BY MAKAYLA SPARKS – For Whatcom Preps
BELLINGHAM – High school football, especially in the Northwest 1A conference, is anything but predictable. The Nooksack Valley Pioneers came to town for the Meridian Trojan Homecoming game, and the battle that transpired proved just that as 725 total passing yards later the Pioneers took the 47-20 victory at Bob Ames Field on Friday night.
It was 7-0 for the Trojans less than a minute after kickoff, thanks to quarterback Trey Alexander and wide receiver Kasey Brennan. The junior duo connected on a 55-yard touchdown on the second play of the game, and things were just getting started.
On the following drive, the Pioneers began mixing things up, switching between starting quarterback senior Evan Brown and wildcat quarterback sophomore Tyler Martin. Brown was in at shotgun when he hit senior wide receiver Jaxon Hester on a 17-yard touchdown pass to tie the game, 7-7.
Nooksack struck again with less than two minutes in the first quarter. Junior running back Trey Heutink charged into the endzone from six yards out, giving the Pioneers a 14-7 lead.
The next six minutes, though, would prevent anyone from getting comfortable. With thirty seconds to go in the quarter, Meridian punted the ball away, but a fumble on the return gave it right back to Meridian as Trojan senior Cody Valeos recovered the loose ball.
The Trojans marched into the red zone before being turned away by the Nooksack defense. However, they returned the favor, and the Pioneers were forced to punt the ball. The snap was mishandled, resulting in Meridian getting possession at the one-yard line. Junior running back Ryan Nguyen punched the ball in from there to bring the game even, 14-14.
On the ensuing drive, the same one-yard continued to cause problems as Nooksack lost control of the ball and Meridian junior Pierce Brzozowski fell on it.
Then, as if someone had played an Uno reverse card, Meridian lost control of the ball on the very next play, and Nooksack Valley junior defensive back Max Lautenbach scooped it up.
As the Pioneer offense returned to the field, senior wide receiver Cole Coppinger decided it was time to get away from that one-yard line and did so in dominating fashion. He took a screen pass from Brown and raced 99 yards to the other side of the field to take the lead 20-14.
With less than a minute to go in the first half, Heutink found a hole in the Meridian defense and charged 55 yards down the field for the last score of the first half, and the Pioneers headed to the locker room with a 26-14 lead.
Trojan junior running back Ethan Valich powered into the endzone from a yard out midway through the third quarter to bring the Meridian within six points, but it would be all Nooksack Valley from there out.
Brown connected with Hester on a 24-yard touchdown to finish out the third quarter and Lautenbach picked off a Trojan pass attempt to start the fourth.
Coppinger, who ended the night with five catches for 226 yards and three touchdowns, grabbed his second and third touchdowns in the final quarter of play, one from 48 yards away and the other from 57 yards out. Both passes came from Brown, who ended the night with five touchdowns to his name.
The Nooksack defense turned the Trojans away in the red zone for a second time on the night, and with less than a minute to go, the Pioneers let time run out and took home the 47-20 conference victory.
Alexander finished the game with 60 pass attempts, the most ever in one game in Whatcom County history, and Coppinger also broke the school record for yards per reception in a game (45.2).
The Pioneers (4-3) will host Montesano (7-0) at 7:00 on Friday night, and the Trojans (5-2) will travel to Lynden Christian (6-1) on Friday to take on the Lyncs at 7:00.
Nooksack Valley 47 Meridian 20 NV 14 12 6 15 - 47 MER 7 7 6 0 - 20 MER - Brennan 55 pass from Alexander (Virk kick) NV - Hester 17 pass from Brown (Martin kick) NV - Heutink 6 run (Martin kick) MER - Nguyen 1 run (Virk kick) NV - Coppinger 99 pass from Brown (kick failed) NV - Heutink 55 run (pass failed) MER - Valich 1 run (kick blocked) NV - Hester 24 pass from Brown (pass failed) NV - Coppinger 48 pass from Brown (Scheenstra run) NV - Coppinger 57 pass from Brown (Martin kick) NV MER 24-146 Rush Att-Yards 16-(-10) 11-18-0 Comp-Att-Int 27-60-1 316 Passing Yards 409 Individual Leaders RUSHING - NV: Heutink 12-91, Scheenstra 8-33, Martin 1-25, Hester 1-0, Brown 2-(-3). MER: Nguyen 7-5, Valich 2-5, Brzozowski 2-3, T. Alexander 5-(-23). PASSING - NV: Brown 11-18-0-316. MER: T. Alexander 27-60-1-409. RECEIVING - NV: Coppinger 5-226, Hester 3-47, Jones 3-43. MER: Brzozowski 9-137, Larsen 5-92, Fisher 5-70, Brennan 3-75, Valeos 2-16, Valich 2-12, Burgess 1-7.
