Coach: Ron Lepper, 24th season with Mount Baker (171-77)
Home Field: Bob Tisdale Field at Mount Baker High School
Last Season: 8-5 (3-3 NWC)
Key Losses: QB/CB Kaleb Bass; OT/ILB Jay Allen; RB/S Sam Barrett; WR/DE Michael Kentner; C/DT Braeden Shannon; WR/CB Kobee Malone; DE Colten Harkness.
Top Returnees: TE/ILB Waylon Kentner; RB/S Jason Lee; RB/LB Toby Jefferson; LB/S Mark Tikhonov; OL/DL Cody Saulsbury.
2018 RESULTS
Lynden 35, Mount Baker 34
Mount Baker 44, Sehome 19
Mount Baker 38, Cascade 19
Lynden Christian 28, Mount Baker 20
Mount Baker 41, Meridian 20
Mount Baker 55, Nooksack Valley 21
Mount Baker 20, Lynden Christian 13
Meridian 13, Mount Baker 9
Nooksack Valley 19, Mount Baker 16
Mount Baker 61, Granite Falls 0
Mount Baker 49, Cedar Park Christian 10
Mount Baker 48, Montesano 7
Royal 55, Mount Baker 6
2019 SCHEDULE
09/06 – at Lynden – 7 PM
09/13 – Sehome – 7 PM
09/20 – at Cascade – 7 PM
09/27 – at Lynden Christian – 7 PM
10/04 – Meridian – 7 PM
10/11 – Nooksack Valley – 7 PM
10/18 – Lynden Christian – 7 PM
10/25 – at Meridian – 7 PM
11/01 – at Nooksack Valley – 7 PM
Waylon Kentner – Senior – Tight End/Linebacker
A first year starter at tight end last season, and he finished the season being named All-State 1st Team. Now, he will be a favorite target for new quarterback, Mason Jacoby. This will be his third year starting at linebacker, and his 16.5 tackles for loss last season was among the county leaders.
Jason Lee – Senior – Running Back/Safety
He led the Northwest Conference 1A in rushing last season, and every time Mount Baker returns a 1000-yard rusher, he has done it again. He also can be used in many ways, and was the only Whatcom County player last season to score a touchdown, kick a field goal, score a 2-point conversion and kick an extra point.
Toby Jefferson – Junior – Running Back/Linebacker
Jefferson showed great flashes last season, as only a sophomore, and by doing so he forced the Mount Baker coaching staff to get him on the field more and more. His straight line speed and power will fit perfectly in the Mountaineer offense as a fullback.
Mark Tikhonov – Senior – Linebacker/Safety
He quietly went about his business last season, and always seemed to come up with big plays on defense. Expect to see Tikhonov as an outside linebacker or a safety, depending on the opponent. His skill-set works for both. He could also get a good look at running back for the ground-oriented Mounties.
Biggest Strengths: Returning running backs and offensive precision. Lee and Jefferson will be heavily depended upon this season, but that’s right up Baker’s alley. Although the front five are almost completely new, and the wing-T offense is very specific, Coach Lepper will have them fine tuned in no time.
Biggest Weaknesses: Inexperience at key positions. Many spots need to be replaced, with the obvious ones being Kaleb Bass at quarterback and Michael Kentner at wide receiver. It was obvious last season that those two had a great connection, and it will be up to juniors Mason Jacoby and Garrett Smith to replicate that.
Who will be Mount Baker’s break-out player?
Davin Beason – Sophomore – Offensive Line/Linebacker
Last season he played running back, and even got some time as a freshman. He competed for the quarterback position this year, and when he was asked to play offensive line he didn’t hesitate to jump in a learn the new position. The last time a future superstar freshman running back/linebacker was asked to switch to offensive line to help the team out in Deming it went pretty well…. right, Jay Allen?
Although Mount Baker will never be considered a “pass-happy” team, replacing three-year starter Kaleb Bass and his 3800 career passing yards and 40 career passing touchdowns will not be easy. 6-foot-3 junior Mason Jacoby won the job in camp, and the red-and-black attack will move forward with him.
Senior Jason Lee rushed for a team-high 1121 yards last season, and the team will rely on him a lot at running back. Junior Toby Jefferson is an extremely physical runner that can definitely handle the load between the tackles. Junior speedster Ayden Rodriguez will start as the wing back, and he will also be split out wide from time to time. Junior Mark Tikhonov and sophomore Jesse Sande are both very capable runners as well, and are knocking on the door to line up behind Jacoby.
