KICKOFF RETURN LEADERS:

PUNT RETURN LEADERS:

When Nooksack Valley senior Kyle Veldman caught a 25-yard touchdown pass from Casey Bauman in the fourth quarter against Meridian it didn’t win the game, but it was a milestone catch. It was Veldman’s 100th of his career, making him the 16th player in Whatcom County history to do so. Former Pioneer, Mike Perez, was the first player to surpass 100 catches, and he ended his career with 112. Since then, he is the fourth player in school history to haul in 100 passes.

Here is the current career reception leaders of Whatcom County:

1. Blair Bomber, Lynden – 163
2. Mitchell Tripp, Meridian – 161
3. Jordan Wittenberg, Lynden – 159
4. Zach Vis, Lynden – 155
5. Ben Peterson, Squalicum – 151
6. Trey Handy, Nooksack Valley – 145
7. Ryan Van Diest, Lynden – 138
8. Anthony Ball, Blaine – 135
9. Todd Bird, Blaine – 131
10. Trevor Chau, Blaine – 129
11. Mike Perez, Mount Baker/Nooksack Valley – 112
12. Dirk Dallas, Lynden – 111
13. Kyle Handy, Nooksack Valley – 105
14. Dominic Chambers, Meridian – 103
15. Michael O’Bryan, Nooksack Valley – 103
16. Kyle Veldman, Nooksack Valley – 100
17. Justin Brann, Lynden – 99
18. Anthony Reese, Nooksack Valley – 97
19. Greg Wright, Blaine – 96
20. Luke Christianson, Lynden – 96

My favorite era of Whatcom County high school football will always be the mid-90’s, especially the Whatcom County League. It’s what made me love high school football in this area. It’s the era that I played in. And, to me, it will always be an incredibly special time. Two players that embodied that era were Michael Ames and Britt Lentz. Arguably, they were respectively the best lineman and skill player while I played. So, because of that, they will always have the elevated level of greatness… at least to me. But, they WERE great! Allow me to explain how great…

Ames was nearly a flawless offensive lineman. He was strong, he was quick and he was smart. The 1996 graduate of Meridian made it look easy, and helped take a team that went from 0-9 and two years later get them to the Tacoma Dome. A three-year starter, he was named All-League Honorable Mention as a sophomore (on the team that went 0-9). But, as a junior, he was named All-League 1st Team, and his Trojans narrowly missed the playoffs (thanks to a 200-plus yard, five TD performance by Lentz). As a senior he was named both All-League 1st Team and All-State 1st Team, and he couldn’t be matched by his peers. He would go on to play guard at Western Washington University, and will always be one of the greatest Trojans to ever play.

What can I say about Lentz? He was two years ahead of me, and he was the closest thing to a mythical creature as it got. At first, I had only read about this guy that ran for 296 yards against Blaine, and scored a bazillion touchdowns against Eatonville. But, watching him play in person was awe-inspiring. He was 6-foot-3 and 210 pounds. He could run through you, or he could run past you. It just depended on his mood (or maybe his angle). He was the first running back in Whatcom County history to be named All-State 1st Team twice! He was scoring 20 touchdowns a season before it became a realistic thing. Oh, and he was also a pretty darn good linebacker, a position that he would go on to play at Eastern Washington University.

The best thing about both of these individuals is that whether or not I would have started this web page, they would each treat me the exact same way, with tremendous respect. They are amazing people that always seem to have a huge smile on their face. There is a small handful of players that I say are responsible for me to do what I do, and these guys are among them.