NOOKSACK – It was one of those games where neither team deserved to lose, but when Mount Baker senior quarterback Toga Tigilau plowed through the middle of the line to score a 2-yard touchdown with 11 seconds left in the game, it spelled victory for the Mountaineers as they defeated Nooksack Valley 46-39 at Sid Lambert Field on Friday night.
The Pioneers took an early lead when sophomore Tyler Martin booted a 31-yard field goal, but Mount Baker came right back with a 2-play drive that covered 65 yards. The first was a quick pass from Tigilau to senior running back Brice Cooper who galloped 30 yards, and the next was a 35-yard touchdown run by senior running back Kamden Moa who sprinted through a hole at the line of scrimmage created by senior left guard Jeremiah Sheridan, and then one stiff arm and he was gone.
The Mountaineers quickly regained possession after forcing a 3-and-out, and after another good Moa run brought Baker to the two-yard line, Tigilau scored the second Mountie touchdown of the opening quarter.
Mount Baker had the momentum, and the following Pioneer drive stalled at the 13-yard line. Nooksack Valley elected to go for another field goal, but this time it came up wide right.
The Mounties came right back on the next play with a deep ball down the near sideline to junior Gage Smith who hauled it in for a 32-yard completion which put Mount Baker into Nooksack Valley territory. The Mountaineers were able to move the ball to the 20-yard line, but a Tigilau pass was tipped at the line of scrimmage by 6-foot-3 junior defensive end Dane Ackerman and plucked out of the air by senior linebacker Jaxon Hester who returned it 51 yards.
The Pioneers had the momentum now, but after three straight incomplete passes, Nooksack Valley was staring at a 4th-and-10 at Mount Baker’s 30-yard line. Without flinching, the Pioneers went to the air once again and senior quarterback Evan Brown found sophomore running back Trey Heutink all alone in the endzone for the touchdown.
If Nooksack Valley didn’t have the full momentum on its side, it sure did a few moments later when senior linebacker Caleb Visser blocked a punt, which was recovered by senior Landen Stauffer which gave the Pioneers great field position.
On the next play, Brown dropped back to pass, then stepped up in the pocket, and quickly took off as he saw enough green ahead of him. He covered 43 yards and scored a touchdown which gave Nooksack Valley a 17-13 lead with 1:13 left until the half.
Needing a big play quickly to get at least into field goal range before halftime, the Mountaineers called on their staple inside double-handoff play with Smith gaining 32 yards on the play.
A facemask penalty with seven seconds left on the clock gave Mount Baker a first down at the 11-yard line, and Tigilau responded with a rainbow pass to the back right corner of the endzone where only senior wide receiver Jet Ross could run under it, and the Mountaineers led 20-17 at the midway break.
The Nooksack Valley passing attack appeared a little sharper to begin the second half of play, but a sack by junior defensive end Kell Reardon put the Pioneers in a 3rd-and-26 situation. Brown lofted a pass deep down the far sideline on the next play, but it was intercepted by Cooper and Mount Baker set up shop at its own 2-yard line.
The Pioneers quickly forced a punt, and received great field position from it and capitalized on Brown’s second touchdown run of the game when he faked the handoff, made one guy miss, and then drug a tackler into the endzone for a 17 yard touchdown run. After Martin’s extra point, Nooksack Valley held a 24-20 lead with 3:13 left in the 3rd quarter.
The Pioneers now had the lead, and after forcing another punt, they had the ball and the clearly had the momentum. A strong drive stalled at the 15-yard line when they were forced with a 4th-and-8, but a quick screen out to senior wide receiver Cole Coppinger worked perfectly as he followed his blocks that were made by Stauffer, senior Gabe Synders and sophomore Paxton Miller, and he waltzed into the endzone. Nooksack Valley now held a 31-20 lead with 10:03 left in the game.
Down by 11 points, the Mountaineers needed to make something happen quickly, and Cooper did just that when he took the handoff on a counter play and raced 68 yards for a touchdown. The two-point conversion was broken up by Coppinger, and the Pioneers led 31-26 with 9:42 left.
