BELLINGHAM – In week one of last season it was a goal line stand by the Pioneers that sealed the victory, on Friday night it was Rylie Bair and the Mariner defense that stopped the potential game-winning two-point conversion attempt in overtime as Sehome defeated Nooksack Valley 14-13 at Civic Stadium.
Both teams traded field position early in the game, and the Pioneers were able to get on the board first when senior quarterback Cole Eldridge scored from six yards out to cap a seven-play 70-yard drive. A key play in the drive was a perfectly thrown pass from Eldridge to senior Braden Leyba down the seam for a 26-yard gain to put the ball into Sehome territory.
The Mariners struggled to get into the red zone the whole night, until the beginning of the fourth quarter when a defensive pass interference brought the ball to the Pioneer 11-yard line. Senior running back Dawson Smith scored on a 4-yard run two plays later, and Melloy Nelson’s extra point tied the game at seven. Smith led Sehome with 44 yards on the ground.
A key play in the drive was a 4th-and-2 conversion when junior Tim Malo found an open spot in the zone and fellow junior quarterback Jacob Kaepernick hit him with a five-yard strike to keep the drive alive.
Both offenses looked similar before the snap during the game, with multiple receivers spread out all over the field and the quarterback in the shot gun, but after the snaps they couldn’t have looked any more different. Nooksack Valley was able to pound the ball with the running game as senior running back Dane Winter gained a game-high 161 yards on 19 carries, and Eldridge picked up 73 yards on 20 attempts. The first-year varsity quarterback had a great all-around game by also passing for 72 yards, intercepting a pass and returning it 25 yards and averaging over 50 yards per punt.
A converted offensive lineman, Winter had asked if he could try out for running back this season. The coaches knew he was one of the fastest players on the team, and they gave him a shot. Winter definitely proved that he can be a starting varsity running back.
The Mariners struggled to get the run game going, and went to the air often. Kaepernick attempted 29 passes in the game, most of them were short timing passes to Nelson and Malo. He did attempt a few deep balls, but was unsuccessful. Nelson ended up with 10 receptions for 98 yards, and Malo had six grabs for 34 yards. Kaepernick completed 19 passes in all for 169 yards.
Sehome had the first opportunity in overtime, and after great defensive plays by seniors Ryan Veening and Easton Zylstra, the Mariners had to make a big play on 3rd-and-11. Kaepernick found sophomore Zach Chisolm for 15 yards to keep the drive alive. Kaepernick scored from a yard out three plays later, and Nelson banged through the extra point.
A penalty on the conversion kick meant that Nooksack Valley would start its overtime possession from the 30-yard line, instead of the 25-yard line. Junior wide receiver Scout Whittern took the first-down fly sweep handoff to the right sideline and he looked to have the edge, but Malo came out of nowhere like a blur from his safety position to limit the gain to just four yards. Winter’s five-yard carry brought the drive to 3rd-and-1, and an encroachment penalty game the Pioneers five more yards and a first down. Winter scored with a strong 12-yard run just two plays later, and that was when Nooksack Valley elected to go for the two-point conversion and the win.
The Pioneers went to Winter again, but Bair was quick as a cat from his nose tackle position to wrap up Winter’s ankles at the line of scrimmage as boat load of Mariners swarmed in to finish the play.
A fun side note about the game. Pioneer head coach Robb Myhre and Mariner head coach Kevin Beason were college teammates at Western Washington University in the late 1980’s. It was pretty cool to see them together on their old home stadium.
Sehome (1-0) will travel to Mount Baker (1-0) on Friday, and Nooskack Valley (0-1) will travel to Granite Falls (0-1) on Friday.
Nooksack Valley 13
Sehome 14
NV 0 7 0 0 6 – 13
SEH 0 0 0 7 7 – 14
NV – Eldridge 6 run (Conner kick)
SE – Smith 4 run (Nelson kick)
SE – Kaepernick 1 run (Nelson kick)
NV – Winter 12 run (run failed)
NV SEH
47-275 Rushing Att-Yards 31-35
8-21-0 Comp-Att-Int 19-29-1
72 Passing yards 169
Individual Leaders
RUSHING – NV: Winter 19-161, Eldridge 20-73, Whittern 5-35, Leyba 3-6. SEH: Smith 19-44, Dorsch 5-9, Kaepernick 7-(-18).
PASSING – NV: Eldridge 8-21-0-72. SEH: Kaepernick 19-29-1-169.
RECEIVING – NV: Bauman 3-19, Leyba 2-28, Veening 2-22, Winter 1-3. SEH: Nelson 10-98, Malo 6-34, Chisolm 1-15, Smith 1-12, Clark 1-10.
