A trio of Blaine High School athletes announced commitments to continue their playing careers at the collegiate level, with next steps spanning from Bellingham to Rome.
Blaine cheer athletes Kaden Hansen and Hannah Phelps-McDonald both committed to Western Washington University and will be part of the Bellingham university’s cheer program. Football standout Kai Kerwin committed to play collegiate football at the Rome City Institute in Italy.
Phelps-McDonald, a multi-sport varsity athlete who played volleyball and golf — she participated in the 1A state golf tournament last week, placing 42nd out of 60 golfers — finished her fourth and final year with cheer as the competition team captain.
Hansen joined the cheer team in his junior year, and has been the lone male cheerleader ever since, allowing the team much more flexibility in its routines and inspiring other boys to join cheer, head coach Jancy Knudsen said.
“I like to have a team of people that are going to be good humans, that are going to treat people with kindness,” Knudsen said. “Both of them exude that kind of positivity and that attitude.”
Phelps-McDonald was a freshman when Knudsen came on as head cheer coach, and Hansen was the first male cheerleader to join the team under Knudsen. The head coach said she will miss their leadership qualities, positivity, and their help building up the cheer program.
To have both remaining in Whatcom County to continue their cheer careers is just another aspect of those qualities, Knudsen said.
“To go to that next level, but to be local as well, I think it shows some of the younger kids that they could do it,” Knudsen said. “Sometimes it seems so unreachable, but I think being local makes it feel a bit more attainable. And it’s great because we’ll still be able to see them.”
Going a bit farther than Bellingham to continue his football career is Kerwin, a multi-sport athlete and Blaine football standout at the wide receiver position, who announced his commitment to playing football at Rome City Institute.
Rome City Institute is a 1,500-student college that focuses on academics and athletics, with an American football program that prepares athletes to be drafted onto Italian football teams in the spring semester. Student-athletes spend four days each week in Rome for academics and training, and three days traveling, practicing and playing football, according to its website.
Kerwin had a stellar football career for the Blaine Borderites, playing under head coach Andy Olson as one of the team’s leading offensive options. Kerwin finished the 2025 season with 60 pass receptions, good for second-most all time in Borderite history.
Kerwin’s name is plastered throughout the Borderite football receiving leaderboards; in career receptions (100, fifth all time), career yards (1,132, eighth), touchdowns in a season (eight in 2025, tied for eighth), yards in a season (669 in 2025, 14th) and touchdowns in a single game (three against Meridian in 2025, tied for fourth).
Kerwin was honored with a commitment ceremony at Blaine High School last week, where he made his signing official, Italian flag and Rome City Institute helmet by his side.