The traditional wing-T offense usually has one wide receiver, and Baker has been blessed to have tall, athletic receivers over the past few years, referring to Michael Kentner and Thomas Barbo. It appears that 6-foot-3 junior Garrett Smith fits the same mold as the prior two who have played the position. Senior Chris VanLiew will also see time out wide, and is one of the state’s best high jumpers (his personal record is 6’4″) despite standing just 5-foot-10. Sophomore Caleb Horsmon could also see some time split out wide.
Senior Waylon Kentner (6-3 194) returns at tight end after putting together an All-State season a year ago, and a big target like him can be the best thing for a first-year varsity quarterback.
The offensive line is raw, but there is some good size up front. Senior Cody Saulsbury (6-0 211) will play center, and he brings the most varsity experience to the table. Six other players are competing for the four remaining spots. They include seniors Cade Beason (6-3 193) and Kris Flowers (5-11 172), juniors Victor Schuener (6-1 284), Aidan Corning (6-4 251) and Wyatt Thomas (5-9 272) and sophomore Davin Beason (6-0 196)
Saulsbury, Thomas, Corning and Schuener are all competing to fill out the interior of the defensive line, and Smith, Flowers and junior Phil Paez have demonstrated quick feet that will work out well at the defensive end spot.
Kentner was one of the leading tacklers over the past few seasons, and he returns at linebacker. Davin Beason will also start at linebacker, with Jefferson, Sande and junior Jeremiah Lee vying for playing time in the middle of the defense.
Jason Lee returns to the secondary after intercepting a team-high four passes last season from his safety spot. Rodriguez, VanLiew, Jacoby and Horsmon are all in the mix to fill out the rest of the defensive backfield. Tikhonov is the wild card. He will definitely be a starter, but he could line up in different spots depending on the situation.
Junior Miguel Zavala returns as the place kicker after taking over the duties late last season. Either he or Jason Lee will do the punting.
2018 STATISTICAL LEADERS
RUSHING
| PLAYER | ATT | YARDS | AVG | TD |
| Jason Lee | 164 | 1121 | 6.8 | 10 |
| Sam Barrett | 143 | 993 | 6.9 | 9 |
| Toby Jefferson | 55 | 363 | 6.6 | 4 |
| Kaleb Bass | 89 | 307 | 3.4 | 12 |
| Kobee Malone | 29 | 276 | 9.5 | 6 |
PASSING
| PLAYER | ATT | COM | COM% | YARDS | AVG | TD | INT | RATING |
| Kaleb Bass | 146 | 72 | 49.3% | 1359 | 9.31 | 15 | 9 | 90.5 |
| Mason Jacoby | 21 | 8 | 38.1% | 149 | 7.10 | 1 | 3 | 39.7 |
| Michael Kentner | 2 | 1 | 50.0% | 29 | 14.50 | 1 | 0 | 135.4 |
RECEIVING
| PLAYER | REC | YARDS | AVG | TD |
| Michael Kentner | 26 | 635 | 24.4 | 7 |
| Kobee Malone | 14 | 373 | 26.6 | 5 |
| Waylon Kentner | 21 | 315 | 15.0 | 5 |
| Jason Lee | 14 | 164 | 11.7 | 0 |
| Sam Barrett | 5 | 28 | 5.6 | 0 |
KICK RETURNING
| PLAYER | KR | YARDS | AVG | TD |
| Jason Lee | 13 | 242 | 18.6 | 0 |
| Kobee Malone | 12 | 163 | 13.6 | 0 |
| Mark Tikhonov | 9 | 97 | 10.8 | 0 |
| Toby Jefferson | 5 | 80 | 16.0 | 0 |
| Ayden Rodriguez | 3 | 47 | 15.7 | 0 |
PUNT RETURNING
| PLAYER | PR | YARDS | AVG | TD |
| Kobee Malone | 9 | 105 | 11.7 | 0 |
| Jesse Sande | 1 | 25 | 25.0 | 0 |
| Ayden Rodriguez | 2 | 23 | 11.5 | 0 |
PUNTING
| PLAYER | ATT | YARDS | AVG |
| Michael Kentner | 28 | 1048 | 37.4 |
| Jason Lee | 18 | 520 | 28.9 |
DEFENSE (assisted tackles are worth half of a tackle)
| PLAYER | TKLS | TFL | SACKS | INT | FF | FR | PD |
| Jay Allen | 89.5 | 18 | 1.5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Waylon Kentner | 77.5 | 16.5 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Michael Kentner | 37.5 | 7 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 8 |
| Colten Harkness | 52 | 11 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
| Sam Barrett | 42 | 9 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 5 |
| Kaleb Bass | 51.5 | 3.5 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 11 |
