‘Zero wedge’ was the call Mount Baker players wanted — it paved the way to a title shot
Landon Smith said he had “full trust in my guys” at Mount Baker, and his guys in turn called for three dramatic plays from their senior quarterback, sending the Mountaineers to the state championships for the second time in school history.
In Mount Baker’s pulse-pounding 14-13 win over Nooksack Valley in the Class 1A semifinals, the Mounties scored with Smith’s 1-yard burst on a never-to-be-forgotten 80-yard fourth-quarter drive they had to have.
In contrast, capping a historic playoff doubleheader before one of the largest crowds in Civic Stadium history, undefeated Lynden’s 41-14 win over previously unbeaten Enumclaw highlighted a three-game Class 2A playoff explosion, all at Civic to delight thousands of home fans for the second consecutive season. The defending champion Lions amassed 137 points in the three games combined and scored on nearly every possession.
The results moved the two Whatcom County teams into the finals Saturday, Dec. 3, when they can only hope for better playing conditions than they endured in strong winds and periodic downpours.
Mount Baker (8-4) will face defending 1A champion Royal (11-1), with a noon kickoff at Harry Lang Stadium in Lakewood. Lynden (12-0) will match its state-leading 23-game winning streak against North Kitsap (12-1), with a 5 p.m. kickoff at Sparks Stadium in Puyallup. Royal beat Freeman 57-21 and North Kitsap defeated W.F. West Chehalis 29-22.
This is the fifth consecutive season that Whatcom County has landed a team in the state finals, beginning with Meridian in 2017, Lynden in 2018, Lynden Christian in 2019 and Lynden in 2021 (there were none in 2020). But this is the first season with two teams in the finals since 2013, when Lynden won its sixth title in eight years and Mount Baker made its only previous finals appearance.
MOUNT BAKER 14, NOOKSACK VALLEY 13: Smith, in his only varsity year at quarterback due to broken bones the previous two seasons, and his teammates were grateful to coach Ron Lepper for agreeing to run what they call their “zero wedge” tactic.
On fourth -and-3 at the 6-yard line with 58 seconds left after the Mounties used almost all of the fourth quarter while driving 74 yards, Lepper called time out.
“Zero wedge, that’s what the guys told me they wanted to do,” said Lepper, who celebrated his 200th victory in 27 seasons as head coach. He went with his players’ request.
The result was Smith’s 4-yard surge up the middle for a first down at the 2-yard line behind what he felt had to be some of the most determined blocking ever seen by a Baker team in a bruising battle, mostly filled with frustration against Nooksack’s rugged defense. Smith followed with a 1-yard push on first down and a 1-yard touchdown with 26 seconds remaining.
Junior kicker Tanyen Staton then provided the game’s winning point on the conversion, with a perfect snap from freshman Kamden Moa and the hold by all-around athlete Smith.
But the game wasn’t over and it was up to Baker sophomore Dylan Moa to block a 29-yard attempt for a winning field goal by Nooksack junior Jorgen Vigre with two seconds to play.
“Our line had a great push. I saw a gap and I put both of my arms up,” said Moa, with just about the biggest grin a young man could summon.
Nooksack (9-2) advanced to the 12 in the final minute on a 10-yard run by junior quarterback Joey Brown, Brown’s 10-yard pass to Jackson Bennett, and Brown’s 20-yard throw to Ryan Hughes.
“I’m really proud of our coaches and players for their dedication and improvement this year,” said Nooksack coach Craig Bartl, whose team started only three seniors from scrimmage. “We put ourselves in position to win after they scored and I’m proud they continued to believe.
“It’s going to sting for a bit, but as each day passes we need to celebrate the accomplishments of the season,” he said.
Lepper praised Bartl and Nooksack for “doing a real good job,” including the Pioneers’ 28-20 league win for Baker’s last loss. “They’re going to be real good the next couple of years.”
In all, Smith converted five first downs on the game-winning, 80 yard drive on 20 plays while Marcques George netted 36 yards, including a 9-yard catch from Smith on an expertly dropped pass on fourth-and-8 from Nooksack’s 47-yard line.
Senior running back Wilhem Maloley — “My name really is spelled Wilhem” he confirmed with a friendly smile — followed with a 10-yard pickup to the 25. Runs of 7 and 2 yards by George and a pair of 5-yarders by Smith, including one on third-and-3 from the 18, set up the three “zero wedge” pushes.
Nooksack scored on its opening possession following a leaping blocked punt by Colton Lentz at Baker’s 11-yard line. Lentz gained 8 yards and, one penalty later, scored from the 5 for the sophomore’s 19th touchdown of the season. But Baker keyed on Lentz and he wound up with 79 yards on 18 carries to finish with more than 1,500 for the season.
Baker responded to Lentz’s score with a 14-play, 76-yard drive, capped by George’s 24th touchdown on a 1-yard burst and Staton‘s kick for a 7-7 tie.
Maloley gained 44 yards on the drive, including a 19-yarder to Nooksack’s 44-yard line, and the unsung senior finished with 79 yards on 16 carries to support George’s 87 yards on 22 carries. The elusive senior is less than 60 yards away from surpassing 2,000 in what will be his 12th game of the season on the field (Baker had one forfeit win).
But Nooksack threw a scare into Baker when senior Bennett DeLange turned a short pass from Brown into a 47-yard touchdown by breaking at least two tackles near the sideline. The kick missed and the Pioneers had a 13-7 lead at the half.
Nooksack punter Shon Visser, kicking with the wind, punted 53 yards into the end zone in the first minute of the fourth quarter, setting up Baker’s historic drive to extend its win streak under the pressure of elimination to five games.
