Coach: Andre Triplett, 1st season with Bellingham
Home Field: Civic Stadium
Last Season: 5-4 (4-1 NWC 2A Lake Division)
Key Losses: OL/DL Christian Butenschoen; WR/S Spencer Lee; OL/DL Butch Mullins; OL/DL Chase Johnason; RB/DB Towner Goodman; RB/LB/K Eli Kongshaug; RB/DB Tim Edwards; RB/DB Isiah Harrington; OLB Jacob Hallock.
Top Returnees: RB/LB Jack Fields; QB/DB Morgan Cavalier; RB/OLB Isaac Ninnemann; LB Jackson Taylor; WR/S Connor McKay; WR/DB Andre Triplett; OL/DL Julian Donohue; OL/DE Chris Oesterling.
2018 RESULTS
Lynden Christian 23, Bellingham 0
Lakewood 40, Bellingham 14
Bellingham 47, Sammamish 0
Bellingham 30, Cedarcrest 15
Bellingham 14, Blaine 13
Bellingham 41, Anacortes 0
Bellingham 17, Mountlake Terrace 7
Sehome 54, Bellingham 27
Sehome 28, Bellingham 21
2019 SCHEDULE
09/06 – Lynden Christian – 5 PM
09/13 – at Lakewood – 7 PM
09/20 – at Sammamish – 7 PM
09/27 – Cedarcrest – 7 PM
10/05 – Evergreen – 5 PM
10/18 – Mountlake Terrace – 7 PM
10/25 – at Sehome – 7 PM
Jack Fields – Senior – Running Back/Linebacker
When playing either running back or linebacker, his combination of speed and tenacity really jumps out. Not the biggest back in the county, but one of the hardest to tackle. And, speaking of tackling, he makes it seem like a personal vendetta with who he’s tackling. He drives through ball carriers and never lets up.
Morgan Cavalier – Senior – Quarterback/Defensive Back
After putting on 15-20 pounds of muscle over the offseason, Cavalier looks great behind center. His arm is much stronger, which will allow the offense to be opened up a lot more in 2019. A fantastic leader that is willing to put in the work. A true dual threat QB that could also be split out wide when asked upon.
Jackson Taylor – Senior – Linebacker
Much like Fields, Taylor plays the linebacker spot with controlled chaos. Awesome speed and ball-hawking abilities. He’s equally good against the pass as he is against the run.
Julian Donohue – Senior – Offensive Line/Defensive Line
He brings the most experience to both sides of the ball. He brings the most size as well. A great run blocker in the Wing-T scheme, which Bellingham will run from time to time. He’ll also be able to take up multiple blockers in the middle of the defensive line to allow his athletic linebackers to make plays.
Biggest Strengths: Aggressive defense and a returning quarterback. The Red Raiders return a lot of defensive starters, and they all have great speed. Cavalier has physically grown a lot from last season, and his overall leadership will spread throughout the team.
Biggest Weakness: Not a lot of depth and big shoes to fill in the trenches. With low numbers, conditioning will be key for the Red Raiders. It’s a also a small junior class, so a lot of sophomores will have to get thrown into the fire when needed.
Who will be Bellingham’s break-out player?
Andre Triplett – Senior – Wide Receiver/Defensive Back/Punter
With the offense opening up in 2019, Triplett could be the main beneficiary. He possesses a lean, athletic body that should allow him to break free on pass patterns. There are a lot of first time corner backs around the league, and he could really take advantage of that. Also, as the punter, you’ll always have to be aware of the fake.
First year head coach Andre Triplett has taken over for Ted Flint who was a staple in the coaching community over the years. Flint was a head coach at both Bellingham and Sehome over the years, as well as a long time assistant at both Sehome and Squalicum. With a new face leading the Red Raiders there is excitement in the air.
“When I found out I was named the new head coach I was both scared and excited,” Triplett said. “Its always fun to see the next generation of kids that want to play football.”
One of the main kids that Coach Triplett will lean on is senior quarterback Morgan Cavalier. As the starter last season he mostly asked to just manage the game, and use his legs to get first downs. He ended up running more times (91) than he passed (75), and those numbers could really grow this season. A lot more will be asked of him, and he will be able to shoulder the load.
“We’re senior heavy this year,” said Triplett. “And the seniors have done a great job of helping out the younger kids, and Morgan is right in the middle of that.”
Senior Jack Fields was a punishing fullback last season, and he returns with his 695 rushing yards and nine touchdowns. The offense could have many different looks, but you can expect to see Fields pound the ball up the middle quite a few times this year. Fellow senior Isaac Ninnemann is more of a shifty runner that gives a little look to the defense.
Seniors Andre Triplett and Connor McKay both return as wide receivers, a position that was rarely used in last season’s run-heavy Red Raiders. The offense will be expanded, and with what Triplett and McKay have shown on the basketball court, they could both have big seasons. 6-foot-3 senior Chris Oesterling will play tight end, but he will also be split out wide at times.
Christian Butenschoen and Butch Mullins combined for one of the best offensive line combos during the 2018 season. Graduation took Christian Butenschoen, who is now playing at Simon Fraser University, but it was a tragic event that took Mullins. The would-be senior, who was universally loved by his teammates and coaches, suddenly (and sadly) passed away in March.
