From center to quarterback — Mount Baker’s Davin Beason steps into unexpected role
It wasn’t hard to see why Davin Beason said “I really love playing quarterback” after the much-honored senior lineman’s third start at his new position for Mount Baker.
With 13 seconds to play, Beason scrambled as though he had been playing quarterback for years and threw a 25-yard touchdown pass to Wyatt Pettigrew, who made an outstanding diving catch in the end zone to give the Mountaineers a 40-34 win over Nooksack Valley on Friday.
The packed house at Sid Lambert Field saw one of the wildest and most entertaining Northwest Conference Class 1A games in years. The Mounties (3-2, 1-0 NWC) showed why they are a contender for their ninth consecutive state tournament spot and the Pioneers (3-3, 1-1) continued to have fans talking about how many fine young prospects they have.
Beason, formerly at center, quipped that he “enjoyed a much better view” of third-year varsity teammate Jesse Sande’s running talent — not to mention the linemen who provide blocks — than the 230-pound athlete had when he was playing center.
Sande rushed for 246 yards and three touchdowns and set up the winning score with a memorable tackle-breaking 36-yard run after the Mounties began their last drive with 50 seconds to play.
The teams combined for 11 touchdowns and 840 yards. Both held 14-point leads — Nooksack at 14-0 after Jordan Silva’s 67-yard scoring sprint in the first quarter, and Baker at 34-20 following Beason’s 2-yard touchdown and his two-point conversion pass to Pettigrew with 8:40 left in the fourth quarter.
It also wasn’t hard to see why Nooksack coach Craig Bartl said “We took a huge step.” He was thrilled with the Pioneers’ late touchdown drives of 70 and 59 yards that produced a 34-all tie.
Sophomore quarterback Joey Brown threw a 14-yard scoring pass to Caleb Kingma with 6:06 left and Brown followed with a 13-yard scoring pass to junior Ryan Hughes with 56 seconds remaining. Kingma’s fourth conversion kick tied it at 34-all.
It seemed the game was headed to overtime until the Beason-Sande-Pettigrew heroics.
“I was the first option on that pass play but I wasn’t expecting Davin’s rollout,” said Pettigrew, who adjusted his route and helped keep the play alive.
The 6-foot-2 Beason had a simple explanation for why he became a quarterback for the first time since he played “a little bit at quarterback” on the 2018 freshman team.
“I was the next man up after our two quarterbacks were injured,” said Beason, who completed 8 of 13 passes for 169 yards. He guided the Mountaineers on drives of more than 60 yards for all six touchdowns as they amassed 494 total yards. The only interception against Beason was by Dawson Kimball, whose 32-yard return to the 10 set up Silva’s third score.
Beason threw an 18-yard scoring strike to Marcus George and Joel Robles kicked the extra point for a 14-all tie in the second quarter.
Brown gave Nooksack his best effort with 15-for-29 passing for 188 yards, including seven passes to Kingma for 101 yards and four to Hughes for 51 yards. Silva scored on runs of 4, 67 and 10 yards and finished with 122 yards on 13 carries.
The only interception against Brown was on a desperation pass on the game’s final play. Baker sophomore Landen Hanstead made his first varsity theft and was mobbed by teammates.
Sande scored on runs of 5, 26 and 7 yards.
“Our blockers worked super hard,” said Sande, who had runs of 35, 25, 44 and 26 yards in the first half.
Baker coach Ron Lepper, whose team played its first game this season in Whatcom County, wasn’t surprised by Beason’s performance.
“Davin expects to play that way,” Lepper said. “He didn’t bat an eye when we made the change. Both teams played hard and we (he and Bartl) are both very proud.”
Saturday’s game
LYNDEN CHRISTIAN 38, ONALASKA 20: The Lyncs (2-2) gave Whatcom County teams a 6-0 sweep for Week Six against non-county teams in LC’s first game in three weeks.
