The first week of the fall sports season is in the books, and the results for the Blaine Borderites were a mixed bag.
Girls volleyball, under first-year head coach Kjirstin Assink, dropped its first game of the new tenure, and girls soccer lost in a high scoring season opener against Oak Harbor.
Football, however, had a great start to the season, coming out of the gates with a thorough win against Renton.
Girls Soccer
Going on the road to start a new season is not the advantageous start a team wants, and that was the case this week when the girls soccer team traveled to Whidbey Island to face Oak Harbor on Tuesday, September 10.
The Borderites were unable to stop Oak Harbor’s offense, losing 6-3 to drop to 0-1-0 on the young season. Last year, Oak Harbor was a tough opponent, finishing the season with an impressive 14-7-1 record. The Borderites likely didn’t have much of a scouting report for Oak Harbor, a team that they haven’t played in the regular season since 2021.
Blaine won’t face Oak Harbor again this season, and will hope to bounce back with a home opener against 2A Northwest Conference (NWC) opponent Lakewood on Thursday, September 12 at 7 p.m. at Borderite Stadium.
Volleyball
The Blaine volleyball team also started its season on the road, traveling to face La Conner on Tuesday, September 10. The Borderites couldn’t get out of Skagit County with a win, losing to La Conner 3-1.
The Borderites lost a few key contributors to graduation last year, most notably outside hitter Teya Zaddack, who committed to play collegiate volleyball at Western Washington University. The Borderites finished the 2023 season with a 5-10 record.
Head coach Assink said that there are more athletes on this year’s team with collegiate aspirations and talent, and the team has a goal of reaching the postseason after a lengthy state tournament drought.
Blaine will have a chance to right the ship and earn Assink’s first win as varsity head coach at home against Lakewood on Thursday, September 12 at 7 p.m.
Football
Blaine football couldn’t have asked for a better start to the 2024 regular season with a decisive 42-20 win over Renton on Saturday, September 7 at Borderite Stadium.
The weekend day game provided a great atmosphere to the start of the season and turn the page on the 2023 season that saw the Borderites finish 3-7.The Borderites immediately gave the crowd something to cheer for by putting up 35 first-half points.
Blaine’s offense rarely needed to throw the ball, relying on senior running backs Jaiden Paez and Colby Shipp to run the ball right over Renton’s young and inexperienced defensive front.
Paez scored the first four touchdowns for Blaine, the first three coming on outside runs, and the fourth coming on a scoop-and-score touchdown on defense after a Renton fumble.
All told, Paez finished with 137 yards on eight rushes, Shipp had 84 yards on four rushes, and senior quarterback Colin Davis only threw the ball four times, completing just two passes for 20 yards while also rushing for a touchdow.
Throughout the offseason, head coach Andy Olson was getting his team in the weight room to get stronger, especially on the offensive and defensive lines. Those two position groups seemed to shine the brightest on Saturday, with the offensive line paving the way for the ground attack, and the defensive line constantly pestering and confounding
Renton.
“I really like the fact that running backs were hitting the hole hard and just being physical,” Olson said. “We went out there blocking and playing through the whistle. I loved watching the big fellas 15 yards downfield still blocking.”
The Borderites didn’t allow a positive yard rushing until the second half, and all of Renton’s 20 points were scored against second-line substitutes playing in the second half.
Senior defensive end Zi Yu showed out especially, tallying 6.5 tackles, three sacks, 2.5 tackles for loss and two forced fumbles. The senior defensive end opposite to Yu, captain Blake Koreski also showed why he’s one of the most consistent defenders in the conference with 5.5 tackles, 2.5 sacks, two tackles for loss and two forced fumbles.
“I liked the physical energy, we were flying around,” Olson said. “We were doing the things that we can control well, and we put a lot on tape of things that we can go fix.”
The Borderites next game will truly be the first major test of the season when Blaine hosts Cedar Park Christian (1-0) on Friday, September 13 at 7 p.m. at Borderite Stadium.
Stats provided by WhatcomPreps.com
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