BELLINGHAM – In a game that featured 822 combined yards of total offense, there were a lot of individual statistical stars. But, the push that the Meridian offensive line showed in the second half really gave the Trojans the advantage as they beat Nooksack Valley 40-27 on Friday night.
Seniors Adam Kruzich and Trevor Pagnossin, along with juniors Elijah Guzman, Sam Brooks and Joseph Plagerman, combined as the Meridian offensive line that opened up big holes for the Trojan running game in the second half that allowed them to control the clock. Meridian averaged nearly eight yards per carry on the game, and rushed for 326 yards.
Senior quarterback Dawson Logan had another huge game on the ground, this time rushing for 199 yards and three touchdowns. His first touchdown came on a 57-yard scamper to open the game’s scoring. Pioneer senior Evan Neitling was able to block the extra point, and Meridian began with a 6-0 lead.
A strong drive by the Pioneers in the second quarter ended with a one-yard touchdown run by Austin O’Bryan, and Aiden Conner’s extra point put the Pioneers in the lead.
Meridian senior Dylan Hickok scored on a 5-yard touchdown run to help the Trojans take the lead back, and Meridian scored again with just nine seconds before halftime. This time on a 25-yard pass from Logan to Kevin Galiano on a 4-and-15. That gave Meridian to momentum boost that was needed.
Even though the Pioneers came out strong in the second half, scoring right away on a 26-yard pass from O’Bryan to Ty Rawls, that was when the Trojans went to work on the ground, and ran between the tackles, controlling the clock.
Meridian scored two touchdowns in a row, a 21-yarder that Logan sprung to the left side and a seven-yard pass from Logan to Hickok, but the game never felt out of reach for the quick-strike Pioneers.
A 90-second drive by Nooksack Valley that featured some pin-point passing and tough running by O’Bryan was capped by a 10-yard touchdown strike from O’Bryan to 6-foot-2 senior Halston Boersema.
The Trojans came back with another long, methodical, time-consuming drive that saw Logan score his third touchdown of the game, and the Pioneers had another quick drive, this one just 75 seconds, as O’Bryan found Rawls on a 23-yard touchdown pass.
Nooksack Valley would get the ball back again, but an interception by Galiano sealed the fate for the Pioneers. Trojan junior defensive back Alex Carillo also had two interceptions in the contest.
Meridian (5-2) will travel to Mount Baker (5-2) to take on the Mountaineers at Bob Tisdale Field this Friday night in a game that will determine the sole lead of the 1A Northwest Conference. Nooksack Valley (3-4) will play host to Lynden Christian (5-2) this Friday night in a game that holds very important post-season implications.
Nooksack Valley 27
Meridian 40
NV 0 7 6 14 – 27
MER 6 12 8 14 – 40
MER – Logan 57 run (kick blocked)
NV – O’Bryan 1 run (Conner kick)
MER – Hickok 5 run (pass failed)
MER – Galiano 25 pass from Logan (run failed)
NV – Rawls 26 pass from O’Bryan (run failed)
MER – Logan 21 run (Hickok run)
MER – Hickok 7 pass from Logan (Galiano kick)
NV – Boersema 10 pass from O’Bryan (Conner kick)
MER – Logan 12 run (Galiano kick)
NV – Rawls 23 pass from O’Bryan (Conner kick)
NV MER
28-173 Rushing Att-Yards 43-326
17-33-3 Comp-Att-Int 8-22-0
206 Passing yards 117
Individual Leaders
RUSHING – NV: O’Bryan 23-169, Eldridge 5-4. MER: Logan 20-199, Roberts 17-93, Hickok 6-34.
PASSING – NV: O’Bryan 16-32-3-193, Eldridge 1-1-0-13. MER: Logan 8-22-0-117.
RECEIVING – NV: Rawls 7-66, Boersema 4-43, Neitling 4-23, Eldridge 1-61, O’Bryan 1-13. MER: Galiano 4-65, Hickok 2-21, Roberts 1-19, Webster 1-12.
