Sports roundup: Blaine wrestlers head to Tacoma for state crowns

B y I an H aupt

Boys basketball

Blaine boys basketball will continue on to 1A district 1/2 crossover competition at 7 p.m. Saturday, February 18 at Kings High School in Shoreline after beating Nooksack Valley February 14 at Lynden High School in the district 1 1A runner-up game.

The Borderites took on defending state champions Lynden Christian in the district 1 1A championship game February 11 at Lynden High School, following a 61-54 win over Meridian February 8. The Borderites fell 65-40 to the Lyncs.

Blaine head coach Nate Sullivan said the team struggled to deal with Lynden Christian’s 6-foot-6-inch junior Jeremiah Wright, who scored 20 points.

“Jeremiah Wright was very active on both sides of the floor,” Sullivan said of the game February 11. “That opened up a lot of their three point shots as we tried to deal with him.”

With the defeat, the Borderites would have to beat Nooksack to keep their season alive. Blaine beat the Pioneers 68-48. Sullivan said senior Ethan Koreski was the difference maker for the Borderites February 14, even though he didn’t score.

“Ethan Koreski did a great job moving his feet all night,” Sullivan said. “He played a key role for us [Tuesday].”

On February 18, Blaine will play the loser of Seattle Academy and Northwest High School’s game Thursday, February 16.

The Borderites finished their regular season with a 13-6 overall record and a 10-5 record in conference.

Girls basketball

The No. 5 Lady Borderites’ season ended February 11 as they took their second loss in the double elimination district 1 1A bracket.

Blaine’s young team, with only two seniors, lost 98-21 to eventual district champions No. 1 Nooksack Valley February 8. Blaine went on to play No. 3 Meridian to decide which team would make it to the runner-up game February 14. The Lady Borderites fell 5434 to the Trojans at Lynden High School February 11.

The Lady Borderites finished the regular season with an overall record of 3-17 and a 1-15 record in conference.

Boys wrestling

Boys wrestling finished second in the district 1/2 1A regional tournament at Mount Baker High School February 11, six wrestlers secured spots at the state tournament this weekend in Tacoma.

Blaine finished with a total of 157 points, taking second to Mount Baker at 209 points.

Cael Button, Rahul Chandran and Victor Gervol all took first at their respective weight classes, earning 26, 24 and 26 points for the team. Blake Goltz finished second at 185, securing 20 points. Cole Voight and Cal Fitzgerald took third at their weight classes, adding 13 and 18 points to the team tally. All six will travel to compete in the WIAA Mat Classic at the Tacoma Dome this weekend, February 17-18.

Wrestling starts at 9 a.m. both days.

Blaine head coach Tom Hinz said it was a good performance at regionals after a disappointing performance at subregionals the week before, where the team finished third.

“I thought we had a great week of practice the week before regionals,” Hinz said. “I think we wrestled really well.”

Hinz said he and the team are excited for the state tournament. He said Button and Gerval have both been to the state championship before and have a good chance of placing.

Hinz said he’s proud of the upperclassmen on his team who stuck with wrestling even though they couldn’t compete at the beginning of their high school careers due to the pandemic.

One of those is Button, who comes from a family already in

Blaine wrestling history. His dad Nate placed at the state tournament for Blaine all four years, and his older brother Aidan placed two years at state, taking second his senior year in 2019.

Button injured his knee earlier in the season and wasn’t sure if he would be able to compete at the state tournament again. “I’m grateful to just have a chance to finish out the season,” Button said.

Hinz said Button and Fitzgerald have already earned state championship honors academically. The coaches association awards wrestlers with academic awards ahead of the state tournament. Both Button and Fitzgerald have high 3.9 GPAs, which was the highest at their respective weight classes.

“These guys aren’t just competitors on the mat, but in the classroom as well,” Hinz said.

Girls wrestling

The girls wrestling team took third at the regional tournament at Sedro-Woolley High School February 11, finishing with 93 points. White River and Mount Baker finished first and second with 149 and 147 points.

Three girls qualified for the state tournament, placing in the top three at their respective weight classes. Genesis Vazquez took first in her class, earning the team 24 points. Both Lucyanna Dahl and Sophia Wallace finished in second, securing 20 and 12 points for the team.

They will travel to compete in the WIAA Mat Classic at the Tacoma Dome this weekend, February 17-18. Wrestling starts at 9 a.m. both days.

Other wrestlers that earned the team points include Makenna Lausier, Hailey Ferrell, Milania Rodriguez, Cheyenne Rose and Analicea Ordonez. All five of those ladies finished in the top six in their weight classes.