RECORD: 14-0 – COACH: Bob Ames
LEAGUE: 3-0 (1st Place in 1A NWC)
CLASSIFICATION: 1A – Playoffs: State Champion
POINTS PER GAME: 35.4 – POINTS ALLOWED PER GAME: 11.1
POINT DIFFERENTIAL: +24.4
GAME BY GAME:
Week 1: Meridian 49, Lakeside-Seattle 0
Week 2: Meridian 61, Monte Vista (CA) 6
Week 3: Meridian 56, Sedro Woolley 0
Week 4: Meridian 26, Lynden Christian 6
Week 5: Meridian 35, Friday Harbor 14
Week 6: Meridian 14, Nooskack Valley 13
Week 7: Meridian 42, Lynden Christian 0
Week 8: Meridian 62, Sehome 52
Week 9: Meridian 42, Nooksack Valley 7
State Play-In Game: Meridian 27, Lynden Christian 6
State Playoffs: 1st Round: Meridian 21, LaCenter 8
State Quarterfinals: Meridian 21, Kalama 14
State Semifinals: Meridian 13, Royal 7
State Championship: Meridian 27, Connell 22
I know, I know…. this team won the State Championship, and went undefeated. A few games were pretty close, against sub-.500 teams, and this was the first year that Meridian was sent back down to the 1A ranks. They still took care of business, winning every game in 2006.
Senior quarterback Tyler Slesk won basically every award he could have. He was named All-League 1st Team, the League’s Offensive Player of the Year, All-State 1st Team and was the Class 1A State Player of the Year! He had one of the best seasons in Whatcom County history, completing 205 passes for 3048 yards, 40 touchdowns to only eight interceptions. He also ran for 419 yards and 10 touchdowns.
Senior Connor Herman ran for a team-high 935 yards (5.9 average) and six touchdowns while being named All-League 2nd Team. He shared the backfield with junior Sean Hurlbut who ran for 838 yards (5.6) and 11 touchdowns, caught 35 passes for 541 yards (15.5) and five touchdowns, and he was also named All-League 2nd Team.
Senior wide receiver Brett Himes led the Trojans with 57 receptions for 833 yards (14.6) and eight touchdowns, and he was named All-League 1st Team and All-State 2nd Team. Junior tight end Andrei Lintz was also named All-League 1st Team and All-State 1st Team. He caught 49 passes for 718 yards (14.7), and his 16 touchdown receptions still stands as the Whatcom County record for a tight end. Senior Jack Chambers caught 10 passes for 158 yards (15.8) and one score, and he was named All-League 2nd Team.
The offensive line was a force, and it was led my seniors Brian Vander Yacht and Joey Bezona. Both players were named All-League 1st Team, with Vander Yacht named All-State 1st Team and Bezona All-State 2nd Team. They were joined by fellow seniors Chris Appel and Steven Gunderson, who were each named All-League 2nd Team. The offense exploded for over 5400 yards, averaging 390 yards per game.
Lintz led the attack from his defensive line position, and he was named All-League 1st Team and All-State 2nd Team. Vander Yacht and Appel also starred on the defensive line, and were each named All-League 2nd Team. Bezona starred in the middle of the defense, and he was named All-League 1st Team, the League’s Defensive Player of the Year as well as All-State 1st Team. He was joined at linebacker by Herman and hard-hitting junior Cody Sorensen, both of whom were named All-League 2nd Team.
The secondary had a huge season, intercepting 22 passes. Hurlbut led the way with eight interceptions, and he was named All-League 1st Team and All-State 2nd Team. 6-foot-4 senior safety Caleb Hazel racked up five picks, and he was named All-League 2nd Team. Sophomore kicker Ryder Chance hit on 30 extra points and Lintz booted 19 extra points. Lintz also averaged 31.6 yards per punt. Hurlbut totaled 209 kickoff return yards and 197 punt return yards.