Coach: Ron Lepper, 22nd season with Mount Baker (156-68)
Home Field: Bob Tisdale Field at Mount Baker High School
Last Season: 10-1 (6-0 NWC)
Key Losses: RB/LB Jed Schleimer; TE/DL T.J. Bass; K Jonathan Ehlers; OL/DL Maxwell Tolman; DB William Pilat; OL/DL Gene Fleming.
Top Returnees: WR/S Thomas Barbo; RB/CB Carson Engholm; RB/LB Carson Brandland; RB/KR Junior Camacho; QB/CB Kaleb Bass; OL/DE Luke Steeves; OL/DE Kyler Steeves; OL/LB Noah Rathjen; OL/LB Jay Allen.
- Thomas Barbo – Wide Receiver/Safety/Punter
He’s already the school’s all-time leading receiver, he can really put his record out of reach. It’s also rare that anyone will get behind him when he’s playing safety, now he will add punting to his game.
2. Carson Engholm – Running Back/Cornerback
He looks to become the fifth player in school history to reach 3000 rushing yards in his career. He also picked off two passes last season on defense.
3. Carson Brandland – Running Back/Outside Linebacker
The most consistent player on the team. He can play all three running back spots, and will be the backup quarterback. On defense he will be all over the field, and doesn’t need to be subbed out in passing situations.
4. Kaleb Bass – Quarterback/Cornerback
He broke all of the school’s sophomore passing records a year ago, and he has Barbo coming back. This will be his first time playing defense on the varsity level, but he should be able to handle it.
Fastest Players: Kobee Malone and Carson Engholm.
Strongest Players: Braeden Shannon, Luke Steeves and Kyler Steeves.
Smartest Players: Hayden Linderman, Thomas Barbo, Jason Lee and Kaleb Bass.
Who will be Mount Baker’s breakout player?
Sam Barrett – Running Back/Linebacker
It seems that almost every season a new running back shows up in Deming, and runs for over 1000 yards. Could it be Barrett this season?
2016 RESULTS
Mount Baker 38, Roosevelt 35
Mount Baker 62, Kelowna, BC 8
Mount Baker 56, Port Townsend 7
Mount Baker 44, Nooksack Valley 36
Mount Baker 51, Lynden Christian 7
Mount Baker 41, Meridian 28
Mount Baker 57, Nooksack Valley 36
Mount Baker 42, Lynden Christian 12
Mount Baker 49, Meridian 7
Mount Baker 41, Sultan 0
Mount Baker 39, Hoquiam 14
LaCenter 25, Mount Baker 13
2017 SCHEDULE
09/01 – Roosevelt – 7 PM (at Meridian)
09/08 – at Kelowna (BC) – 4 PM
09/15 – at Port Townsend – 7 PM
09/22 – at Nooksack Valley – 7 PM
09/29 – Lynden Christian – 7 PM
10/06 – at Meridian – 7 PM
10/13 – Nooksack Valley – 7 PM
10/20 – at Lynden Christian – 7 PM
10/27 – Meridian – 7 PM
How do you replace Jed Schleimer, who scored more touchdowns in his high school career (86) than anyone in Whatcom County history? How do you replace T.J Bass, who at 6-foot-5 and 266 pounds was an unstoppable force on defense, racking up 24 sacks? To the Mountaineers, it’s simple; the same way that they replaced Chad Cohn, Kolton Zender and Liam Short over the past few seasons. The next man up has to earn it.
“We don’t feel entitled,” Coach Ron Lepper said about his team winning the conference championship the past five seasons. “We have to continue to go out and prove ourselves. We can’t get caught up in all the outside stuff. We just need to play Mount Baker football.”
Junior Kaleb Bass returns at quarterback after completing 60 passes for 1337 yards and 14 touchdowns to only five interceptions last season. More will be put on his shoulders this season, but he should be able to handle it.
Senior running back Carson Engholm has had a great career thus far (2244 rushing yards and 26 touchdowns), and this will be the first season as the featured running back. He will be joined in the backfield by fellow senior, Carson Brandland, who ran for 262 yards (11.4 yards per carry!) and a pair of scores. The third running back spot is still up for grabs with senior Junior Camacho battling it out with juniors Sam Barrett and Kobee Malone.
Senior wide receiver Thomas Barbo comes into the season as the school’s all-time leading receiver. He has the ability to beat you deep, run underneath patterns or just plain go get the ball at its highest point on a fade route. “I’ll line him up against anyone” Lepper said, speaking about his 6-foot-2 standout receiver. Junior Michael Kentner could also see some time split out wide, along with seniors Zandy Zender and Chase Barter. Senior Hayden Linderman will start at tight end, and is being backed up by sophomore Waylon Kentner.
