SPORTS

Soccer girls second in NCC
Blaine completed a three-game week at the Pipe in North Cascades Conference girls’ soccer action with a no nonsense 2-0 win over Mt. Baker on October 13, a 12-0 rout of Granite Falls on October 10 and a tough 2-0 loss to Sultan on October 9.
The 2-for-3 record put the Lady B’s in a tie for second place in the NCC with Sultan with three regular season games left.
Ten Lady Bs accounted for Blaine’s dozen goals against Granite Falls. Kimberly Harmening led the Borderite scoring binge, with three goals. Ainsley Nix, Krista Jones, Kristina Francis, Linsey Taylor, Anna Sticklin, Kate Lawrenson, Ashley Oldaker, Brenda Jones and Lori Robertson each added to the rout.
The Baker game was a ferocious affair. The Mountaineers, a much better team than their 5-9 record suggests, lost a couple of early games on shootouts, had a 3-0 win over Sultan, and were just edged 1-0 by Blaine in mid-September.
Kate Lawrenson converted a pass from Krista Jones into Blaine’s first goal at 22 minutes of the first half and Ainsley Nix scored an insurance goal on a pass from Ashley Oldaker three minutes into the second half. Shela Robertson got the shutout – her fifth.
The top six teams in the NCC at regular season’s end enter a six-team NCC district playoff tournament with the top three teams in the tourney advancing to State. Judging from performances up to the present, Meridian, Sultan and Blaine are favored to represent the NCC at State. But anything can happen in a playoff series, happenings like upsets, for instance..

Neil's Notes
Coulter Returns
Blaine’s Grace Coulter, recovering from a serious bronchial infection, ran a 19:56 to finish fifth for the Borderite girls and Alden Walcon ran a 17:16 to be sixth for the boys in the 5K Borderline Invitational at Berthusen Park on October 11. The Borderline includes Whatcom County and Canadian schools.
Vangie Gorsuch clocked a 25:01 to come 52nd and sister Esther Gorsuch, a 30:31 to finish 79th for the Lady Bs. Dan Balmer was 44th in 19:29; Kenneth Cunningham, 110th in 22:32; Garrett Highley, 111th in 23:03 and Matt Ashmore, 117th in 23:59 for the Borderite boys.
Wins for Bianchi and Sanders
The Borderites lost 5-2 to Bellingham on October 9 and 5-2 to Squalicum on October 11 at Blaine in boys’ non-conference tennis action.
Blaine’s two points in both the Bellingham and Squalicum encounters came in No. 1 and No. 2 singles. Scott Bianchi downed B’ham’s Brian Beaumont 6-1, 7-5 and defeated Squalicum’s Dan Merz 6-3, 6-3 in No. 1 singles. Grant Sanders took three sets to defeat B’ham’s Jon Haglund 5-7, 6-0, 6-4 and Squalicum’s Micah Ganz 6-0, 4-6, 7-6 (3) in No. 2 singles.
Five V-Ball Kills
Blaine dropped a pair of away games, losing 3-0 (15-2, 16-14, 15-2) to Nooksack Valley on October 11 at NV and 3-1 to South Whidbey on October 9 at Langley in North Cascades Conference volleyball action. Becky Riddle had five kills and Christina Beljean was perfect serving for the Lady B’s in the Pioneer encounter.
Coston Qualifies
Semiahmoo pro Jeff Coston shot a final round 72 to tie Paul Trittler of Scottsdale, AZ for fourth place and earn $7,500 at the Western PGA Club Professional Championship at The PGA of Southern California Golf Club in Calimesa, CA on October 14. Coston had a cumulative total of 73-70-75-72 – 290 in the four-day tournament. Most importantly, Coston’s fourth place finish qualified him for the 35th annual PGA Club Professional Championship in Louisville, KY in June 2002. .

Borderites top Mountaineers
Mt. Baker overcame an early 12-0 Blaine lead to defeat the Borderites 28-12 in North Cascades Conference football on October 12 at Deming.
The win left Baker in a tie for third place with Meridian and Blaine yoked with Sultan in fifth spot.
Blaine’s Zeth Simpson opened the scoring, ripping and zipping his way for a 40-yard TD excursion in Q1 and got his and Blaine’s second TD in Q2 on a 68-yard punt return. MB RB Justin Brown scored from a 26-yards TD for Baker just before the half, which ended 12-7, Blaine. Both Borderite PAT attempts – a kick and a run – failed and MB’s kick went through.
Baker’s opening drive in Q3 was terminated by a David Borden interception, but two plays later MB linebacker Dan Horsmon scooped up a Blaine fumble and went 10 yards for a TD to put the Mountaineers in the lead. A second Blaine fumble in Q3 set up a 39-yard TD jaunt by Brown. MB added a final TD as QB Brendan Rasmussen connected with Mike Rawlings for a 37-yard TD of the airborne kind.
Rasmussen hit 5-of-7 passes for 190 yards for MB, while the Baker anti-air defense made the skies above Bob Tisdale Field extremely unfriendly, Blaine netting but two yards passing. With running back Matt Timothy hobbled by hip hurts and unable to play, Blaine was deprived of its major offensive weapon – its twin back attack.
Baker’s Brown and Blaine’s Simpson, the top two 2A ground-gainers in the county, matched mileage fairly closely. Brown picked up 158 yards in 24 carries and Simpson gained 145 in 21 rushes.
Blaine (2-3) play Granite Falls (0-6) at Borderite Field on October 19 at 7:30 p.m.

Local students earn their pips
Blaine high school graduate Steve Furno and students Jaime Fisher, Christina Jacobson and Galina Ryzhkova received the Juror’s Choice award for their artwork entries at the Puyallup Fair. The entries were judged by a panel of professional art educators from Washington state during the fair September 7-23, 2001.

Western Washington University recently released the names of 1,589 graduates who earned their bachelor’s degrees or master’s degrees and were awarded diplomas at the conclusion of spring quarter 2001.
From Blaine: Kevin M. Anderson, Andrea J. Brocato, Janel Marie Chaput, Leanna Mary Freal, Jodi Kalani Green, Clarence LaVerne Harper, Lauri K. Lear, Arthur John Moul, Dee K. Robinson, Holli Laine Rook, Michael Scott Ulrich earned bachelor of arts degrees, Kelly Ann Ulrich earned a bachelor of arts in education, Irina V. Odushkin a bachelor of science degree and Marea Dawn Bouma a masters of
education.

Back to Top