The regular season is winding down, and postseason play is beginning to come into view.
With the PA announcer at Borderite Stadium updating the crowd on the Mariners’ playoff hopes on October 10, Blaine football wasn’t able to keep up with Nooksack Valley. Over the weekend, cross-country traveled to Lakewood for the 42nd Hole in the Wall Invitational, competing against some of the fastest distance runners in the state, and girls soccer fell to a top-of-the-pack Anacortes team.
With the Nooksack Valley Pioneers riding a three-game losing streak and the Borderites looking for its first Northwest Conference win of the season, the October 10 game could’ve been a chance for Blaine to upset the defending 1A Northwest Conference (NWC) champs.
But the upset never materialized, with Nooksack Valley winning 52-22. The loss drops Blaine to a 1-5 record with a 0-2 1A NWC record.
Nooksack Valley controlled the first half, with sophomore running back Trey Heutink scoring twice, and senior quarterback Evan Brown connecting with senior wide receiver Jaxon Hester for a touchdown.
Hester scored again for the Pioneers when he blocked a Blaine punt in the second quarter, scooping up the block and running it 16 yards to the endzone. By the time of the second half kickoff, Blaine was down 33-0.
But the Borderites didn’t show even a second of quit. The team scored quickly on a 19-yard touchdown pass from sophomore quarterback Connor Brown to junior wide receiver Peyton Bouma.
Nooksack Valley responded with a nifty, 32-yard catch and run from Max Lautenbach, but the Borderites would hold them scoreless for the rest of the third quarter.
Brown launched another touchdown pass in the third quarter, this time a nine-yard connection to senior wide receiver Kai Kerwin.
The Borderites were able to tack on another two points when Nooksack Valley’s center sailed the ball over the quarterback’s head, going out of the endzone for a safety.
With the score now closer at 39-15, the Pioneers closed the door for good in the fourth quarter, scoring two consecutive, backbreaking touchdowns.
The final score of the game was Brown’s third touchdown pass on the night, a 10-yard pass to Bouma for his second touchdown catch.
Brown finished with 174 yards passing and three touchdowns. After racking up the stat sheet with consecutive games over 100 yards receiving, Kerwin was held to just three catches for 37 yards by a fast and flying Nooksack Valley secondary. Peyton Bouma led the Borderites with six catches for 79 yards, while sophomore Hunter Candanoza brought in three catches for 49 yards, and Isaac Bouma had 50 yards receiving on one catch.
The Borderites will continue its search for its first NWC win of the season, with three games remaining in the regular season schedule.
Blaine football will take the ferry to play Friday Harbor at 6:30 p.m. Friday, October 17.
The next home game will be at 7 p.m. Friday, October 24 against 1A NWC rival Mt. Baker. The final game of the regular season is scheduled for Thursday, October 30 on the road against Meridian.
Stats provided byWhatcomPreps.com
Blaine cross-country attended the 42nd annual Nike Hole in the Wall Invitational on October 11, competing against some of the best distance running programs in the state.
In the men’s varsity silver group, Blaine sophomore Emmanuel Rios-Martinez placed 115th in a field of 299 athletes, finishing the five-kilometer course with a time of 18:06.7. Junior Steven Phelps-McDonald placed 220th with a time of 18:59.0, and junior Verdaan Aujla placed 294th with a time of 20:52.8
In the men’s varsity bronze group, seniors Jacob Troupe and Abel Carlson-Vega weren’t able to break the 20-minute mark but still had solid times of 20:39.1 and 21:08.8, respectively.
Competing in the men’s junior varsity silver division, Blaine didn’t get the team result it was presumably hoping for, finishing 31st out of 32 teams with a team score of 891.
Senior Oscar Taylor led the way for the Borderites with a time of 21:57.9 on the five-kilometer course at Lakewood High School. Freshman Colin Clark had the school’s second-best time at 22:18.4. Out of a massive heat of 377 runners, Taylor placed 239th and Clark placed 267th.
The top Blaine girls competed in the junior varsity gold heat, with sophomore Carrie Balback placing 60th in a field of 277 runners with a time of 21:50.9. Freshman Zoe Hill placed 247th with a time of 25:13.0.
In the junior varsity bronze heat, junior Olivia Carlson-Vega took charge with a time of 27:36.5. Freshman Kathleen McLean posted a time of 28:40.0, while freshman Khyrie Craig and senior Ana Tuski couldn’t quite break the half-hour barrier, finishing with times of 33:30.4 and 33:31.2, respectively.
Times provided by Athletic.net
Facing one of the toughest opponents in the entire Northwest Conference, Blaine girls soccer was shut out, 5-0, on the road against Anacortes on October 14. Blaine’s final regular season home game is scheduled for 7 p.m. Thursday, October 16 against Sehome (after press time).
Blaine girls soccer sits at second place in the 1A division, but are well behind first place Lynden Christian. With a record of 5-9 (3-9 NWC), Blaine is looking down on Nooksack Valley, Meridian and Mt. Baker in the standings.