The offensive line will look the most different from last season. Senior twins Luke Steeves and Kyler Steeves return with the most experience, and they will be the guards. 256-pound junior Braeden Shannon will take over at center, with junior Noah Rathjen starting at right tackle. Junior Jay Allen, who has played running back the past two seasons, has sacrificed for the team and will take over at left tackle. Junior Logan Sanday will also fit into the mix up front from time to time.
1995 Mount Baker graduate Tom Horsmon is now in his 20th season as the defensive coordinator, and he has some nice pieces to play with. “We have a lot of linebackers, a lot of really good ones,” Horsmon said. “In the past we’ve moved up a safety now and then to play linebacker. Now I have the kind of linebackers that I can move all around the field against some of these great passing teams that we play against.”
Shannon’s strength will help give that push in the interior part of the defensive line, and that will match well with the relentlessness of the Steeves twins as the defensive ends. “Luke and Kyler will never have to worry about being successful after high school,” said Horsmon. “Those kids are hard workers, they’re coachable, they’re competitive and they just go.”
Brandland (seven quarterback harasses), Rathjen (4.5 tackles for loss), Linderman (2.5 sacks) and Allen (five tackles for loss) are all back at linebacker from last season, and waiting in the wings are Barrett and the Kentner brothers.
Engholm is back at cornerback, and combines great speed with top-notch tackling ability. Bass, Camacho and Malone are challenging each other to start at the other cornerback spot. Barbo is back at free safety, after breaking up nine passes and intercepting two last season. Sophomore Jason Lee will start the season as the kicker, until senior Roberto Garcia is eligible to play. Barbo will handle the punting duties.
The Mounties have established quite the tradition during this decade, and they know they have to earn it if they want to continue winning conference championships. If they can do it again this year, I think that will let everyone else in the county know that they are the team to beat going forward.
2017 Roster
| No. | Player | Ht. | Wt. | Yr. | Pos. |
| 3 | Kobee Malone | 5-8 | 150 | Jr. | RB/DB |
| 4 | Mason Jacoby | 6-0 | 140 | Fr. | QB/DB |
| 5 | Zandy Zender | 5-10 | 151 | Sr. | WR/DB |
| 9 | Carson Brandland | 5-11 | 162 | Sr. | QB/LB |
| 10 | Jordan Craker | 5-11 | 140 | So. | QB/DB |
| 11 | Chris Van Liew | 5-8 | Sr.7 | So. | WR/DB |
| 12 | Kaleb Bass | 5-10 | 156 | Jr. | QB/DB |
| 19 | Michael Kentner | 6-2 | 170 | Jr. | WR/DB |
| 22 | Mark Tikhonov | 5-9 | 147 | So. | RB/LB |
| 23 | Colton Knutzon | 5-9 | 140 | So. | RB?LB |
| 24 | Carson Engholm | 6-0 | 171 | Sr. | RB/DB |
| 26 | Junior Camacho | 5-9 | 166 | Sr. | RB/DB |
| 30 | Anthony Binchus | 5-8 | 154 | So. | WR/DB |
| 31 | Jason Lee | 5-11 | 172 | So. | RB/DB |
| 32 | Thomas Barbo | 6-2 | 197 | Sr. | RB/LB |
| 33 | Vincent Figueroa | 5-10 | 144 | So. | RB/LB |
| 34 | Sam Barrett | 5-9 | 172 | Jr. | RB/LB |
| 44 | Hayden Linderman | 5-10 | 182 | Sr. | TE/LB |
| 51 | Jay Allen | 6-1 | 187 | Jr. | OL/LB |
| 52 | Luke Steeves | 5-11 | 185 | Sr. | OL/DL |
| 55 | Noah Rathjen | 5-8 | 214 | Jr. | OL/LB |
| 56 | Braeden Shannon | 5-10 | 256 | Jr. | OL/DL |
| 57 | J.J. Kalsbeek | 5-9 | 211 | Jr. | OL/DL |
| 58 | Owyn Alvino-Vance | 5-8 | 181 | Jr. | OL/DL |
| 59 | Anthony Hadeen | 5-8 | 152 | Jr. | OL/DL |
| 60 | Roberto Garcia | 5-10 | 224 | Sr. | OL/DL |
| 61 | Cade Beason | 6-3 | 200 | So. | OL/DL |
| 66 | Cody Saulsbury | 5-11 | 221 | So. | OL/DL |
| 67 | Kyler Steeves | 5-11 | 166 | Sr. | OL/DL |
| 72 | Carson Hatch | 5-10 | 235 | Jr. | OL/DL |
| 76 | Kanin Moa | 5-11 | 232 | So. | OL/DL |
| 78 | Adam Harrington | 6-2 | 217 | Jr. | OL/DL |
| 79 | Logan Sanday | 6-1 | 216 | Jr. | OL/DL |
| 80 | Chase Barter | 6-0 | 174 | Sr. | WR/DB |
| 86 | Waylon Kentner | 6-2 | 186 | So. | TE/LB |