The Blaine fall sports season is nearing its end.
While each team showed tremendous grit and improvement throughout the year, none were able to secure a coveted spot in the 1A state tournament brackets, despite some late drama and close chances.
Football played twice in one week, including a rare “Kansas Tie Breaker,” a three-team, overtime-only playoff to determine who goes to the 1A state tournament. Girls soccer made it one game away from a chance to play for a state playoff berth, cross-country posted some of its best times of the season at the 1A Districts in Deming, and volleyball defeated rival Mt. Baker in its first District playoff match.
Football
Blaine football kept its postseason hopes alive with a clutch 27-22 win over Northwest Conference (NWC) rival Meridian on October 31.
Meridian opened up the scoring with a second quarter touchdown, but Blaine was able to respond before halftime with a short shovel pass from quarterback Colin Davis to wideout Logan Villarreal.
Blaine would rely on its rushing attack in the second half, using breakout star running back Jaiden Paez to get the ball towards the goal line, and have Davis dive in for two touchdown runs to jump out to a two score lead.
Meridian responded, but Paez was able to basically put the game on ice with a backbreaking 43-yard rushing touchdown. Meridian would get one more touchdown on the board in the fourth quarter, and then get the ball back with little time remaining, threatening to steal a win and end Blaine’s postseason chances.
On fourth down with time ticking away, Davis broke up a potential game-changing pass in the end zone, getting the ball back for the Borderites and securing a victory.
Paez again showed why he’s one of the county’s premiere rushers, amassing 237 yards and one touchdown on 32 rushing attempts.
The win thrust the Borderites into a rare tiebreaker scenario to determine which of three bottom-of-the-conference teams would emerge from the pile and make it to the postseason.
Blaine, Meridian and Mt. Baker were locked in a three-way tie for third place in the NWC, as the top three teams from the conference were set to go to the 1A state tournament later in the month. Nooksack Valley and Lynden Christian had already secured their spots weeks prior, and look to make deep runs in the playoffs.
A “Kansas Tie Breaker” was scheduled for November 4, meaning Blaine would first play Mt. Baker in an overtime format game, with the winner immediately taking on Meridian afterwards. The tie-breaker format meant that teams would observe overtime rules: the game clock turned off and each team starting on offense at their opponent’s 25 yard line.
Blaine started with the ball, and the offense matriculated down the field for the opening touchdown of the game. After running back Jaiden Paez – as he’s done all year – set up the Borderites at the goal line with a solid rush, quarterback Colin Davis was able to dive across the line for the first score, as Blaine converted the PAT to go up 7-0.
Mt. Baker got the ball back and quickly, mercilessly ran the ball into the end zone on two plays, allowing for a decision to either tie the game with a PAT and give the ball back to Blaine, or go for a two-point conversion and win the game right then and there.
After lining up in field goal formation, Mt. Baker took a timeout, reassessed, and decided to hand the ball of to its fullback for a successful two-point conversion, winning 8-7.
All told, the game lasted about 15 minutes, and a playoff bid at the end of one of the best seasons for Blaine Borderites football in recent memory was unceremoniously over. The Borderites (6-4, 1-4 NWC) will still play a final regular season game against 2A Bellingham (2-7, 1-6 NWC) on Thursday, November 7 at 6 p.m.
Stats provided by WhatcomPreps.com
Girls Soccer
Not to be outdone by the football team in terms of late season heroics, the Blaine girls soccer team kept its postseason hopes alive with a dramatic penalty kick shootout victory over Meridian on October 30.
Just 12 minutes into the first half, senior captain Juliana Zuzarte gathered a perfectly placed pass, calmly slotting a ball past the Meridian goalkeeper to go up 1-0.
But the Borderites couldn’t hold the lead into halftime, as Meridian senior Sofie Brooks tied up the game on a wild corner kick goal that was at first blocked by Blaine senior goalkeeper Larissa Pluschakov, but the rebound was blasted into the back of the net.
The second half was a slog, with the Borderites narrowly missing out on offensive chances, but still hanging on to force an overtime period. After overtime came and went without a deciding goal, the game would be decided on penalty kicks.
Blaine missed its first three penalty kicks, but Meridian was only able to convert one of its first four attempts, with multiple shots painfully rattling off crossbars, keeping the Borderites alive.
Pluschakov was able to convert a penalty herself, an unusual feat for the senior goalkeeper, save the last attempt by Meridian, and then watch as sophomore forward Nevaeh Zaddack scored the game-winning penalty kick to give Blaine the victory.
The next game, however, wouldn’t have the same magic for the Borderites. In another penalty kick shootout, Lynden Christian won the 1A District Championship after holding the Borderites to a scoreless draw in regulation.
This shootout was not as kind to the Borderites, who missed its first three attempts while the Lyncs converted on all three of its attempts.
In the final attempt for the Borderites to make the 1A/2A District Crossover game for a chance to go to the state tournament, the Borderites lost 3-0 to Nooksack Valley on November 5. Nooksack Valley jumped out to a quick lead and didn’t let up, ending Blaine’s season.
The Borderites finished 5-14 with a 3-12 conference record.
Cross-country
Blaine cross-country finished off an encouraging season with the 1A District race at the Deming Log Show grounds on November 2.
Seven Blaine runners competed in the 5,000-meter race at the tricky Deming course, with three setting records on the day.
Verdaan Aujla set a personal record with a time of 18:26.5, as did Steven Phelps-McDonald with a time of 18:50.56, and Ian Tuski set a season-best time of 19:30.6.
Volleyball
Blaine volleyball started its 1A District tournament with a resounding win over Mt. Baker (0-17, 0-15 NWC) on November 2, defeating the Mountaineers in straight sets 25-13, 25-16, 25-22. The win marked the second time this season the Borderites defeated Mt. Baker in straight sets.
Sophomore Teia Dube earned a double-double with 15 kills and 12 digs, with senior Kaitlyn Harrington and junior Carly Saunders each recording seven kills. Senior Brie Smith led the team with 23 assists, and Harrington recorded three aces and 14 digs.
Just hours later, in classic postseason, jamboree fashion, the Borderites faced a much tougher Meridian team (13-7, 10-5 NWC) that leads all 1A teams in the NWC. The Borderites didn’t score more than 15 points in a single set against the top-seeded Meridian, but still saw solid performances from Dube, Harrington and Smith.
In the final game of the tournament for the Blaine, the team put up one of the best fights in a loss all season, losing in straight sets, but painfully close in each: 26-24, 25-22, 25-20.
Seeing the fight the Borderites put up against tough opponents like Nooksack Valley late in the year, this team seems to be on an upward trajectory after the first full year of head coach KJ Assink’s tenure.
Stats provided by WhatcomPreps.com
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