The past year was full of lasting memories of triumph for Blaine athletics. The year saw Blaine athletes take home state and district championship trophies, All-State honors bestowed and records broken. Read on for a recounting of some of Blaine’s biggest sports accomplishments from 2025.
• Competitive cheer qualified for the state championships at Battle Ground High School January 24-25, with the team earning its third consecutive state qualification. The team finished fifth at state.
• The senior class of Blaine boys wrestlers were honored with a final home win on January 21, defeating Mt. Baker 45-36.
• Girls bowling earned a spot in the 1A state championships and finished the regular season as 1A/2A District champions on January 28. The team placed 11th at the 1A State Championships on February 8.
• Blaine wrestling left districts at Squalicum High School with first place for boys and second place for girls.
• Blaine wrestling sent 15 wrestlers from its boys and girls teams to compete in the Mat Classic state championship on February 23 at the Tacoma Dome. Five Blaine wrestlers placed on the podium at state; Blaine senior Otto Shelton placed third in the 1A heavyweight division, and Makenna Lausier placed second in her division.
• After five years as assistant coach, Riley Miller took over head coaching duties for Blaine girls softball, replacing her father, Sean Miller. Blaine softball won its first game of the season 27-4 over Orcas Island on March 20.
• Senior Jaiden Paez earned a First Team All-State selection for his stellar 2024 season as running back for Blaine football. Paez racked up 1,815 rushing yards on 213 carries and 23 rushing touchdowns en route to one of Blaine’s best football seasons in recent memory.
• Track and field hosted its first home meet of the 2025 season on April 2, with five Borderites – Kaitlyn Ritter Von Trautmann, Brietta Sandell, AJ Anthony-Bennett, Makenna Lausier and Lydia Ayala – earning first place finishes.
• Blaine baseball won six straight games in April, beating numerous Northwest Conference rivals and outscoring six opponents by a combined score of 26-2.
• Blaine boys soccer celebrated senior night on April 17 with a 3-0 win over Mt. Baker and goals from Isaiah Zuch, Logan Villarreal and Christian Sanchez.
• Blaine baseball’s winning streak was ended by Mt. Vernon on April 29, with MLB prospect Xavier Neyes hitting a pair of home runs to beat the Borderites.
• Girls golf sent three players – Marcella Bring, Thora Engen and Hannah Phelps-McDonald – to the 1A State Golf Championship on May 20 after finishing in second place as a team at the district playoffs.
• Three Blaine girls tennis players qualified for state following wins over Meridian and Nooksack Valley on May 15. Ana Tuski qualified as the lone singles player, and Bea Dickson and Carly Saunders qualified as doubles partners.
• Track and field showed out at the 1A District 1/2 Championships on May 24, with nine athletes advancing to the 1A State Championships in Yakima. Both boys and girls 4x100-meter relay teams qualified for state, along with Kaitlyn Ritter Von Trautmann earning a spot in the 200-meter sprint.
• Six Borderites were named to All-Northwest Conference teams at the end of the spring season. Shaylie Daniels (softball), Evan Yates and Josh Cochran (baseball), and brothers Max and Dima Yuryev (soccer) were all honored for their contributions over the season.
• Blaine freshman Ruby Belarmino scored a pair of goals to beat Northwest Conference rival Nooksack Valley 4-3 on September 23. Halfway through the fall sports season, Belarmino led the Borderites with 10 goals, good for fourth on the conference leaderboard, leading all freshmen.
• The Borderite Hall of Fame Class of 2025 inducted Jacquie Robbins, Stan Bianchi, Phillip Claymore, Kristina (Francis) Thayer, Sherry (Hackman) Andersen, Tyler Swinburnson, Ryan Wallen, the 2005 boys golf team, and distinguished honorees Joan (Auld) Clair and Jack Bulger on October 1.
• Blaine football defeated Friday Harbor on the road on October 17, winning 42-21 and earning its second win of the season. Sophomore quarterback Connor Brown had one of his best games of the season, completing 22 of 27 passes for 316 yards and four touchdowns.
• Blaine cross-country runners Emmanuel Rios-Martinez and Steven Phelps-McDonald qualified for the 1A State Championship with solid performances at the Deming Logging Show Grounds on October 31.
• Blaine girls soccer qualified for the 1A state playoffs with a 2-0 win over Nooksack Valley on November 8. Junior forward Kate Koreski scored both goals for the Borderites and scored Blaine’s final three goals of the 1A District 1 tournament.
• Blaine swimmer Hailey Farrell won the 1A state title in the 500-yard freestyle competition on November 15. Farrell won with a time of 5:20.08, more than eight seconds faster than the runner-up.
• Boys basketball tipped off the winter season with a 77-23 home win over La Conner on December 2. Senior forward Landon Melton recorded a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds.
• Blaine wrestlers Cole Voight and Kiera O’Reilly each took first place in their divisions at the Spartan Winter Wrestlefest tournament in Stanwood on
December 6.
• Senior forward Landon Melton led Blaine boys basketball to a 67-62 victory over Bellingham on December 10, scoring a game-high of 21 points. The win was the Borderites’ first conference win on the season.
