NOOKSACK – In the 100th meeting between the Mountaineers and the Pioneers, it was Mount Baker that came out on top with a 27-0 win at Sid Lambert Field.
The punishing Mountie defense held Nooksack Valley to under 10 yards in the first half, and the balanced offense did its job throughout the game. With the win, Mount Baker tied Lynden Christian for the conference championship, and a preseason draw (in case of a tie) gave the Mountaineers an edge over the Lyncs as far as seeding goes.
Baker did air it out a little more than usual. In fact, its 24 pass attempts was the second highest the team has had in a game this decade. And, quarterback Mason Jacoby completed 16 passes, the highest total by a Baker player in a game since 2009.
Fleet-footed junior Ayden Rodriguez was the main beneficiary with seven receptions for 93 yards. He didn’t get into the end zone, but he did set up Jason Lee’s first touchdown run of the game. Lee had another short touchdown that was again set up by another deep pass to Rodriguez. Senior Mark Tikhonov also scored on a 38-yard ramble in the first quarter.
“This entire season has been a team effort,” Mount Baker coach Ron Lepper said. “We’re still young, though, and there are mental aspects of the game that we can still improve on. There are a lot of expectations for us, but we want those expectations.”
Senior linebacker Waylon Kentner, who is in his third year as a starting linebacker, had an incredible game with 17 total tackles (seven solo, 10 assisted), including 3.5 tackles for loss. He also intercepted a pass for the first time in his career.
Senior safety Jason Lee also intercepted his Whatcom County-leading fifth pass of the season, and it was the 10th of his career, which ties him for second in school history with a few other players, including his defensive coach, Tom Horsmon.
The Pioneers played very well in the second half, and were able to move the ball a little better. They also held Baker scoreless in the third quarter, but it was the play of the game in the fourth quarter that brought the Mountaineers to the end zone one last time.
On 3rd-and-12, from his own 31-yard line, Jacoby dropped back to pass and had screen passes set up on both sides of the field. He looked to his left and Lee was covered by linebacker Dane Winter, so as the pressure mounted he looked to his right and threw the screen to Toby Jefferson.
“They (Nooksack) read it really well,” Lepper said. “I was thinking it could be picked, so I was hoping he would throw the ball at his feet.”
Instead, the ball was thrown where Jefferson could catch it, but linebacker Braden Leyba was right there to make the play for a loss. Leyba’s spinning tackle appeared to bring Jefferson down, but the 193-pound junior put his hand on the ground, and spun out of it and then raced all the way to the end zone.
“I was like ‘No, no, no – yeah, great job!’,” said Lepper. “He made a great play, and that’s why we work on that spin drill every day at practice.”
Nooksack Valley junior safety Scout Whittern had a great game on defense with nine tackles (eight solo), two tackles for loss, a pass broken up, a forced fumble and a blocked punt.
The victory secured the top seed for Mount Baker (8-1), and the Mountaineers will host South Whidbey (6-3) for a spot in the 1A state playoffs. For now, the game is slated to be played at Bob Tisdale Field, but it is still possible that the game could be played at Sedro Woolley. The Pioneers (2-7) are still looking to get a week 10 game in.
Mount Baker 27
Nooksack Valley 0
MB 14 7 0 6 – 27
NV 0 0 0 0 – 0
MB – Lee 1 run (Zavala kick)
MB – Tikhonov 38 run (Zavala kick)
MB – Lee 2 run (Zavala kick)
MB – Jefferson 69 pass from Jacoby (pass failed)
MB NV
32-149 Rushing Att-Yards 23-82
16-24-0 Comp-Att-Int 17-39-4
240 Passing yards 98
Individual Leaders
RUSHING – MB: Tikhonov 3-47, Jefferson 10-35, Sande 3-31, Rodriguez 3-25, Lee 12-21, Jacoby 1-(-10). NV: Winter 15-60, Eldridge 4-16, Weidkamp 3-4, Leyba 1-2.
PASSING – MB: Jacoby 16-24-0-240. NV: Weidkamp 17-37-4-98, Eldridge 0-2-0-0.
RECEIVING – MB: Rodriguez 7-93, Smith 3-42, Kentner 2-24, Lee 2-8, Jefferson 1-69, Van Liew 1-4. NV: Winter 4-10, Bauman 3-32, Veening 3-25, Whittern 3-22, Eldridge 3-11, Silva 1-(-2).
