FOOTBALL
1993 Season
In his sophomore season, he looked around and noticed a lot of his fellow sophomore classmates on the field for much of the time. The youthful Trojans were competitive, but failed to pick up a win during the season.
Ames started at left tackle right away, and would remain there the rest of the season.
In weeks three through five, Meridian’s losses were by just one score each against Concrete, Lakewood and Friday Harbor.
Also, in those three games, the Trojans averaged nearly 265 yards of offense, but turnovers wilted the chances of victory.
Meridian continued to play tough, but playing against .500-plus teams like Blaine, Lynden Christian, Mount Baker and Nooksack Valley to finish the season didn’t bode well.
The Trojans finished 0-9, but Ames was able to stand out, and was named All-WCL Honorable Mention at offensive line.
1994 Season
With most of the players returning, Ames’ junior season was a huge improvement for him and the rest of the Trojans.
He again played the entire season at left tackle, and he did it masterfully.
In week one, Meridian rolled up 510 yards of offense against Orting, and won 36-20. It was welcoming sight for the Trojans and their fans to get back into the win column.
Although Meridian lost in the second week against Eatonville, it was a narrow margin of 20-13, and the Cruisers were led by their 4-time All-State quarterback Bobby Lucht.
The Trojans then rolled into Whatcom County League play the following week, and beat Concrete 35-20 behind 423 yards of total offense. A narrow 21-14 win over Lakewood in a non-league contest followed, and Meridian was now 3-1 and was looking pretty good going into the meat of its WCL schedule.
The Trojans then got shut out victories against Friday Harbor and Blaine, which set up a big match up at Lynden Christian against the defending state runner-ups. Meridian played amazing against the Lyncs, and earned a 25-20 victory to stay unbeaten in the WCL.
The following week, however, was against another unbeaten team in Mount Baker. It was an offensive firework show right off the bat, with both teams trading scores early on, but the Mountaineers kept up the scoring in the second half and defeated the Trojans 42-27.
Meridian would need to win the final game of the season for a chance at the state playoffs, but ultimately lost to Nooksack Valley 39-13.
It was a huge improvement from the season before as the Trojans finished with a 6-3 record. Ames impressed all of the WCL coaches, and was named All-League 1st Team at offensive line.
1995 Season
In his senior season, this was the year that most pundits pointed to as the year of the Trojan. And, after week one against Granite Falls, it was easy to see why.
It was a 68-0 victory over the Tigers, with the Trojans averaging 12.8 yards per play for the entire game! Ames, now at 6-foot-2 and 240 pounds was playing left guard, opening the door for 265-pound fellow senior Joe Urban to take over at left tackle.
The Meridian passing attack led to a 25-20 victory over King’s in week two, and that set up the WCL opener in week three against Blaine.
The Borderites were much like the Trojans at this point, with a lot of senior talent that had waited its turn. And, after 48 minutes of regulation, Meridian and Blaine were both still scoreless. The Borderites did score in overtime to pick up the 6-0 victory, and the Trojans knew that they would likely have to win out to get back to the state tournament for the first time since 1992.
Meridian took out its frustration the following week against Nooksack Valley, and beat the Pioneers 48-8, but it was followed by a 13-7 loss at home against Lynden Christian.
Now with a 1-2 WCL record, it didn’t look very positive. However, the Lyncs had lost to Mount Baker in overtime earlier in the season, and if Meridian could beat the Mountaineers in a few weeks, it could set up a three-way tie for second place in the league.
The Trojans still needed to take care of business, and they did just that in a 48-16 victory over Concrete in week six in which they amassed over 400 yards of offense.
That set up that big game at Mount Baker, and a 22-yard field goal by Shane Stacy put the Trojans up 3-0, which ended up being the score at halftime. Meridian was able to get into the end zone twice in the second half, and came away with the huge 15-0 win.
Ames then moved back out to left tackle, and remained there the rest of the season.
Meridian then beat Lakewood 29-6, and Friday Harbor 41-8, which set up the scenario of a three-way tie for second place with Lynden Christian and Mount Baker.
Blaine had finished the season with an unblemished WCL record, and the Trojans, Lyncs and Mountaineers all beat each other. A mini-playoff was held at Civic Stadium just two days after the week nine finales to decide which team would be the second seed out of the WCL. Meridian won a coin flip, which meant that Baker and LC faced each other first in two 8-minute halves. The Lyncs won, and then faced the Trojans.
It was big play after big play for Meridian, and the Trojans got their revenge in a 23-7 victory. It would be a quick turnaround as the second seeded Trojans would now face Chimacum three nights later at Ferndale High School for entry into the state playoffs.
In the rain and the mud, Meridian shut the Cowboys out 19-0, and were back in the state playoffs after facing three different opponents in the last five days!
The Trojans prevailed in the first round, 29-20 against Montesano, as they put up 304 yards of offense.
A 21-0 victory followed in the quarterfinal round against Steilacoom, which put Meridian in the semi-finals against Ridgefield. The Trojans were now one of the top four teams in the state, just mere weeks after narrowly getting through the WCL schedule.
The Spudders got off to a big start, and eventually defeated the Trojans 40-9 on their way to winning the state championship, but it was an amazing run for Meridian as well as Ames who had improved, just as his team did, year after year.
Meridian finished 10-3, and placed third in state. Ames was named All-League 1st Team at offensive line, as well as All-State 1st Team at offensive line. His accolades wouldn’t end their as he was also named All-League Honorable Mention at defensive line as he picked up eight tackles, three tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery in his first season in the rotation on the defensive line.
Football Career
Highly regarded as one of the best offensive linemen in Whatcom County in the decade of the 1990’s. In 2014 he was ranked #188 in the the Top-500 players of all-time from Whatcom County. He was the third player in school history to be named All-State 1st Team at offensive line (Terry Toland in 1984, and Christopher Ames in 1992). His overall ability landed him on the Western Washington University football team where he started at guard during his senior season. After the season he was named All-CFA Honorable Mention at offensive line.
TRACK AND FIELD
1995 Season
In mid-April, Ames had a second place finish in a unique event, the shot put relay. He teamed with Jeff Grotzke and Steve Bernardy to combine for a distance of 116 feet.
At the Whatcom County League Meet, Ames finished 6th in the shot put which put him in the district meet.
He didn’t finish in the top four at districts, which would have put him at state.
1996 Season
As a senior, he finished 4th in the shot put at the Whatcom County League Meet, but did not qualify for state the following week at districts.
Track and Field Career
Much like the football team, year by year, the Meridian track and field team kept moving up the ranks within the Whatcom County League. In his junior and senior seasons he was one of the teams’ top throwers.
