RECORD: 9-2 – COACH: Jamie Plenkovich
LEAGUE: 6-1 (2nd Place in the 2A/3A NWC)
CLASSIFICATION: 3A – Playoffs: Lost in 1st Round
POINTS PER GAME: 40.4 – POINTS ALLOWED PER GAME: 19.1
POINT DIFFERENTIAL: +21.3
GAME BY GAME:
Week 1: Ferndale 49, Notre Dame (BC) 21
Week 2: Ferndale 35, Sehome 29
Week 3: Ferndale 62, Garfield 12
Week 4: Ferndale 55, Burlington-Edison 14
Week 5: Ferndale 41, Squalicum 14
Week 6: Ferndale 55, Sedro Woolley 14
Week 7: Ferndale 56, Bellingham 0
Week 8: Lynden 49, Ferndale 14
Week 9: Ferndale 55, Anacortes 13
State Play-In Game: Ferndale 22, Hazen 16
State Playoffs: 1st Round: Bellevue 28, Ferndale 0
In 2012, the Golden Eagles came off a disappointing 5-5 season, and the coaches and players were focused on turning things around. They averaged eight more points per game, and the winning ways were back in Ferndale.
Replacing three-year starting quarterback Jake Frost was no easy task, but junior Cooper Clark was up for it. He completed 21 passes for 386 yards and five touchdowns, while rushing for a touchdown.
Clark has a bushel of backs to hand the ball off to, with senior Alex Conley being the main one. Conley finished with 1331 yards (8.7 average) and an eye-popping 27 touchdowns. He was named All-League 1st Team, and nabbed an All-State 2nd Team selection. Senior Hank Hilts had great size (6-1 215) and he powered his way to 682 yards on the ground (6.9) and nine touchdowns. Senior Richmond Baardson was electric every time he touched the ball, gaining 615 yards (8.5) and six touchdowns. Junior Anthony Fleck and senior Daniel Ewald each gained over 200 yards on the ground.
While Ferndale didn’t look to pass often, when it did it looked to Baardson. It was his second season leading the team in receiving, and he caught 10 passes for 248 yards (24.8) and three scores. Senior tight end Cameron Massey caught five passes for 58 yards (11.6) and one touchdown.
The offensive line enjoyed pushing the opposition around, clearing the way for 56 touchdowns on the ground. 6-foot-3 200-pound senior Kameron McKay stood out on the line, and was named both All-League 1st Team and All-State 1st Team. 6-foot-0 225-pound senior Cameron Ivy was a returning starter and was named All-League 2nd Team.
McKay also anchored the defensive line, being named All-League 1st Team, and he was joined by Massey at defensive end. Ivy was named All-League 1st Team at linebacker, and he was joined by Ewald and senior Sam Alexander. But, the strength of the defense was the secondary, also known as “The Sharks”: Conley, Clark, Baardson, Fleck and juniors Joey Akers, and Robert Hardin. Conley was named All-League 1st Team, Clark was an All-League 2nd Team pick and Baardson exploded onto his opponents with his terrorizing hits.
Senior Wyatt Dunn hit on 53 extra points, but the great special teams didn’t end there as Clark returned a punt for a touchdown against Burlington-Edison and Baardson returned a punt for a touchdown against Bellingham.
