Coach: Robb Myhre, 18th season with Nooksack Valley (93-84)
Home Field: Sid Lambert Field at Nooskack Valley High School
Last Season: 5-5 (3-3 NWC)
Key Losses: WR/LB Jeremy Dykes; RB/LB Colton Kautz; WR/DB Michael O’Bryan; OL/DL Evan Blankers.
Top Returnees: WR/LB Kyle Veldman; QB/OLB Casey Bauman; OL/DL Kirk Veldman; OL/DL/P Luke Winter; RB/OLB Tre Silva; WR/OLB Austin O’Bryan.
- Kyle Veldman – Wide Receiver/Inside Linebacker
As steady as they come, Veldman is nearing 100 catches in his career, and is one of the most feared hitters in Whatcom County. How many players in Whatcom County history have been named All-League 1st Team on both sides of the ball for three years in a row? Only five. And he could be the first player ever to be named All-League 1st Team wide receiver three years in a row!
2. Casey Bauman – Quarterback/Outside Linebacker
What can you say about Casey that hasn’t already been said? He could break every career passing record in Whatcom County by the end of the 2017. He’s accepted a scholarship to play quarterback at Montana State. But, what you might not know is that he led the Pioneers in interceptions last season, playing a limited role on defense.
3. Kirk Veldman – Tackle/Nose Guard
A rare four-year starter on the offensive line, Veldman is a load at offensive tackle. He has size (280 pounds), strength (benches over 300 pounds) and his experience is extremely valuable. He could join Dante Aure as the only players in school history to be named All-League 1st Team at offensive line three years in a row.
4. Luke Winter – Left Guard/Defensive End/Punter
He’s one of the strongest players that Nooksack Valley has ever had, and it shows on the field. A force on both sides of the line, and he was also the leading punter in the league last season.
Fastest Players: Tre Silva, Evan Neitling and Austin O’Bryan.
Strongest Players: Luke Winter and Kirk Veldman.
Smartest Player: Casey Bauman
Who will be Nooksack Valley’s breakout player?
Baylor Galley
Extreme quickness will help Galley see the field quite a bit in 2017, and he could make a big impact in the Pioneer passing game. He also comes from good genes, his father Matt Galley was one of the best Sehome Mariners in the decade of the 1990’s.
2016 RESULTS
Blaine 35, Nooksack Valley 21
Nooksack Valley 46, Granite Falls 21
Nooksack Valley 47, Coupeville 14
Mount Baker 44, Nooksack Valley 36
Nooksack Valley 47, Meridian 34
Nooksack Valley 35, Lynden Christian 32
Mount Baker 57, Nooksack Valley 36
Meridian 47, Nooksack Valley 20
Nooksack Valley 32, Lynden Christian 21
Lakewood 27, Nooksack Valley 26
2017 SCHEDULE
09/01 – Blaine – 7 PM
09/08 – at Granite Falls – 7 PM
09/15 – Coupeville – 7 PM
09/22 – Mount Baker – 7 PM
09/29 – at Meridian – 7 PM
10/06 – Lynden Christian – 7 PM
10/13 – at Mount Baker – 7 PM
10/20 – Meridian – 7 PM
10/27 – at Lynden Christian – 7 PM
Is this the year the Pioneers will shine? Could it be? Will it be? All signs point to a resounding “YES!” The Nooksack Valley team has had several years to grow as a unit, with many three year starters returning; and speaking of growth, a new weight room has kept players pumped all summer.
Leading the way will be senior quarterback, Casey Bauman. He has all the tools; size (6-6, 220), the big arm and the stats, but what he needs now is a post-season appearance. The Montana State-bound signal caller is poised to break numerous Whatcom County career passing records this season and is worth the admission alone to watch him throw the ball down the field.
Senior Tre Silva moves from wide receiver to running back to take over for the graduated Colton Kautz. “Tre is a completely different runner than Colton,” Coach Robb Myhre said. “Colton could run defenders over, and Tre is a glider. He’s the fastest player on our team, and he makes it look easy, but he probably won’t break as many tackles as Colton did.”
With Silva moving to running back, and the graduation of Michael O’Bryan, there are a few openings in the Nooksack Valley receiving corps. Seniors Kyle Veldman and Jordan Veening return, along with junior Austin O’Bryan. They will be joined by senior Levi TenKley, juniors Evan Neitling and Baylor Galley and sophomore Ryan Veening.
The left side of the offensive line is solidified with senior standouts Kirk Veldman at tackle and Luke Winter at guard. Both players bench over 300 pounds and have offers to play at Eastern Oregon University. However, the big issue for the Pioneers going into this season was finding three new starters to fill out the rest of the line. 220-pound junior Hayden Hester has nailed down the center spot, and right guard will be filled by 240-pound senior Colton Hickey. Junior Landon Bruland (180 lbs) has the edge at right tackle, but he’s being pushed by sophomore Easton Zylstra.
Kirk Veldman will line up at nose guard, and he will be flanked along the defensive line by Winter and Bruland. The hard-hitting Kyle Veldman (now at 215 pounds) is back at inside linebacker for the third year in a row. Junior Cooper Clawson and sophomore Dane Winter are battling to see who will line up next to Veldman. Silva is at one outside linebacker spot, with O’Bryan and Bauman sharing duties on the other side.