A low snap on Nooksack Valley’s next possession went right between Brown’s legs, and it was recovered by junior defensive tackle Aaron Torres at the Pioneer 22-yard line. Three plays later, Moa scored on a 7-yard touchdown and Mount Baker regained the lead, 32-31 with 6:52 left in the game.
The ensuing kickoff was returned into Mountaineer territory by Coppinger, and Nooksack Valley was back in business, but Brown’s 4th-down pass was batted down by Reardon, and possession went back to Mount Baker at its own 37-yard line.
Cooper struck lightning on the next play, as he took that same counter handoff and flew 63 yards for a touchdown. Enoc Smith’s extra points made it a 39-31 lead for the Mountaineers with 4:18 left in the game.
The Pioneers balanced the run and pass perfectly as they swiftly drove down the field, and after a first down at the Baker 19-yard line, Brown spiked the ball to stop the clock with 59 seconds left in the game. On the next play he hit sophomore running back Treven Scheenstra on a wheel route to the left out of the backfield for a 19-yard touchdown. The same play to the opposite side of the field on 3rd-and-14 allowed Nooksack Valley to cross midfield earlier in the drive.
Needing the 2-point conversion to tie the game with 50 seconds left, Brown found Coppinger on a perfectly ran out-pattern and the game was then tied at 39-39.
Mount Baker had two timeouts, and 45 seconds, and was starting the drive on its own 37 yard-line.
Tigilau went to the air on first down, and when his receiver was bumped to the ground the flag flew in the air which gave the visitors the first down.
Cooper then took the handoff on yet another counter to the right side, and when senior tackle Kaiden Riedesel wiped out his man, it sprung Cooper for a 30-yard pickup.
Now with 27 seconds left, the Mountaineers had 1st-and-10 at the Nooksack Valley 18-yard line, and that was when Moa blasted the hole and carried tacklers with him to the 2-yard line. Moa’s run set up Tigilau’s game-winning touchdown with 11 seconds left on the clock.
The Pioneers had one last chance but a deep pass down the middle of the field fell incomplete.
Mount Baker (4-1) will host Meridian (5-0) on Friday at 7:00, and Nooksack Valley (2-3) will travel to Blaine (1-4) on Friday to take on the Borderites at 7:00.
Mount Baker 46 Nooksack Valley 39 MB 13 7 0 26 - 46 NV 3 14 7 15 - 39 NV - Martin 31 FG MB - Moa 35 run (kick failed) MB - Tigilau 2 run (E. Smith kick) NV - Heutink 30 pass from Brown (Martin kick) NV - Brown 43 run (Martin kick) MB - Ross 11 pass from Tigilau (E. Smith kick) NV - Brown 17 run (Martin kick) NV - Coppinger 15 pass from Brown (Martin kick) MB - Cooper 68 run (pass failed) MB - Moa 7 run (run failed) MB - Cooper 63 run (E. Smith kick) NV - Scheenstra 19 pass from Brown (Coppinger pass from Brown) MB - Tigilau 2 run (E. Smith kick) MB NV 42-424 Rush Att-Yards 24-168 6-12-1 Comp-Att-Int 18-39-1 89 Passing Yards 231 Individual Leaders RUSHING - MB: Cooper 13-202, Moa 18-150, G. Smith 6-53, Tigilau 5-19. NV: Scheenstra 9-65, Brown 3-54, Heutink 6-47, Blake 4-40, bad snap 2-(-38). PASSING - MB: Tigilau 6-11-1-89, Cooper 0-1-0-0. NV: Brown 18-39-1-231. RECEIVING - MB: Ross 3-29, G. Smith 1-32, Cooper 1-30, Moa 1-(-2). NV: Coppinger 7-75, Hester 4-58, Scheenstra 2-38, Jones 2-19, Ackerman 2-11, Heutink 1-30.
