FOOTBALL
1994 Season
As a freshman, he mostly played with the JV squad, but was moved up at the end of the year, and actually started at fullback against Steilacoom in the final game of the season. It was a game that the Pioneers needed to win to reach the state playoffs, but the Sentinels ended up victorious.
1995 Season
A lot was expected of him as a sophomore, and he came right out of the gate on fire.
In week one against Coupeville he ran for 85 yards and scored his first varsity touchdowns, while also dominating on defense from his inside linebacker spot with 12 tackles, four tackles for loss, a forced fumble and half a sack.
He continued to be a main focal point on both sides of the ball throughout the season, and scored his second touchdown in week three against Lakewood, while rushing for 61 yards.
He then had seven tackles, two passes broken up and a sack against Meridian in week four, and in the following game he became the first Nooksack Valley running back in six years (Troy Slayton) to rush for a touchdown, and catch a touchdown pass in the same game.
He then had 12.5 tackles and a sack against Mount Baker, along with 11 tackles and a tackle for loss against Lynden Christian, but the youthful Pioneers weren’t winning games.
He scored his fifth touchdown of the season against Concrete, and he picked up his sixth tackle for loss in the finale against Blaine.
Even though the Pioneers finished with a 2-7 record, DeWispelaere became the sixth player in Whatcom County history to be named All-League 1st Team on defense as a sophomore. The first five were Tony Bladies, John Locker, Rick Harkness, John Raper and Tom Ackerman.
He was also named All-League Honorable Mention as a running back.
1995 OFFENSIVE STATISTICS
1995 DEFENSIVE STATISTICS
1996 Season
It was more of the same in his junior season, and he again started out strong with 113 yards rushing and a touchdown, along with eight tackles and two tackles for a loss, in week one against Coupeville.
In probably his most dominant game of the season both sides of the ball, he went off against Sultan in week two. He ran the ball 18 times for 184 yards and a touchdown, and then he also had 12.5 tackles and 1.5 tackles for loss.
In week three he had 9.5 tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss, one pass broken up and he returned an interception for 17 yards in an 18-6 victory over Lakewood, and the Pioneers were 2-1 heading into the Whatcom League schedule.
The first league matchup was against eventual champs Meridian. The Trojans handedly won the game, despite the 121-yard rushing performance by DeWispelaere.
The Pioneers were back in the win column with a 31-19 victory over Friday Harbor in which DeWispelaere rushed for 71 yards and a score.
He then had 5.5 tackles and a tackle for loss in the 16-13 win at Mount Baker.
Nooksack Valley then had losses to Lynden Christian and Concrete, but salvaged the season with a 35-28 victory over Blaine.
At season’s end, DeWispelaere was again named All-League Honorable Mention as a running back. He tied for the team lead in tackles for losses, and was second on the team in rushing, all-purpose yards, and was third on the team in tackles. The Pioneers finished 5-4.
1996 OFFENSIVE STATISTICS
1996 DEFENSIVE STATISTICS
1997 Season
Like usual, DeWispelaere (now wearing #8), had a great week one, rushing for 144 yards and two touchdowns in a 20-0 win at Granite Falls.
He suffered an injury in week two against Meridian, and was plagued with injuries throughout the rest of the season.
At this point, with the quick development of sophomore linebackers, DeWispelaere moved back to free safety. It helped the Pioneers fill a void, and it also gave him the ability to be used more on offense.
He ran for a career-high 216 yards and three touchdowns in a non-league 43-0 win over Seaquam, BC, and he followed that up with a 101 yards rushing and a touchdown in the 35-0 victory over Sultan.
He ran for 70 yards and a touchdown at home against King’s, and the Pioneers won that game 26-7, but he was unable to suit up the following week at Mount Baker, and got limited playing time in the finale against Lakewood. Nooksack Valley dropped both of those contests and finished the season 4-5.
He was named All-Conference Honorable Mention at both running back and defensive back. He led his team in rushing attempts, rushing yards, rushing touchdowns and interceptions.
1997 OFFENSIVE STATISTICS
Football Career
It was a great career for DeWispelaere, who in 2014 was ranked #250 in the Top 500 football players of all-time from Whatcom County. His 422 yards rushing in 1995 was the second most rushing yards by a sophomore in school history at that point. When he graduated, he was the third leading rusher in Pioneer history, behind only Dave Longoria and Britt Lentz.