“The kids are still working their way through it,” Coach Triplett said in a stoic fashion.
Senior Julian Donohue started on the offensive line last season, and senior Thai Nguyen is a first year varsity football player, but he has shown great ability in practice. Sophomores Finn O’Malley and Matthew Butenschoen have also been great, and they look to be a big part of the Red Raiders for the next few years.
Defensively, Donohue and Nguyen both possess great size and will be the defensive tackles. Oesterling and O’Malley should it in at the defensive end spots. Fields, Ninnemann and senior Jackson Taylor all return at linebacker which will be a major strength for Bellingham. They are fast, and they are not afraid to hit people.
Cavalier and Triplett both got great playing time last season at corner back, and with McKay at safety, the Red Raiders bring one of the most experienced secondaries back from 2018. McKay also led Whatcom County with three forced fumbles last season, so if an opposing ball-carrier can break through the first 10 defenders, they better put both hands on the ball.
Despite having a winning season in 2018, Coach Triplett know that there’s still a lot to work on.
“We need to finish games and focus on the details,” he said. “If we want to turn this from a team into a program, those are the things we need to accomplish.”
2018 STATISTICAL LEADERS
RUSHING
| PLAYER | ATT | YARDS | AVG | TD |
| Jack Fields | 113 | 695 | 6.2 | 9 |
| Towner Goodman | 56 | 384 | 6.9 | 4 |
| Morgan Cavalier | 91 | 342 | 3.8 | 4 |
| Isiah Harrington | 44 | 284 | 6.5 | 3 |
| Tim Edwards | 47 | 211 | 4.5 | 1 |
PASSING
| PLAYER | ATT | COMP | COM% | YARDS | Y/ATT | TD | INT | RATING |
| Morgan Cavalier | 70 | 25 | 35.71% | 441 | 6.3 | 6 | 5 | 56.9 |
| Rand Bentley | 4 | 0 | 0.00% | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Cody Tolle | 1 | 0 | 0.00% | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 39.6 |
RECEIVING
| PLAYER | REC | YARDS | AVG | TD |
| Spencer Lee | 9 | 102 | 11.3 | 2 |
| Towner Goodman | 4 | 205 | 51.3 | 3 |
| Andre Triplett | 4 | 24 | 6.0 | 0 |
| Connor McKay | 3 | 38 | 12.7 | 0 |
| Ethan Johnson | 3 | 17 | 5.7 | 0 |
KICK RETURNING
| PLAYER | KR | YARDS | AVG | TD |
| Isiah Harrington | 4 | 133 | 33.3 | 1 |
| Ethan Johnson | 6 | 72 | 12.0 | 0 |
| Towner Goodman | 3 | 46 | 15.3 | 0 |
| Sebastian Serrano | 4 | 41 | 10.3 | 0 |
| Spencer Lee | 2 | 30 | 15.0 | 0 |
PUNT RETURNING
| PLAYER | PR | YARDS | AVG | TD |
| Spencer Lee | 6 | 73 | 12.2 | 0 |
| Isiah Harrington | 2 | 44 | 22.0 | 0 |
PUNTING
| PLAYER | ATT | YARDS | AVG |
| Chase Johanson | 10 | 354 | 35.4 |
| Eli Kogshuag | 9 | 299 | 33.2 |
DEFENSE (assisted tackles are worth half of a tackle)
| PLAYER | TACKLES | TFL | SACKS | INT | PD | FF | FR | PTS |
| Spencer Lee | 39.5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 98.25 |
| Eli Kongshaug | 34 | 8 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 93 |
| Towner Goodman | 33 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 79.5 |
| Jack Fields | 35.5 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 75.25 |
| Butch Mullins | 24.5 | 9 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 73.75 |
| Connor McKay | 21 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 61.5 |
| Christian Butenschoen | 24 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 57 |
| Jackson Taylor | 21.5 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 47.25 |
| Jacob Hallock | 13.5 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 39.25 |
| Tim Edwards | 17 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 38.5 |
| Andre Triplett | 15 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 38.5 |
| Chase Johanson | 10 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 35 |
| Isiah Harrington | 9 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 29.5 |
| Trey Clayton | 11 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 28.5 |
| Isaac Ninnemann | 10 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 22 |
| Chris Oesterling | 6.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 13.75 |
| Morgan Cavalier | 5.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 10.25 |
| Ethan Johnson | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| Finn O’Malley | 3.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 9.25 |
| Sebastian Serrano | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 |
| Julian Donohue | 3.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 7.25 |
| Cody Tolle | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
| Rany Bentley | 1.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4.25 |
| Luke Visser | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.75 |
| Gideon Bachelor | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.75 |
SCORING
| PLAYER | TD | FG | 2PT | XP | PTS |
| Jack Fields | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 54 |
| Towner Goodman | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 42 |
| Eli Kongshaug | 0 | 2 | 0 | 25 | 31 |
| Isiah Harrington | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 24 |
| Morgan Cavalier | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 24 |
| Spencer Lee | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 18 |
| Tim Edwards | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12 |
| Isaac Ninnemann | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
2019 ROSTER:
A roster for 2019 was not submitted.