| Mark Tikhonov | 51.5 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 4 |
| Jason Lee | 35.5 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 9 |
| Kobee Malone | 40.5 | 2.5 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 5 |
| Ayden Rodriguez | 33 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 5 |
| Kanin Moa | 34 | 2.5 | 1.5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Adam Harrington | 22.5 | 2 | 3.5 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 |
| Toby Jefferson | 26 | 2.5 | 0.5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Braeden Shannon | 21.5 | 6.5 | 1.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Cody Saulsbury | 17 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Davin Beason | 16 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Kris Flowers | 11.5 | 1.5 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Garrett Smith | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Anthony Hadeen | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jesse Sande | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Mason Jacoby | 3.5 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Cade Beason | 4.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Franky Abitia | 1.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Carson Hatch | 3.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Owyn Alvino-Vance | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
SCORING
| PLAYER | TD | FG | 2PT | XP | PTS |
| Jason Lee | 10 | 1 | 1 | 38 | 103 |
| Kaleb Bass | 13 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 80 |
| Kobee Malone | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 66 |
| Sam Barrett | 9 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 56 |
| Michael Kentner | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 54 |
| Waylon Kentner | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 30 |
| Toby Jefferson | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 30 |
| Miguel Zavala | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 8 |
| Ayden Rodriguez | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
| Mason Jacoby | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
2019 ROSTER:
| NO. | NAME | POSITION | HT | WT | YEAR |
| 2 | Garrett Smith | WR/DE | 6-3 | 171 | 11 |
| 3 | Caleb Horsmon | WR/DB | 5-4 | 123 | 10 |
| 4 | Mason Jacoby | QB/DB | 6-3 | 174 | 11 |
| 5 | Ayden Rodriguez | RB/DB | 5-7 | 136 | 11 |
| 11 | Chris VanLiew | WR/DB | 5-9 | 150 | 12 |
| 12 | Tyler Kentner | RB/DB | 5-8 | 141 | 10 |
| 14 | Landon Smith | QB/DB | 5-11 | 162 | 9 |
| 20 | Wilhelm Maloley | RB/LB | 5-8 | 156 | 9 |
| 21 | Toby Jefferson | RB/LB | 5-10 | 191 | 11 |
| 22 | Jesse Sande | RB/LB | 5-9 | 163 | 10 |
| 23 | Cody Staton | WR/DB | 5-9 | 122 | 11 |
| 24 | Mark Tikhonov | RB/LB | 5-10 | 166 | 12 |
| 31 | Jason Lee | RB/DB | 6-0 | 181 | 12 |
| 50 | Phil Paez | OL/DE | 6-1 | 181 | 11 |
| 51 | Davin Beason | OL/LB | 6-0 | 196 | 10 |
| 52 | Franky Abitia | OL/LB | 5-7 | 161 | 10 |
| 55 | Jordon Hughes | OL/LB | 5-6 | 156 | 10 |
| 59 | Tucker Bourassa | OL/LB | 5-9 | 141 | 11 |
| 61 | Cade Beason | OL/DL | 6-3 | 193 | 12 |
| 63 | Kris Flowers | OL/DL | 5-11 | 172 | 12 |
| 64 | Thayer Brown | OL/DL | 5-10 | 179 | 10 |
| 65 | Wyatt Thomas | OL/DL | 5-9 | 272 | 11 |
| 66 | Cody Saulsbury | OL/DL | 6-0 | 211 | 12 |
| 67 | Ethan Larson | OL/DL | 6-1 | 168 | 9 |
| 68 | Jonah Hickey | OL/DL | 6-3 | 298 | 11 |
| 74 | Jonathan Franklin | OL/DL | 5-10 | 187 | 10 |
| 75 | Colby Wagar | OL/DL | 5-9 | 169 | 11 |
| 77 | Victor Schuener | OL/DL | 6-1 | 284 | 11 |
| 79 | Aidan Corning | OL/DL | 6-4 | 251 | 11 |
| 81 | Alex Lagallano | WR/DB | 6-0 | 147 | 10 |
| 83 | Miguel Zavala | WR/DB | 5-8 | 156 | 11 |
| 86 | Waylon Kentner | TE/LB | 6-3 | 194 | 12 |
| 87 | Conner Sophusson | WR/DL | 5-10 | 166 | 12 |
| 88 | Jeremiah Lee | TE/LB | 5-9 | 171 | 11 |
| 90 | Kilian Cronk | TE/LB | 5-10 | 156 | 11 |