Galley and Jordan Veening will be the corners, with senior Connor Passe getting a good look there as well. Neitling has tremendous athleticism and he will team up with the instinctive TenKley at safety. Senior Brennan Blankers will also see time at safety. The kicking duties are still being decided, and it’s between senior soccer player Uriel Lopez, and freshman Scout Whittern. Luke Winter will handle the punting again.
The tri-town district of Nooksack, Everson and Sumas is all “a buzz” about this year’s Pioneers. The talent is there, now it’s time to show it on the field.
2017 Roster
| No. | Player | Ht. | Wt. | Yr. | Pos. |
| 1 | Adam Dugger | 5-11 | 190 | Jr. | TE/LB |
| 2 | Casey Bauman | 6-6 | 220 | Sr. | QB/ LB |
| 3 | Kyle Long | 5-6 | 130 | So. | WR/ LB |
| 4 | Brennan Blankers | 5-9 | 155 | Sr. | WR/LB |
| 5 | Nick Averys | 5- 11 | 155 | Jr. | WR/CB |
| 7 | Evan Neitling | 5-9 | 160 | Jr. | RB/DB |
| 10 | Keldon Weidkamp | 5-9 | 155 | So. | QB/ LB |
| 11 | Halston Boersema | 6-1 | 140 | Jr. | WR/ DB |
| 12 | Colton Clayton Brower | 5-7 | 140 | Fr. | QB/DB |
| 14 | Baylor Galley | 5-9 | 150 | Jr. | WR/ DB |
| 15 | Austin O’Bryan | 5-8 | 170 | Jr. | WR/ LB |
| 20 | Connor Passe | 6-1 | 155 | Sr. | WR/LB |
| 21 | Cameron Bauman | 5-11 | 150 | So. | WR/ LB |
| 22 | Devin Lackey | 5-7 | 155 | Jr. | RB/ LB |
| 23 | Braden Leyba | 5-9 | 150 | So. | RB/LB |
| 25 | Tre Silva | 5-9 | 160 | Sr. | WR/DB |
| 27 | Kyle Veldman | 6-0 | 215 | Sr. | WR/LB |
| 28 | Ryan Veening | 6-3 | 205 | So. | WR/ LB |
| 31 | Travis Cunningham | 5-8 | 150 | So. | WR/ DB |
| 34 | Cole Eldridge | 5-11 | 160 | So. | WR/DB |
| 42 | Jordan Whittaker | 5-8 | 145 | Fr. | RB/LB |
| 44 | Kaden Sherwood | 5-10 | 190 | So. | OL/LB |
| 51 | Hayden Hester | 5-9 | 220 | Jr. | C/ DT |
| 52 | Easton Zylstra | 5-11 | 200 | So. | T/ DE |
| 53 | Clawson Alex | 5-7 | 230 | Fr. | T/DT |
| 55 | Luke Winter | 6-1 | 230 | Sr. | G/ DE |
| 56 | Dane Winter | 5-9 | 180 | So. | G/ LB |
| 57 | Jordan Prink | 6-0 | 225 | Jr. | G/ DT |
| 60 | Levi Harlan | 6-1 | 205 | So. | T/ DE |
| 61 | Colton Hickey | 6-3 | 240 | Sr. | G/ DE |
| 62 | Cy Encinias | 6-3 | 260 | Jr. | T/DT |
| 64 | Hunter Morgan | 5-6 | 170 | So. | C/DT |
| 65 | Landon Bruland | 6-3 | 180 | Jr. | T/ DE |
| 66 | Conner Bruland | 5-9 | 150 | So. | G/ DE |
| 68 | Kirk Veldman | 6-1 | 280 | Sr. | T/DT |
| 72 | Mason Lentz | 6-0 | 260 | So. | OL/DT |
| 73 | Chase Regier | 6-0 | 230 | Jr. | OL/DT |
| 74 | Joey Leazer | 6-1 | 220 | Jr. | G/DT |
| 78 | Cooper Clawson | 5-8 | 190 | Jr. | G/ LB |
| 79 | Devon Huskey | 5-11 | 280 | Sr. | C/DT |
| 80 | Scout Whittern | 5-11 | 155 | Fr. | WR/DB |
| 81 | Clancy Coppinger | 6-3 | 150 | So. | WR/ LB |
| 82 | Jordan Veening | 6-5 | 190 | Sr. | WR/DB |
| 86 | Levi Tenkley | 6-0 | 160 | Sr. | WR/CB |
| 87 | Caden Wade | 5-4 | Sr.0 | Fr. | WR/DB |
| 88 | Jeff Boykin | 5-5 | 145 | Fr. | WR/LB |
| NA | Teddy Martin | 5-10 | 160 | Fr. | OG/DE |
| NA | Liam Carter | 5-11 | 165 | Fr. | T/DE |
| NA | Abell-Hopkins Quantrell Tremaine | 5-10 | 160 | Fr. | QB/ LB |
| NA | Felipe Castaneda | 5-6 | 150 | Fr. | WR/LB |
| NA | Aiden Conner | 5-9 | 140 | Fr. | WR/DB |
| NA | Jacob Franson | 5-7 | 155 | Fr. | G/LB |
| NA | Mathew Lankhaar | 5-6 | Sr.0 | Fr. | WR/DB |
| NA | Uriel Lopez | 5-6 | 150 | Sr. | WR/K |
| NA | Brady Peninger | 5-8 | 130 | Fr. | WR/DB |
| NA | Tyler Perez | 6-0 | 145 | Fr. | WR/DB |
| NA | Alex Theisen | 5-4 | 130 | Fr. | WR/DB |