“I trusted my guys,” Smith said of his biggest moment in sports. “This is what I’ve been dreaming of since pee-wee football. I’ve been buddies with all our seniors since then. It was our best drive of the season.”
The starting offensive linemen — Vance Lawrence, Drake Pinkey, Alex Maloley, Ethan Larson and Jesse Harward — “just pushed as hard as we could,” said an exultant Larson, whose knee injury in the third game last season made him just as grateful as fellow injury victims Smith and Wilhem Maloley were to come back for a memorable senior year.
Lawrence took the time to praise conversion kick snapper Kamden Moa as “always consistent,” especially for a freshman.
“This is the biggest thrill I’ve ever had,” said senior fullback/linebacker Brady West, whose blocking and tackling were vital as usual.
Nooksack limited Baker to 244 total yards and the Mounties held the Pioneers to 218, including 6 for 8 passing for 87 yards by Brown, That shows how tough both teams have been, since they combined for 143 points and more than 1,800 yards in their two previous playoff wins.
This was the first all-Whatcom County playoff semifinal since the two Lynden teams met in 1991.
LYNDEN 41, ENUMCLAW 14: The Lions stopped Enumclaw (12-1) on the 2-yard line twice in the first half. The second time was on a blocked field goal by senior Hunter Henderson, on the first play after Troy Petz knocked down an Enumclaw pass in the end zone.
In between the two stops, the Lions drove 98 yards to score on an 18-yard run by Lane Heeringa, who finished with 104 yards on 17 carries. The biggest play of the drive was a 31-yard run by fellow senior running back Campbell Nolte, who finished with a career-high 189 yards on 12 carries, including touchdowns of 5 and 37 yards.
Sophomore quarterback Brant Heppner twice threw for first downs on third-and-2 to Isaiah Stanley on the 98-yard push for 17 vital yards. Stanley has 43 catches for nearly 600 yards on a team that primarily runs.
Heeringa’s 22-yard touchdown run — his 18th score of the season — gave Lynden a 13-0 advantage with 4:16 left in the first half, in the wake of runs of 27 and 35 yards by Nolte. The two senior stars helped make possible 19 touchdowns on 21 drives in the three playoff wins, from the Round of 16 to the semifinals.
On the final play of the first half, Heppner found Petz for a 54-yard touchdown and a 19-7 lead, responding to the Hornets’ 66-yard scoring drive capped by Gunnar Trachte’s 5-yard pass to Austin Paulson, who finished with nine catches for 104 yards. Trachte ran 5 yards for the other score, but by that time Lynden had a 34-14 lead four minutes into the fourth quarter.
“I had to come way back when I saw how the wind blew the ball in,” said Petz of his stunning scoring moves that gave Heppner his 10th scoring pass and nearly 800 yards for the season with no interceptions after completing four of seven for 85 yards. “That actually wound up helping me (to elude a defender).” Petz went 3 for 5 on conversions, making him 45 for 51 on the season, and his seven touchdowns, four field goals and conversion kicks give him 99 points.
The Lions used the first 10 minutes and 45 seconds of the second half to score on a 19-play, 77-yard drive on Nolte’s 5- yarder. Nolte, Heeringa, Heppner and senior quarterback Kaedan Hermanutz all contributed important yardage to that drive, which was all runs except for one pass attempt.
Hermanutz led a fourth-quarter drive and scored from the 1 for the game’s final points with 3:31 left.
Hermanutz has played a major role in most of Lynden’s 23 consecutive wins. This season, he has alternated with Heppner.
“He’s come a long way,” said Hermanutz, who also plays several other positions both ways “Brant is already a real good leader. I like to think I’ve helped him.”
Cooper Moore and Daniel Lopez had interceptions for the Lions, whose offensive explosion was the 31st 40-plus game in 91 contests by a Whatcom County team. Local teams have also scored in the 30s in 21 other games, giving them at least 30 points in 52 games in this banner season.
Lynden coach Blake VanDalen was thrilled to see his team become one of the few in state playoff history to win six home playoff games over two consecutive seasons.
“We love Civic Stadium,” he said after hugging his usual large quota of family members and friends. “The last time we lost here was to (eventual state champion) Tumwater in 2010.”
“Now the guys want to practice in (predicted) snow this week,” said VanDalen, who received a huge roar when he suggested the possibility to the team.
STATE PLAYOFF SEMIFINALS
4A
Kennedy Catholic 42, Emerald Ridge 28
Lake Stevens 42, Graham-Kapowsin 28
3A
Eastside Catholic 35, O’Dea 28 (two OT)
Yelm 28, Bellevue 27
2A
Lynden 41, Enumclaw 14
North Kitsap 29, W.F. West Chehalis 22
1A
Mount Baker 14, Nooksack Valley 13
Royal 57, Freeman 21
2B
Okanogan 42, Pe Ell-Willapa Valley 14
Napavine 49, Jenkins Chewelah 6
1B
Neah Bay 82, Liberty Christian 24
Liberty Bell 70, Odessa 24
STATE FINALS
All games Saturday, Dec. 3
4A — Kennedy Catholic vs. Lake Stevens, 5 p.m. at Mount Tahoma
3A — Eastside Catholic vs. Yelm, Noon at Sparks Stadium, Puyallup
2A — Lynden vs. North Kitsap, 5 p.m. at Sparks Stadium, Puyallup
1A — Mount Baker vs. Royal, Noon at Harry Lang Stadium, Lakewood
2B — Napavine vs. Okanogan, 5 p.m. at Harry Lang Stadium, Lakewood
1B — Neah Bay vs. Liberty Bell, Noon at Mount Tahoma
This story was originally published November 28, 2022 at 5:30 AM.
