They were close to making state last year, but they know they need to grow closer in 2017

For the first time since 2013, when the Borderites were still playing in Class 1A, the Blaine football team advanced to the postseason last year. The run may not have lasted long – a loss to Issaquah Liberty in the bi-district playoffs kept the team from advancing to state – but from the outside, it looked like a relatively positive season for the program.

And though it definitely had to be considered successful, the Borderites know things could have been better.

“Last year we didn’t have as much connection,” senior Cruz Rodriguez said. “We could have been closer. Definitely this year, it’s a big deal to bring everyone together. We have to have everyone riding on the bus.”

Blaine is trying to carry it even further than just getting everybody going in the same direction.

“We’re trying to build a brotherhood,” senior Cam Ellis said. “A goal we’ve put together this year is stick together to the end. We’ll stick with each other, no matter what. These are my brothers, and nobody is getting left behind.”

To reach that end, coach Jay Dodd said the team is trying to treat each other with respect, prohibiting picking on players and bullying. They want every member on the roster to feel valued and important to the success of the team as a whole.

“We want everyone to feel safe – feel happy to be at practice,” Dodd said. “We’re trying to form that brotherhood, where you put your teammates in front of yourself. We’re working on that in many different ways. We want to make sure we have that atmosphere long before we get into games.”

Team unity is extremely important this year, as Blaine had a high level of turnover, especially at the skill positions.

“We’ve got lots of young guys coming up this year,” senior Porter Schmidt said. “We’ve got to make sure they all know what they’re doing and where we’re going. We want to make them know they’re an important part of the team.”

The area Blaine returns most is up front, where Schmidt and River Markusen are returning starters on both lines. Cruz Rodriguez also started at tight end.

“That helps having three of the six guys up front back,” Dodd said, “and then the three that are replacing guys are very talented. They just couldn’t crack the starting lineup because they were behind some very talented older guys that have now graduated. We feel very good about our line.”

That’s big, considering Blaine returns almost zero varsity experience in its offensive backfield.

Ellis, who has attempted just two varsity passes, will take the reigns are quarterback this year. Dodd said his ball strength has greatly improved over the past year, allowing him to throw with velocity, accuracy and down the field.

“He’s been waiting his turn since he was in third grade,” Dodd said. “He was our ball boy growing up in elementary school. We had a very good senior QB last year, so he couldn’t really take the job until his senior year. We’re excited for him to take the reigns and see what he could do.”

Blaine also doesn’t return anybody who had a varsity carry last year. In fact, Dodd said, the Borderites will head to Week 1 with five players likely to get carries – a pair of seniors, two juniors and a sophomore. The last time they had a similar situation was in 2014, when then sophomore Riley Fritsch emerged from Week 1, and all he did was rush for 4,016 yards and 48 touchdowns the next three seasons.

Chase Abshere does give Blaine an experienced receiver, and state track sprinters Dalton Mouw and Isaiah Russ along with Alex Mercado make a group Dodd said Blaine is “very, very excited about.”

Defensively, Blaine expects to be stout, with Rodriguez in the middle of its 3-4. Schmidt and Markusen give Blaine talent and size up front, while Abshere, Mercado and Max Miller will play safety and Mouw and Russ will man the corners.

“We’ve got a lot of new guys, but they’re fast and they know their job, and I think they’re going to do it well,” Ellis said. “We’re going to be a hard-hitting team. We’re a pretty well-rounded team. Everybody’s just got to do their part and believe in the brotherhood we’re building.”

This story was originally published August 30, 2017 at 5:00 AM with the headline "They were close to making state last year, but they know they need to grow closer in 2017."