, and looks to have it the job outright this year.
It’s a smaller roster than usual for the guys in Deming, but the talent is still there.
2017 STATISTICAL LEADERS
(Returning players have the * after their names)
RUSHING
| Rank | Player | Season | Games | Att. | Yards | TD | Yds./Att. | Yds./Gm. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Carson Engholm | 2017 | 11 | 170 | 1127 | 20 | 6.63 | 102.5 |
| 2 | Carson Brandland | 2017 | 11 | 113 | 767 | 7 | 6.79 | 69.7 |
| 3 | Sam Barrett* | 2017 | 7 | 62 | 457 | 4 | 7.37 | 65.3 |
| 4 | Kobee Malone* | 2017 | 7 | 12 | 195 | 0 | 16.25 | 27.9 |
| 5 | Jason Lee* | 2017 | 6 | 15 | 172 | 1 | 11.47 | 28.7 |
PASSING
| Rank | Player | Season | Games | Comp. | Att. | Comp %. | Yards | TD | Int | Rating | Yds./Att. | Yds./Comp. | Yds./Gm. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kaleb Bass* | 2017 | 11 | 78 | 140 | 55.71% | 1140 | 11 | 5 | 93.75 | 8.14 | 14.6 | 103.6 |
| 2 | Carson Brandland | 2017 | 11 | 1 | 7 | 14.29% | 27 | 0 | 2 | 3.57 | 3.86 | 27.0 | 2.5 |
| 3 | Mason Jacoby* | 2017 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 100.00% | 22 | 0 | 0 | 118.75 | 22.00 | 22.0 | 22.0 |
RECEIVING
| Rank | Player | Team | Season | Games | Recpt. | Yards | TD | Yds./Att. | Yds./Gm. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Thomas Barbo | Mount Baker | 2017 | 11 | 52 | 871 | 9 | 16.75 | 79.2 |
| 2 | Hayden Linderman | Mount Baker | 2017 | 5 | 6 | 84 | 0 | 14.00 | 16.8 |
| 3 | Carson Engholm | Mount Baker | 2017 | 11 | 6 | 65 | 0 | 10.83 | 5.9 |
| 4 | Junior Camacho | Mount Baker | 2017 | 11 | 4 | 51 | 2 | 12.75 | 4.6 |
| 5 | Michael Kentner* | Mount Baker | 2017 | 4 | 3 | 42 | 0 | 14.00 | 10.5 |
KICK RETURNING
| Rank | Player | Season | Games | Returns | Yards | TD | Yds./Att. | Yds./Gm. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Junior Camacho | 2017 | 11 | 16 | 321 | 0 | 20.06 | 29.2 |
| 2 | Carson Brandland | 2017 | 11 | 8 | 182 | 0 | 22.75 | 16.5 |
| 3 | Kobee Malone* | 2017 | 7 | 8 | 169 | 0 | 21.12 | 24.1 |
| 4 | Sam Barrett* | 2017 | 7 | 6 | 114 | 0 | 19.00 | 16.3 |
PUNT RETURNING
| Rank | Player | Season | Games | Returns | Yards | TD | Yds./Att. | Yds./Gm. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Thomas Barbo | 2017 | 11 | 6 | 34 | 0 | 5.67 | 3.1 |
| 2 | Jason Lee* | 2017 | 6 | 1 | 16 | 0 | 16.00 | 2.7 |
PUNTING
| Rank | Player | Season | Punts | Yds./Att. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Thomas Barbo | 2017 | 29 | 29.79 |
INTERCEPTIONS
| Rank | Player | Season | Int. | Yards | Yds./Att. | TD | Yds./Gm. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Thomas Barbo | 2017 | 4 | 48 | 12.00 | 0 | 4.4 |
| 2 | Carson Engholm | 2017 | 3 | 46 | 15.33 | 0 | 4.2 |
| 3 | Jason Lee* | 2017 | 1 | 21 | 21.00 | 0 | 3.5 |
| 4 | Kaleb Bass* | 2017 | 1 | 0 | 0.00 | 0 | 0.0 |
SCORING
| Rank | Player | Season | TD | FGs | 2-Pt Conv | PAT | Total Points | Points/Game |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Carson Engholm | 2017 | 20 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 124 | 11.3 |
| 2 | Thomas Barbo | 2017 | 9 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 56 | 5.1 |
| 3 | Carson Brandland | 2017 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 48 | 4.4 |
| 4 | Jason Lee* | 2017 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 24 | 30 | 5.0 |
| 5 | Sam Barrett* | 2017 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 24 | 3.4 |
| 6 | Junior Camacho | 2017 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 24 | 2.2 |
| 7 | Kaleb Bass* | 2017 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 18 | 1.6 |
| 8 | Roberto Garcia | 2017 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 12 | 18 | 4.5 |
2018 ROSTER
