Mount Baker beats Meridian 35-20 to secure playoff seeding

Everson, Wash. (Bellingham Tribune), Mount Baker High School football finished its regular season with a 35-20 victory over Meridian on Thursday, Oct. 29, at the Mountaineers' home field. The win solidified Mount Baker's position as the second ranked 1A team in the Northwest Conference. The Mountaineers enter the Week 10 round-of-24 playoffs with a 6-3 overall record and a 3-1 league mark. Meridian dropped to 5-4 overall and 2-2 in conference play.

The game started with turnovers. Meridian senior Pierce Brzozowski intercepted a pass from Mount Baker junior quarterback Tyson Barksdale, giving the Trojans possession at their own 34-yard line. Mount Baker senior Noah Nicol-Mills responded by intercepting Meridian senior quarterback Trey Alexander. Nicol-Mills returned the ball to the Trojans' 20-yard line and rushed one yard for a touchdown to put Mount Baker ahead 7-0.

Meridian senior Trey Alexander answered with a running play. Facing third-and-seven from the Mount Baker 13-yard line, Alexander pump-faked, spun past two defenders, and scored in the end zone. Mount Baker blocked the extra-point kick, keeping their lead at 7-6 early in the second quarter. Senior Andrew Monteith then ran for 31 yards to start the next Mount Baker drive. Nicol-Mills added a 24-yard run, and Monteith finished the sequence with a six-yard touchdown to extend the lead to 14-6 with 7:08 left in the first half.

Meridian senior Kasey Brennan caught a 21-yard pass and a 15-yard pass from Alexander to move the ball downfield. Ethan Valich caught an eight-yard pass, and Alexander ran for a nine-yard touchdown. The two-point attempt failed, leaving Meridian trailing 14-12 with one minute left in the half. Mount Baker immediately responded. Enoc Smith returned the kickoff past midfield, and Barksdale threw a 40-yard touchdown pass to sophomore Henry Brown just 31 seconds later. The quick score gave Mount Baker a 21-12 halftime lead.

Meridian junior Dakota Ng began the third quarter with a 47-yard kickoff return. Pierce Brzozowski took over quarterback duties after Trey Alexander left the game. The offense stalled, and Meridian turned the ball over on downs. Nicol-Mills scored again on a short drive to extend the Mount Baker lead to 28-12 with nine minutes left in the third quarter. Monteith ran for a 14-yard touchdown later in the quarter, increasing the margin to 35-12 with under nine minutes remaining.

Meridian senior receiver Trevyn Crabtree caught a 32-yard pass from Brzozowski to cut the deficit. A successful two-point throw to Brennan made the score 35-20 with 5:24 left in the game. Meridian had the ball with less than three minutes remaining but could not score before the clock expired. Both teams now await the official seeding for the 1A Week 10 matchups, where every game is a winner-takes-all contest for a state playoff berth.