What a difference a week can make.

Exactly seven days removed from suffering arguably their most disappointing defeat of the season, the Montesano Bulldogs sent shockwaves throughout the state with a 34-28 over top-ranked Nooksack Valley on Friday at Montesano High School.

“We’re just really proud of our kids,” Montesano head coach Terry Jensen said of the win. “I think our kids just had a great week of practice, probably our best week of practice all year. … It came to fruition tonight.”

The Bulldogs (5-3 overall) trailed at the half and heading into the fourth quarter, but made the clutch plays down the stretch to hand the Pioneers (6-2), the No. 1 WIAA RPI ranked team, their first loss against a 1A school this season.

Monte led 10-7 after one quarter on a short touchdown run by running back Terek Gunter and a 25-yard field goal off the boot of kicker Cris Tobar.

Nooksack took a 14-10 lead when quarterback Evan Brown hit receiver Cory Olney with a 25-yard touchdown pass with just over nine minutes to play in the first half.

Bulldogs junior receiver Toren Crites, who was unable to play in last week’s 16-13 loss to Rochester, made in impact when to caught a 56-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Tyson Perry. Tobar’s extra-point put Monte ahead 17-14 at the 7:29 mark of the second quarter.

But Monte would lose the lead just before the first-half buzzer as Pioneers standout running back Colton Lentz capped off a drive with a 1-yard plunge for a touchdown with just 15 seconds left in the frame, putting Nooksack Valley up 21-17 at the break.

The Pioneers caught a break when a pooch kick to open the third quarter was botched by the Monte receiving team. Nooksack recovered the ball and cashed in with another short Lentz run to take a 28-17 lead early in the third quarter.

That was the last time the Pioneers would set foot in the Monte end zone.

PHOTO BY FOREST WORGUM Montesano running back Terek Gunter (17) runs for a touchdown in the fourth quarter of a 34-28 win over Nooksack Valley on Friday at Jack Rottle Field in Montesano.

An 8-yard pass from Perry to Bulldogs receiver Mason Rasmussen for a score with less than a minute left in the third quarter cut the deficit to 28-23 heading to the fourth quarter.

Montesano had 1st-and-goal from the Pioneers’ 6-yard line, but failed to punch the ball into the end zone. Tobar would get Monte a little closer with his second field goal of the game, this time a 32-yarder to trim the Pioneers lead to 28-26 with just under seven minutes to play.

But Monte’s defense held as well after allowing Lentz’s third-quarter touchdown run, forcing a turnover on a fumble followed by two Pioneer possessions that ended in punts.

Perry and company would make the Pioneers pay.

One play after a Nooksack Valley punt put the ball on the Monte 33-yard line, Perry scrambled on what Jensen called “a broken play” and found Gunter, who turned up the right side, got some key downfield blocks from Rasmussen and Kole Kjesbu, and sprinted downfield for a 67-yard touchdown that brought the crowd to its feet.

Perry’s two-point conversion run put Monte ahead 34-28 with 4:25 left to play.

With Nooksack driving near midfield on the ensuing possession, it was Montesano defense that had its turn eliciting a roar from the Bulldog faithful.

A Lentz fumble was recovered by Monte senior linebacker Felix Romero, giving the Bulldogs offense the ball at the Pioneers’ 32-yard line, but more importantly, with less than three minutes to play in the game.

PHOTO BY FOREST WORGUM Montesano linebacker Felix Romero (15) recovers a fumble in the fourth quarter of a 34-28 win over Nooksack Valley on Friday at Jack Rottle Field in Montesano.

Monte ran off some clock before punting the ball over to the Pioneers at the Nooksack Valley 12-yard line with less than a minute to play.

The Pioneers were able to move the ball to their own 31-yard line, but time ran out as Monte upset last season’s state semifinalists, 34-28.

“Coming from that big disappointment from last Friday to this, just hats off to the staff and hats off to the kids,” Jensen said. “We had some adversity, we got behind, we just found ways to keep fighting. … We just continued to fight tonight and I just can’t say enough of how proud I am of our team, how they played and our coaches for getting them ready to play.”

Perry has his best throwing game of the season, going 25 for 37 for 362 yards, three touchdown and two interceptions for the Bulldogs.

The junior quarterback’s favorite target was Crites, who caught 12 passes for 172 yards and a touchdown before leaving the game with what Jensen said was a “tweaked shoulder” in the fourth quarter.

Lentz carried the ball 29 times for 172 yards for the Pioneers.

Both teams had four turnovers apiece, with Monte’s defense led by lineman Mason Fry (2 fumble recoveries, sack), Rasmussen (fumble rec., forced fumble) and Romero (fumble rec.)

White the non-league win does nothing for Montesano in the way of the league standings, a win over a Pioneers team expected to be in contention for a state-title berth whose only loss this season came to 2A No. 1 Tumwater means the Bulldogs can compete with the top teams in the state.

“They are definitely a talented team and are thinking they blew some chances with some of the turnovers tonight,” Jensen said of the Pioneers. “It was a pretty exciting night in Montesano tonight for sure.”

Monte wraps up the regular season by hosting Elma in the East County Civil War at 7 p.m. on Friday.

Nooksack Valley 7 14 7 0 – 28

Montesano 10 7 6 11 – 34

Scoring

First quarter

Montesano – Gunter 3 run (Tobar kick), 7:54

Nooksack Valley – Lentz 2 run (Martin kick), 4:01

M – Tobar 25 field goal, 0:44

Second quarter

NV – Olney 25 pass from Brown (Martin kick), 9:03

M – Crites 56 pass from Perry (Tobar kick), 7:29

NV – Lentz 1 run (Martin kick), 0:15

Third quarter

NV – Lentz 1 run (Martin kick), 8:26

M – Rasmussen 8 pass from Perry (conversion fail), 0:42

Fourth quarter

M – Tobar 32 field goal, 6:55

M – Gunter 67 pass from Perry (Perry run), 4:25

Passing: NV – Brown 8-19-0-91. M – Perry 25-37-2-362.

Rushing: NV – Lentz 29-172, Coppinger 2-15, Martin 5-8, Brown 2-5. M – Gunter 10-25, Perry 10-25, Timmons 4-24, Crites 3-6, Pyhala 2-2.

Receiving: NV – Olney 4-49, Bravo 2-15, Bauman 1-18, Coppinger 1-9. M – Crites 12-172, Rasmussen 7-72, Gunter 2-81, Hale 4-37.