See game recap below 

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Mount Baker Captures First Ever State Finals Berth
By Colin Caruso

The first Saturday game in the Tacoma Dome hosted the one loss Mount Baker Mountaineers against the undefeated Cascade Christian Cougars for a trip to the 1A state finals on December 7th. The first half saw back and forth action, with Mount Baker capitalizing on two fumbles by the Cougars and turning those into 14 points.

Mount Baker looked to be the more aggressive and energetic side early on, but Cascade Christian stuck to their game plan and continued to execute on deep passing plays to keep the game within a touchdown after the first half. Mount Baker led 21-14 at halftime on the back of two rushing touchdowns from Izaiha Shwinde.

Defense was seemingly the focal point for both coaches at half because the defenses on both sides heated up in the third quarter. No score from either team allowed Mount Baker to hold their seven point lead going into the fourth.

The Mountaineers struck early in the fourth quarter on another Shwinde run, his third of the contest, to take a comfortable 28-14 lead with just under 11:30 to play in the contest. But Cascade Christian wasn’t done yet; on their heels and needing a score, quarterback Jaelin Goldsmith rushed five yards up the middle for his second rushing touchdown on the day, putting his team within one score of the Mountaineers.

The Cougar defense held strong and forced a punt from Mount Baker, getting the ball back with 89 yards to go and just under six minutes to play. Cascade Christian put together a spectacular drive, marching all 89 yards and scoring on a Hunter Austin 5 yard run to tie the contest with 1:39 remaining, and ultimately sending the game to overtime.

Cascade Christian got the ball first in the extra frame but could not crack the stingy Mount Baker defense who forced a turnover on downs. Mount Baker started their possession from the 25 yard line, needing any score to win the game. After a big 11 yard Andrew Zender rush on their first play, Mount Baker was in field goal range. After three downs that resulted in no gain, Alex Tyska stepped up for a 28 yard field goal and smashed it through the uprights for the win. Mount Baker will now play in the Washington state 1A final on Saturday, December 7th.

Top Performers:
Mount Baker
Andrew Zender – 23 carries for 106 yards, TD
Izaiha Schwinde – 15 carries for 71 yards, 3TD

Cascade Christian
Jaelin Goldsmith – 14/27 for 179 yards, 1TD. 7 carries for 32 yards, 2TD