Baker’s offense more than just Schleimer

Running back Jed Schleimer may garner most of Mount Baker’s limelight for how he powers the Mountaineers’ offense, and for good reason, he is a tremendous talent.

But Mount Baker coach Ron Lepper knows his team will need to keep defenses guessing if the Mountaineers hope to make a deep state playoff run.

Baker, during its 56-7 Class 1A District Playoff win against Sultan on Friday, Nov. 6, showed its many offensive threats even with Schleimer running for 270 yards and accounting for five touchdowns.

Quarterback Mason Bass threw for 100 yards and two touchdowns, Carson Engholm ran for 74 yards and a score, Thomas Barbo ran for a 28-yard TD and Vadim Kotsyuba caught a 50-yard touchdown pass.

“Jed is our guy, and he got some carries,” Lepper said, “but Engholm ran the ball well, Mason threw the ball well, so we had some things working tonight.”

Wittenberg a constant for Lynden's offense

All-state receiver Jordan Wittenberg, even when the Lions’ offense stalled at times this year, allowed Lynden to always be one big play away from turning the tide of a contest.

Wittenberg again was key during the team’s season-ending 21-17 Class 2A District Playoff loss to Sedro-Woolley on Friday, Nov. 6.

But this time Wittenberg needed to make up a costly first-half error.

After getting the Lions on the board early with an impressive 16-yard TD reception, in which he tapped his toes in the back-left corner of Sedro-Woolley’s end zone, Wittenberg fumbled on a punt return, setting the Cubs up with prime scoring position. They cashed in two plays later.

True to form, though, Wittenberg responded with a much-needed 46-yard touchdown catch from Sterling Somers that cut Sedro-Woolley’s lead to 21-17 with 1:44 left in the third quarter.

The score was the final piece to what’s been a terrific connection between Somers and Wittenberg the past three years.

Wittenberg finished with six catches for 106 yard and two TDs, pushing his season total to 53 receptions, 847 yards and eight touchdowns.

Unfortunately, Lynden’s offense never received a final chance to attempt a comeback, as the Cubs ran off the final 8:23 of the game.

“It’s not the outcome that we expected, but I don’t doubt these kids’ effort,” Lynden coach Curt Kramme said. “They played hard, and for whatever reason it wasn’t our night tonight.”

Trojans utilize versatility

Meridian’s football team has plenty of athletes. That fact was showcased plenty in the Trojans’ dominating 42-6 win over Cedar Park Christian in the Class 1A Northwest District Playoffs Friday. But what separates Meridian’s athletes is their versatility.

Both running back Nick Dritsas and receiver Marcus McGuinn found themselves used as weapons in a myriad of ways Friday night.

Dritsas’ 204 total yards were split evenly — 99 rushing and 105 receiving. The running back caught two touchdowns, six passes and ran the ball 12 times.

McGuinn, who played QB last week with starter Simon Burkett dealing with injury, not only showed his prowess in the air with a 28-yard TD reception, but he also operated at quarterback five times — all keeper plays, one of which resulted in a 3-yard TD.

“It’s good we have that threat,” McGuinn said. “We can do a whole bunch of stuff with that.”

It’s something few teams have and one that could help the Trojans shock next week at Hoquiam in the first round of the Class 1A State Playoffs.

Who are these Blackhawks?

The 2015 season has been very different from the Lummi football teams, to say the least. Over the past decade, the Blackhawks have been one of the powers of the Class 1B ranks — making themselves a regular among the top five in the Associated Press’ state rankings — and nearly a shoe-in to reach the Tacoma Dome.

Lummi has reached at least the state semifinals five of the past six years and eight times overall, and usually in emphatic faction.

But this year, the Blackhawks roster — usually one of the deepest in the state for eight-man football — was decimated throughout the regular season by injuries and other player availability issues.

But now as the 1B state playoffs are one week away, the Blackhawks are starting to look like themselves, especially after beating Oakville 56-8 to lock up their 12th-straight trip to the state playoffs.

They’ll face a tall task in No. 5 Evergreen Lutheran in a first-round game scheduled for 6 p.m. Friday, Nov. 13, at Franklin Pierce High School in Tacoma, but the finally fielding a team with their best players.

Hank Hoskins, the Blackhawks senior running back, recently returned to the team. Friday was Hoskins’ third game of the year and it was a big one. He scored three rushing touchdowns and accounted for a score on defense as well. Lummi’s passing game was quiet, with only one score and 130 yards, but if Lummi can continue to run the ball well, maybe, just maybe, another deep run is possible this fall.

Future looks good for LC

Lucas Roetcisoender made the best of a sad situation when the injured Lynden Christian quarterback could not play in his last game because of a shoulder injury.

LC’s 21-7 loss to King‘s in a Class 1A Northwest District playoff game ensured that the personable senior had played his final high school football game.

“I think I’ll be ready for basketball,” said Roetcisoender, who has been a vital part of LC’s potent program since his freshman year.

Roetcisoender, who efficiently passed for 1,189 yards and 14 touchdowns while completing 59 of 108 throws, said he was gratified by how well younger backup quarterbacks Colby Flint and Ty Van Dyken worked with him.

“It was nice to have that chance, because football is just the greatest game,” said Roetcisoender, who said he is interested in possibly becoming a coach after what he hopes will be a college playing career.

The Lyncs can look forward to the return of junior fullback David Bladies, who gave it his all and finished with 911 yards this season.

LC (5-5) will lose two interior offensive linemen who started against Kings — seniors Eric Vree and John-Mark Stromberg — plus talented tight end/defensive end Kyle Tiemersma, but the Lyncs will have juniors Kolton Korthuis and Josh Jacobsen and sophomore George De Jong to lead the line next season.

Red Raiders looking forward to 2016

Bellingham’s 6-4 season was no fluke. It may have been senior night at Civic Stadium on Thursday, Nov. 5, against Granite Falls, but watch out for the Red Raiders that will be sticking around. Coming back next year are playmakers on both sides of the ball, including sophomore quarterback Nick Knutson and sophomore receiver Ethan Fields.

According to senior Kole Jorgenson, the youth of the Red Raiders pushed the success of the team.

“The sophomores actually set the bar for us because they came in and came in hard at the beginning of the season,” Jorgenson said. “They pushed us to the point where we had to work harder and get better. They’re the ones to watch out for.”

Knutson and Fields will be a lethal connection for two more years, which could be seen in their two touchdown strikes against Granite Falls. Don’t leave junior running back Dakota Johanson out, either, after he went for 138 yards on 16 carries in the first half.

“We’ve just got to get bigger and stronger, because right now we’re young and have young bodies,” coach Ted Flint said.

This story was originally published November 7, 2015 at 6:56 PM with the headline "Baker’s offense more than just Schleimer."