CAREER OFFENSIVE STATISTICS
CAREER DEFENSIVE STATISTICS
BASKETBALL
1995-96 Season
It was a very typical season for a sophomore on a top-heavy basketball team in the Whatcom County League. He gave the Pioneers sparks off the bench, and scored four points in each of the first two games that he played.
He scored three more against Sedro-Woolley and two against Mount Baker, but then scored a career-high 13 in a 69-67 win against the Australian traveling team.
He began contributing more after that in the league games, scoring points against Concrete, Meridian and Lynden Christian.
His final bucket of the season came against Coupeville in the first round of the district tournament. After beating Coupeville 70-66, the Pioneers fell to Meridian and Mount Baker, and were ousted from the tournament.
DeWispelaere finished the season averaging just over two points per game.
1995-96 SEASON STATISTICS
1997-98 Season
After taking a year off of basketball, he was back for his senior season.
A loaded team that had eight seniors on it, he came off the bench once again. He provided muscle inside, defensive intensity, and the ability to knock down an open shot.
The Pioneers got off to a great start, and were 11-2 at one point, with DeWispelaere scoring six points against Sultan, and five against Hoquiam.
Eventual league champion Blaine, led by future NBA player Luke Ridnour, would get the best of Nooksack Valley, but the Pioneers stayed strong against everyone else, and again made it to the district tournament in Mount Vernon.
A pair of wins against Meridian vaulted the Pioneers into the state tournament for the first time in five years.
Nooksack Valley had a tough draw in the state tournament, and opened up against Elma. DeWispelaere buried a 3-pointer in the game, but the Eagles were led by Ben Dougherty’s 17 points. Dougherty would then go on to play quarterback at the college level, before attending the 2005 NFL combine. The Eagles also went on to win the state tournament.
Now in the consolation bracket, the Pioneers beat River View 55-49, but fell the following day to Cascade, 49-30.
He finished the season averaging 1.1 points per game.
1997-98 SEASON STATISTICS
Basketball Career
Under six feet tall, but built like a power forward, DeWispelaere was an athlete playing basketball. His teams combined for a 34-17 record.
CAREER STATISTICS
BASEBALL
1995 Season
As a freshman, he got a few chances to make a splash on the varsity team.
After waiting his turn, he had two hits in a run batted in in a 13-0 win over La Conner.
Two games later, against Meridian, he crushed a bases-loaded double that scored all three runs. The Pioneers went on to win that game 10-0.
Nooksack Valley lost out in the district tournament, and finished the season 11-10.
1996 Season
It was a similar year as last season in 1996 for the Pioneers.
After playing above .500 for most of the season, Nooksack Valley was back in the district tournament.
Despite going 0-2 in the tournament, DeWispelaere had multiple hits, including an RBI-triple in the final game of the season against Coupeville.
The Pioneers finished 11-9 on the season
1997 Season
As a junior, he became a bigger focal point of the baseball program.
In late March and early April, he had a four game hitting streak. In that span he also had a double, a triple and six runs batted in. The Pioneers also picked up their first win of the season at that time.
His next hit came against Ferndale, in which Nooksack Valley defeated 8-4, and that began a new hitting streak which last six games to close out the season. During that span he hit two more doubles and a home run.
The Pioneers finished with a 4-14 record, and missed out on the district tournament. He led his team in runs batted in, and was second on the team in hits.
1998 Season
It was another rough season for the Pioneers, who lost their first six games.
Wins over Granite Falls and Bellevue Christian kept their hopes alive, and Nooksack Valley then finished the regular season with three conference wins in a row to sneak into the district tournament.
The Pioneers again went winless in the tournament, despite being one of the hottest teams down the stretch.
DeWispelaere had multi-hit games against Granite Falls, Bellevue Christian and Mount Baker. He also blasted another homerun against Blaine, and was named All-Conference 1st Team as an outfielder. The team finished with a 5-18 record.
Baseball Career
A four-year varsity player, DeWispelaere was one of the top baseball players for the Nooksack Valley program in the 1990’s. A power hitter with speed, any ball hit in the gap was likely going for extra bases.
