They’ve swept the 1A NWC for 2 years; now they swept the league’s postseason honors

After sweeping through the Class 1A Northwest Conference schedule for a second straight year, the Mount Baker football team added a sweep of the top postseason honors when the All-1A NWC team was released Tuesday.

Mountaineer seniors Jed Schleimer and TJ Bass shared Player of the Year honors, while coach Ron Lepper was selected Coach of the Year and Dave Galbraith was chosen Assistant Coach of the Year by the league’s coaches.

Schleimer led Whatcom County with 1,880 yards and 36 rushing touchdowns. He also caught 15 passes for 357 yards and three more TDs to help lead Mount Baker to the state quarterfinals for a fifth straight year and an 11-1 record. He also was a standout at linebacker and safety.

Bass, who played tight end but was more like a third tackle on Mount Baker’s line, helped pave the way for the Mount Baker running backs, as they rushed for 3,711 yards and 61 touchdowns. He caught seven passes for 129 yards and was a large, physical presence on Mount Baker’s defensive line, often living in an opponent’s backfield.

Schleimer and Bass were chosen to represent the league in the all-state game.

The Mountaineers had six other representatives on the all-league team, including offensive/defensive lineman Maxwell Tolman, who was selected on both sides of the ball. Running back/defensive back Carson Engholm also was selected on offense and defense after rushing for 1,347 yards and 19 touchdowns. Kicker Johnny Ehlers (58 extra points, four field goals) and defensive back Thomas Barbo (28 catches, 708 yards, nine TDs on offense) rounded out the Mountaineer selections.

Nooksack Valley, which tied for second in the league but lost to Meridian in a Kansas Tiebreaker, had nine selections, highlighted by two-way picks Kirk Veldman and Luke Winter on the offensive and defensive lines. Receiver/linebacker Kyle Veldman (41 catches, 611 yards, three TDs) also was selected on both sides. Whatcom County passing leader Casey Bauman (2,568 yards, 25 TDs) joined them as a co-quarterback selection, along with punter Luke Winter and linebacker Jeremy Dykes, who was the Pioneers’ only senior selected to the team.

Meridian, which advanced to the state quarterfinals, had eight selections, including two-way picks Manny Sabalza, Andrew Logan and Simon Burkett. Sabalza was selected as an offensive lineman and linebacker, while Logan made it as a defensive lineman and tight end who caught 37 passes for 479 yards and five TDs. Burkett joined Bauman as a co-quarterback (2,493 yards, 19 TDs passing and 608 yards, 12 TDs rushing) and as a defensive back. Brenten Fox also made it as an offensive lineman, while TJ Dykstra was selected as a receiver (55 catches, 792 yards, 7 TDs).

Lynden Christian had six selections with offensive/defensive lineman George De Jong and receiver/defensive back Tyson Cline (37 receptions, 393 yards, one TD) as two-way selections. Joining them were running back Jordan Riddle (684 yards, 8 TDs) and linebacker Gavin Mumford.

This story was originally published December 1, 2016 at 5:00 AM with the headline "They’ve swept the 1A NWC for 2 years; now they swept the league’s postseason honors."