DEMING – In a must-win situation, Mount Baker battled for 48 minutes and ultimately came out on top as the Mountaineers defeated Meridian 30-27 at Bob Tisdale Field on Friday night.
Mount Baker got the scoring off to an electric start as junior running back Dylan Moa took the handoff on the first play from scrimmage before charging through the line, bulling over a defender, and sprinting 55 yards for a touchdown.
It was an expeditious answer by the the Trojans, as two passes from junior quarterback Jaeger Fyfe to senior wide receiver Cohen Fuller covered 32 yards. Those plays were followed up by a 32-yard gain on the ground by junior running back Landen Downey, and a 3-yard touchdown run around right end by senior Joshtyn Elmer.
One minute and 15 seconds into the game we had a 7-7 tie.
The two rivals traded turnovers and punts throughout the rest of the first quarter before Downey scored his first touchdown of the game on a 16-yard run. The touchdown drive was bolstered by a 29-yard pass from Fyfe to freshman wide receiver Kasey Brennan.
Mount Baker was able to drive all the way to the Trojan 24-yard line, but a deep pass that was directed near the goal line was intercepted by Fyfe at the 2-yard line. It was the junior’s fifth career interception.
Although Meridian got the ball back, it was tough field position, and the Mountaineers took advantage of the situation. The Trojans handed the ball off to Elmer, who initially broke a tackle in the end zone, but was then met by seniors Bryson Moa and Vance Lawrence who teamed up to bring him down for a safety.
Meridian had one last chance to score before halftime, and lineup up to attempt a 25-yard field goal with less than 20 second to go in the second quarter. The center snap ended up bouncing back to Fyfe who was holding, who then try to make something happen, but threw an incomplete pass.
The visiting Trojans went into halftime with a 14-9 lead.
Mount Baker, which is known for it’s all-out hustle and 100% effort, made a substantial play on the second-half kickoff. The short kick was bobbled, and Bryson Moa flew in to make the recovery.
Five plays later it was junior quarterback Luke Smith, who was getting his first varsity start behind center, rolled out to his right for a rare pass play, but the Trojans had everyone covered. Smith tucked the ball and got the edge before powering through a pair of defenders at the 2-yard line for his first varsity touchdown.
The Mountaineers went for two, but came up short. However, they now held a 15-14 lead with 9:33 left in the third quarter.
Meridian countered with a kickoff return to midfield by Elmer. The speedy senior came into the contest with more all-purpose yards than any player in Whatcom County, and he added 259 yards to that total on Friday night.
10 plays later, Downey scored his second touchdown of the game on a powerful 2-yard run and the Trojans took a 20-15 lead with 5:01 left in the third.
Mount Baker reacted with a well-gained kickoff return of its own as sophomore Brice Cooper was able to bring the ball into Meridian territory. Two plays later it was junior running back Brady Bruland who had his biggest gain of the game, a 31-yard carry, which brought the Mountaineers inside the Trojan 10-yard line.
Moments later, Dylan Moa scored his second touchdown of the game, this time from three yards out. It was followed up by a nifty reverse run by senior Landen Hanstead which gave Baker two more points, and a 23-20 lead with 3:15 left in the third.
Elmer ripped off a 36-yard run on the following drive, which set Meridian up nicely to take the lead for the third time. Elmer ended up scoring five plays later on a 13-yard touchdown run, and Downey’s extra point gave the Trojans a 27-23 lead with 25 seconds left in the third quarter.
Both defenses stiffened in the final quarter, with both teams trading possessions and the ball never too far away from midfield. That was until Dylan Moa gained 30 yards on a run up the middle in which he broke four tackles. The junior running back finished with a career-high 168 yards on 21 carries.
Meridian’s defense was ready for every running play it had scouted during the week, and was able to stop the Mountaineers in the red zone. Down by four, with less than five minutes to go in the game, Mount Baker Coach Ron Lepper called timeout to talk to his team about what play to run on 4th-and-7 at the 10-yard line.
Smith broke the huddle and went under center, as he entered the biggest play of his young varsity career. He took the snap, and faked a handoff to Moa. He then launched a pass to the right side just as Trojan junior Jaxson Hurlbut was barreling down on his. It was perfectly thrown to where only Hanstead could make the grab in the end zone. Tanyen Staton’s extra point gave the lead back to Mount Baker, 30-27.
Meridian was able to get as close as the Mountaineer 14-yard line, but on fourth down, Fyfe’s pass over the middle was batted into the air by senior Alex Maloley and it fell incomplete.
Mount Baker took over possession with 1:53 left in the game, but the Trojans still had all three of their timeouts. A first down run by Hanstead gave Baker a fresh set of downs which ended the game.
The Mountaineers (3-5) will travel to Lynden Christian (6-2) on Thursday to take on the Lyncs at 7:00, and the Trojans (3-5) will host Bellingham (5-3) on Friday at 7:00.
Mount Baker 30 Meridian 27 MER 7 7 13 0 - 27 MB 7 2 14 7 - 30 MB - D. Moa 55 run (Staton kick) MER - Elmer 3 run (Downey kick) MER - Downey 16 run (Downey kick) MB - Safety, Elmer tackled in end zone MB - Smith 14 run (run failed) MER - Downey 2 run (run failed) MB - D. Moa 3 run (Hanstead run) MER - Elmer 13 run (Downey kick) MB - Hanstead 10 pass from Smith (Staton kick) MER MB 35-207 Rush Att-Yards 48-273 15-28-0 Comp-Att-Int 4-9-1 188 Passing Yards 46 Individual Leaders RUSHING - MER: Downey 15-102, Elmer 13-100, Fyfe 6-3, Gray 1-2. MB: D. Moa 21-168, Bruland 13-50, Smith 11-28, Hanstead 3-27. PASSING - MER: Fyfe 15-28-0-188. MB: Smith 4-9-1-46. RECEIVING - MER: Elmer 5-80, Fuller 4-56, Downey 4-16, Brennan 1-29, Hedahl 1-7. MB: Hanstead 2-18, D. Moa 1-16, Staton 1-12.
