2023 Year in Review: Blaine High School sports

• New Blaine girls basketball head coach Gracie Phelps received the 2023 NCAA Inspiration Award on January 11 in San Antonio. Phelps began coaching the team following a national runner-up season for the Western Washington University Vikings basketball team.

• Blaine boys basketball started the regular season off hot with a 10-1 overall record and a 7-0 conference record by January 11.

• Competitive cheer qualified for the state tournament in its inaugural season on January 25. They went on to finish seventh place in the 2B/1A/2A category.

• Seven athletes on the girls wrestling team qualified for regionals at Squalicum High School on February 4, the most wrestlers the girls team has sent to regionals in one season, head coach Damon Higgins said.

• On February 11, six wrestlers for the Blaine boys wrestling team qualified for state. The team placed second in the district 1/2 1A regional tournament.

• Led by a 25-point fourth quarter, boys basketball defeated The Northwest School 67-56 on February 18, securing a spot in the state tournament in Yakima.

• Wrestling returned from state championships in Tacoma on February 18, after two runner-up finishes along with a third, fourth and top-10 finish for both girls and boys teams.

• Boys basketball took third place in state championships after losing to King’s Senior High School in the state semifinal, and defeating Toppenish for the third place game. It was the highest postseason finish since Blaine’s state championship in 2000.

• Blaine senior Carson Lehnert signed a letter of intent on March 13 to play basketball for Douglas College in New Westminster, B.C.

• Senior boys soccer captain Joel Barrientos-Estrada netted a late winner to defeat rival Meridian High School 3-2 on March 28.

• Senior softball pitcher Piper Nissen threw a perfect game in an 18-0 win over Bellingham High School on March 29. 

• Girls golf won first place in the 1A District 1 title at North Bellingham Golf Course on May 11. Ellie Tanjuaquio placed first and later qualified for the state tournament on May 23.

• Softball won its first Northwest Conference league championship May 11 after beating Lakewood 4-3 at Pipeline Fields in Blaine. The win gave the Borderites a 14-1 conference record, securing the top spot in district playoffs.

• Blaine’s 4x100 boys relay team qualified for the state tournament for the first time since 1994. Sophomore relay member Josiah Weeda also qualified for state individually in the 110-meter hurdles, and finished 6th.

• Seven boys soccer players earned All-Northwest Conference honors, and head coach Gio Quesada-Ruiz was named coach of the year, along with senior defender Robert Prado earning defensive player of the year. 

• After tearing through district and state playoffs, Blaine softball was finally stopped by Montesano, losing 10-0 to the eventual state champs on May 27. This was the team’s first time at state since 2009.

• Blaine High School class of 2023 had 14 athletes sign letters of intent to post-secondary sports.

• Blaine hired Andy Olson as head coach of the football program. Olson was head coach of Burlington-Edison High School, and brought a swath of assistant coaches from the school to revamp a fledgling Borderite football program.

• Borderite football won its first game of the season – and first win in head coach Andy Olson’s tenure – on September 15, blowing out Vashon Island 55-0. Senior Riley Ihde caught a touchdown pass, threw a touchdown pass, rushed for a touchdown, and returned a 40-yard pick-six.

• Cross-country held its first home meet of the season on September 27 in a race around Peace Arch State Park. First-year head coach Roberto Aguilera relocated the race from Pipeline Field to the more iconic cross-border park.

• On Homecoming, October 6, Blaine football defeated conference rival Meridian 28-26 on a game-winning 27-yard field goal by senior Matthew “Matty Ice” Hayes. The field goal was set up by a stellar, four-completion final drive orchestrated by junior quarterback Colin Davis.

• After girls soccer’s deep run in district playoffs played at Borderite Stadium, the team finally fell to Lynden Christian on November 4, losing 2-0 to a pair of stunning goals. A win would’ve taken the Borderites to its first state tournament since 2003.

• Senior Teya Zaddack officially announced her intent to play volleyball for Western Washington University in 2024. Zaddack earned All-NWC first-team honors, leading the Borderites to a 5-10 record.

• Blaine volleyball head coach Jacquie Tesarik announced her retirement after 10 seasons coaching the Borderites. Tesarik led Blaine to its first state tournament top-10 finish in 20 years, and coached volleyball at various levels for 26 years.

• On November 14, girls soccer standouts Larissa Pluschakov, Juliana Zuzarte, Kaitlyn Ritter Von Trautmann and Lucy Dahl earned first-team 1A NWC
All-Conference honors.

• On November 28, in a road game against Friday Harbor, Blaine girls basketball’s new head coach, Vic Wolffis, earned his first win for the Borderites. A longtime Whatcom County resident, Wolffis came to Blaine with two state championship trophies under his belt.

• In a 1480-1186 win against Everett High School on December 13, Ainslee Ellis broke the school record for highest individual score in a single game, bowling a 179. Ellis broke the previous record held by teammate Bella Vezzetti.

• After starting the year 3-0, boys basketball suffered a tough week, losing 65-32 against Lakewood, then losing a heartbreaking 69-67 loss to Squalicum December 15.