The win also made LC history. “We’ve never won a game with two days of practice. We lost nine days of practice (to a temporary COVID-19 closure),” said coach Dan Kaemingk. “We played well against a tough (power-running) team. It normally takes four days to install a defense for a team with an offense unlike any we‘ve seen.”
Lyncs quarterback Will Colwell completed 13 of 22 passes for 196 yards and touchdowns of 8 yards to Jamison Hintz and 35 yards to Tyler Sipma for a 19-12 halftime. Colwell, a first-year starter as a senior, has 11 scoring passes.
LC’s other first-half score was a 1-yard run by Caleb Ryan. Kade Eldridge led the Lyncs with 60 yards on 14 carries, including a 1-yard score. A 12-yard touchdown by Sipma and a 50-yard punt return score by Zac Owen gave the Lyncs a 38-12 bulge after three quarters before reserves took over.
LC’s defense proved up to the challenge and held the Loggers (2-3) to 203 yards, all on the ground with 30 rushes for 124 yards by 220-pound Marshall Haight. Onalaska tried only two passes
Sam Penner made a beautiful 31-yard catch while pedaling backward to help set up Ryan for LC‘s first score. Penner caught five passes for 79 yards.
Friday’s games
BLAINE 36, SHOREWOOD 13: The Borderites (3-1) continued to prepare well for their four NWC 1A games as Larry Creasey rushed 17 times for 122 yards and scored from the 1 and 13.
Avery Dohner completed 14 of 26 passes for 217 yards with scoring passes of 25 yards to Jaxon Kortlever and 26 to Scott Baldwin, who caught seven passes for 122 yards to help the Borderites to a 29-0 halftime bulge. Dohner’s 1-yard keeper provided the other score.
Gabe Cranford had 77 yards on 15 carries as Blaine amassed 422 yards, with 205 rushing. Ethan Koreski contributed 48 yards on four passes from Dohner.
After Riley Idhe caught a 2-point conversion pass from Cole Thomas, Preston King booted all four remaining extra points.
Anden Holley had three sacks and coach Jay Dodd credited linebackers Peyton Dixon and Spencer Dalry with outstanding efforts.
The Borderites received good preparation the week earlier in their 48-22 non-league loss to NWC 2A contender Archbishop Murphy. The Blaine scores were Dohner’s pass to Baldwin, Kortlever’s fumble return and Thomas’ throw to Aiden Holley.
LYNDEN 42, LAKEWOOD 19: Kaleo Jandoc caught touchdown passes of 38 and 63 yards from junior quarterback Kaedan Hermanutz before Lakewood grabbed a 19-14 lead in the third quarter.
The Lions (5-1, 3-0 to lead NWC 2A) dominated in the second half at home. The Lyncs took the lead for good on Jandoc’s 17-yard catch from Hermanutz and a two-point conversion pass to Isaiah Stanley.
Stanley scored on an 18-yarder from Hermanutz and Taivin VanDalen returned an interception 60 yards to score. Jandoc’s 31-yard score from Hermanutz tied the school record of four touchdown catches by Chas Kok 15 years ago.
“Jandoc (five catches for 168 yards) and Hermanutz (10 for 14 passing for 208 yards for five touchdowns plus 50 yards on nine runs) really had great days,” said Lions coach Blake VanDalen.
Lane Heeringa continued to lead the Lions’ ground game with 58 yards on 16 carries and had an interception. Sophomore Luke Human looked promising with seven rushes for 43 yards and defensive standout Cade Slayton saw his first duty at QB and rushed five times for 27 yards. Junior Troy Petz kicked four conversions.
The Lions can clinch the 2A title and a Week 10 bye if they can win out against Sehome, Archbishop Murphy and Sedro-Woolley.
SQUALICUM 26, ARCHBISHOP MURPHY 6: The Storm (4-2, 2-2) got quarterback Leyton Smithson back fulltime and he and Reed Richardson provided an impressive display of versatility at Civic Stadium as Squalicum stayed in the running for the postseason.
