NOOKSACK – It was Mount Baker’s first game in Whatcom County, and Nooksack Valley wasn’t about to be a pushover host. The two rivals played an incredible game that was came down to a game-winning touchdown pass from Davin Beason to Wyatt Pettigrew with 19 seconds remaining, and the Mountaineers walked away with a 40-34 victory at Sid Lambert Field on Friday night.
Nooksack Valley opened the game strong when senior defensive end Gerrit Bruland forced a fumble in the Baker backfield, and it was recovered by senior outside linebacker Dawson Kimball. Senior running back Jordan Silva scored from two yards out a few plays later, and the Pioneers took an early 7-0 lead.
The Pioneers then forced a punt on the following Mountie drive, and Silva raced 67 yards for a touchdown two plays later.
Mount Baker was not fazed, though, and was able to put together a strong drive which was capped by a 5-yard counter run by senior Jesse Sande.
The two teams traded punts on the following three possessions, but the Mountaineers were able to put together another scoring drive, which culminated with a screen pass from Beason to running back Marcques George. The junior took it 18 yards for the score, and not only was it the first receiving touchdown of his career, but it was also his first career varsity reception.
The extra point by junior Joel Robles was good, and tied the game at 14, and the drive was aided by a 30-yard completion from Beason to sophomore tight end Alex Maloley, as well as a 24-yard run by Sande.
After picking up a few first downs on the following drive, the Pioneers were forced to punt again, and Mount Baker took little time to drive 89 yards on just four plays to take the lead 20-14 when Sande scored on a 26-yard run. This coming after a 44-yard scamper by Whatcom County’s leader in all-purpose yards.
Nooksack Valley drove to midfield on the following possession, but that would be it as the first half ended.
The Pioneers had another strong drive to start the third quarter, but it stalled out at the Mount Baker 23-yard line. Senior Caleb Kingma lined up for a 40-yard field goal attempt, but the kick hit the crossbar and Baker took over at its own 20-yard line.
The Mountaineers had another quick drive, mostly because of a 49-yard pass from Beason to Pettigrew, and Sande scored his third touchdown of the game, this time from seven yards out and Baker held a 26-14 advantage.
After forcing a punt, Mount Baker looked it might run away with it, but Kimball made an incredible play when he snatched a Beason pass out of the air and returned it to the Mountaineer 10-yard line. Silva quickly scored on a dodging and darting run on the following play, and the Pioneers had cut the Baker lead to six, 26-20.
Silva finished with a team-high 122 yards on 14 carries, which put him over 1,000 yards rushing for his career.
The Mountaineers methodically drove down the field on the following possession, and they capped it when Beason scored his fifth quarterback sneak touchdown of the season. After a 2-point conversion from Beason to Pettigrew, Baker was back out in front by two scores, 34-20.
The Pioneers went into quick-strike mode on the following possessions, and looked efficient doing so. The Mountie defense stiffened up in the red zone, but sophomore quarterback Joey Brown found Kingma on a 14-yard touchdown pass on 4th-and-7 with 6:06 remaining in the contest. Kingma’s conversion kick reduced Baker’s lead to seven, 34-27.
On the following possession, Kingma, along with senior linebacker Jet Triplett, stopped Sande on a third-down run and forced the Mountaineers to punt. Pioneer freshman Colton Lentz returned the punt to the Nooksack Valley 41-yard line, and the Pioneers took over with 3:53 remaining in the game. Triplett, who led Whatcom County in tackles last season, finished with a game-high 15 tackles.
Brown’s 20-yard run down the left sideline on 3rd-and-10 got the Pioneers past midfield. Junior wide receiver Ryan Hughes then reached out with one hand to catch a quick pass from Brown for a first down. Brown followed that by spiking the ball, and then completing another first down pass, this time a first down to Kingma.
Brown again spiked the ball, and then hit Hughes on a 14-yard slant for a touchdown with 56 seconds remaining in the game. Kingma’s fourth extra point of the night tied the game at 34. Brown completed 16-of-31 passes for 195 yards.
Sande returned the ensuing kickoff to his own 39-yard line. He then galloped 36 yards two plays later, which brought the ball to the Pioneer 25-yard line with less than 30 seconds remaining. Sande finished with a career-high 232 yards on 25 carries.
Instead of playing for overtime, Coach Ron Lepper called for a pass play that saw Beason fake a handoff and roll to his right. Pettigrew raced across the field, from left to right, and Beason launched the ball toward the back-right corner of the end zone, and Pettigrew went and got it for the game-winning touchdown.
The Pioneers had one last try, but an interception by sophomore Landen Hanstead ended Nooksack Valley’s chances.
Mount Baker (3-2) will host Blaine (3-1) on Friday, and at the same time the Pioneers (3-3) will host Lynden Christian (2-2).
Mount Baker 40 Nooksack Valley 34 MB 7 13 6 14 - 40 NV 14 0 6 14 - 34 NV - Silva 2 run (Kingma kick) NV - Silva 67 run (Kingma kick) MB - Sande 5 run (Robles kick) MB - George 18 pass from Beason (Robles kick) MB - Sande 26 run (kick failed) MB - Sande 7 run (run failed) NV - Silva 10 run (kick blocked) MB - Beason 1 run (Pettigrew pass from Beason) NV - Kingma 14 pass from Brown (Kingma kick) NV - Hughes 13 pass from Brown (Kingma kick) MB - Pettigrew 25 pass from Beason (kick blocked) MB NV 42-307 Rush Att-Yards 31-168 8-14-1 Comp-Att-Int 16-31-1 169 Passing Yards 195 Individual Leaders RUSHING - MB: Sande 25-232, George 8-24, Beason 6-22, Hanstead 1-20, West 2-9. NV: Silva 14-122, Brown 16-43, Kimball 1-3. PASSING - MB: Beason 8-14-1-169. NV: Brown 16-31-1-195. RECEIVING - MB: Pettigrew 3-87, A. Maloley 3-50, George 1-18, Hanstead 1-14. NV: Kingma 8-109, Hughes 4-51, Kimball 2-25, Lentz 1-8, Silva 1-2.