Kai Posey’s 8-yard touchdown catch from Smithson was the Storm’s first score. Richardson then caught a 13-yard scoring pass and Sebastian Smith made his second conversion kick for a 14-6 halftime lead.
Reed, who filled in well at quarterback while Smithson recovered from a shoulder injury, found Smithson with a 34-yard scoring pass. Smithson capped the show with a 5-yard scoring run.
“Ben Schlenbaker played his best defensive game at outside linebacker,” Storm coach Nick Lucey said of Squalicum’s rushing leader. “Bryson Lamb was awesome at linebacker. His interception set up Reed’s touchdown.”
Squalicum’s remaining league games are against Sedro-Woolley and Burlington-Edison, with a game against Nooksack Valley between them.
LUMMI 62, DARRINGTON 6: Freshman quarterback Tucker Rawlins threw five touchdown passes and ran for a score for the Blackhawks (4-0, 1-0) in their Northwest Eight Man League opener at Lummi.
Rawlins threw for long scores twice to William Elzey and Duncan Toby and also for one score to Adam Belew. Rawlins also ran for a score from midfield.
Quincy Tom had a 20-yard scoring run, Elzey raced about 75 yards to score and sophomore linebacker Cheyenne Gould returned a fumble about 75 yards for a touchdown.
“One of our best plays was a great block by Mathias Johnson on one of Toby’s touchdown runs,” said Lummi coach Jim Sandusky, who credited defensive end Sammy Bumatay with five sacks and Elzey with a combined total of 20 unassisted and assisted tackles. Toby had a pair of interceptions.
Lummi had two-point conversions by Bumatay on a pass from Rawlins and by Elzey, Johnson and Julius Green on runs.
“I’d say this was the best of our first four games,” said Sandusky, who may have one of his top teams among many solid squads in his 19th year at Lummi.
Thursday’s game
FERNDALE 51, OAK HARBOR 14: The Golden Eagles (5-1, 3-1 Wesco North 3A) remained in state playoff contention with 30-0 domination after halftime at Oak Harbor.
The big news was that rushing/receiving standout Thomas Broselle returned from an ankle injury after missing three games. Broselle celebrated with a 65-yard touchdown run and finished with 120 yards on eight carries.
Ryan Pelton finished with 89 yards on seven carries, including scoring runs of 1 yard and 35 yards, and Isaiah Carson rushed 12 times for 93 yards with a 6-yard score as Ferndale rushed for 368 yards.
Senior quarterback Mark Schlichting scored on a 1-yard keeper and threw scoring passes of 32 yards and 60 yards to sophomore Conner Walcker, giving the first-year starting signal-caller 11 scoring passes. Walcker had three catches for 117 yards. Schlichting went 8 for 9 for 156 yards and also contributed a pair of 2-point conversion runs. Jacob Mattingly kicked three conversions.
Jake Mason was a standout with two sacks and Bishop Ootsey had an interception. Fullback Elijah McCormick was a blocking standout.
Ferndale’s remaining Wesco North 3A games are against Stanwood and Marysville-Getchell, plus a seeding game in Week Nine.
THREE GAMES CANCELLED: COVID exposure prevented three games: Sehome vs. Burlington-Edison (Sehome could have played and may make up the game if needed in Week 10), Bellingham vs. La Conner and Meridian vs. Coupeville.
WEEK SEVEN
Friday’s games
Lynden vs. Sehome at Civic Stadium, 7 p.m.
Lynden Christian at Nooksack, 7 p.m.
Blaine at Mount Baker, 7 p.m.
Stanwood vs. Ferndale at Blaine, 7 p.m.
Squalicum at Sedro-Woolley, 7 p.m.
Meridian at Everett, 8 p.m.
Bellingham at Friday Harbor, 6 p.m.
Saturday’s game
Lummi at Crescent, 2 p.m.
This story was originally published October 11, 2021 at 5:00 AM.
