FOOTBALL
2018 Season
I was told before his freshman season started from one of his coaches that he probably had the best hands on the team, but he didn’t know if he was physically ready for varsity just yet. At the time, he was about 5-foot-7 and weighed 125 pounds.
By midseason he was getting a little bit of playing time, and had his first tackle against Cedarcrest in a 49-8 win.
He then caught his first varsity pass a week later against Anacortes in a 34-8 win.
By season’s end he was starting at cornerback and he had a pass deflection against Mountlake Terrace.
Blaine finished 5-5, and the future looked bright.
2019 Season
After winning the opener against Chief Sealth 27-8, Blaine dropped the other nine games of the season.
It was the final season that Blaine was at the 2A level, and it was a rough one.
Kortlever was one of the bright spots as he caught passes for first downs against Lynden Christian and Burlington-Edison before breaking out with three receptions against Archbishop Murphy.
He also saw action returning kickoffs throughout the season.
He had five more catches in the final three weeks of the year, and was named All-Conference 2nd Team as a wide receiver.
2020 Season
In the fall of 2020, football wasn’t played. Instead, Kortlever made the best out of his quarantine situation.
His discipline and hard work allowed him to completely transform his body, and as he grew over six feet tall, he also began to build himself into a force on the football field.
The season ended up beginning in February of 2021, and Blaine would play just four games.
After two blowout losses at the hands of Lynden Christian and Mount Baker, Blaine would play a tight game with Bellingham before ending the season with a 26-18 win over Nooksack Valley.
He had three catches for 24 yards against LC, and broke out for 102 yards on six receptions against the Mountaineers.
He had a couple of long receptions against Bellingham, and finished the season off with five catches for 52 yards and a touchdown in the finale.
Postseason awards were not handed out after the season, but he was named to my All-County 3rd Team as a wide receiver, and he was named #51 on the Top 100 Countdown.
2021 Season
As a senior, the transformation was complete. He was nearly unstoppable. Before the season started, a rival coach told me that he’s the best athlete in the conference.
In week one against Port Angeles he caught three passes for 142 yards and two touchdowns, while also collecting an interception on defense in a 36-28 win.
Amazingly, he topped himself in week two against Bainbridge Island with six catches for 177 yards and three touchdowns, and again getting another interception on defense in a 48-14 win.
Blaine was on the road for the third game of the season, and even though the Borderites lost 46-22 to Archbishop Murphy, Kortlever shined again, this time with four catches for 43 yards, while also scooping up a fumble a returning it 46 yards for a touchdown.
The Borderites got back into the win column the following week by defeating Shorewood at home, 36-13. Kortlever broke up four passes while at his safety position, and also had two catches for 54 yards and a touchdown.
Blaine was beat on the road at Mount Baker 48-14, but Kortlever had a boatload of dynamic catches to finish with 107 yards on six receptions and both of Blaine’s touchdowns.
It was a heart-breaking loss on the road the following Saturday at Meridian, as the Trojans won 21-15, which ultimately knocked Blaine out of the playoffs, despite Kortlever going off for a career-high 10 catches for 151 yards.
He saved his best for last as he broke his own personal record with 14 receptions for 111 yards and a score. He also had an interception in the contest which was nearly returned for a touchdown. Blaine won the game 35-21 over Nooksack Valley, and finished with a 4-3 record.
Not only was Jaxon named All-Conference 1st Team at wide receiver and defensive back, he was also named the 1A Northwest Conference Offensive Player of the Year, as well as All-State 1st Team. He was also placed #6 on the Top 100 Countdown.
Football Career
Despite not being able to play a full season, he still put up huge numbers. His 14 catches in a game is tied for the third most ever in Whatcom County, and is the second most in school history. Despite multiple double teams, he always found a way to make a play. Since 2013, the Borderites have had just two season where they finished with a winning record. In both of those seasons, they had a senior on the team named Kortlever. He went on to play wide receiver at the College of Idaho.
CAREER OFFENSIVE STATISTICS
CAREER DEFENSIVE STATISTICS
CAREER SPECIAL TEAMS STATISTICS
BASKETBALL
2019-20 Season
As a sophomore he was a valuable role player that came off the bench and helped supply tough one-on-one defense on the perimeter.
The Borderites finished 12-11, and it was the first time in 16 years that Blaine finished with a winning record.
2020-21 Season
Just when Kortlever’s role was going to grow, the season was forced to shrink due to COVID-19.
There wouldn’t be a postseason, but at least there were going to be games played.
Blaine defeated Sedro-Woolley early in the season 61-36, mostly because of the defense shown by Kortlever.
A few weeks later the Borderites won three games in three straight days, be defeating Meridian 73-40, Lummi 60-45 and Mount Baker 66-61. Kortlever scored 10 points against both the Black Hawks and the Mountaineers.
Kortlever scored seven points against Ferndale in the final week of the season in a crushing 60-57 loss that saw Blaine score 19 points in the fourth quarter before falling just short.
Blaine finished with a 7-6 record.
2021-22 Season
As a senior he was inserted into the starting lineup with his main task being to guard the opposing team’s best perimeter player.
He scored eight points in an early season loss to 4A Lake Stevens, but it was a few games later when he was a part of something that will be remembered for quite a while.
Blaine defeated Lynden 46-41, and it was the first time in 29 years since it had happened.
In fact, the last time was when Jaxon’s dad, Aaron, was a starting guard for the Borderites.
Jaxon hit two key free throws in the final minute to kelp ice the win.
After the winter break the Borderites defeated Anacortes 44-43, and Kortlever led his team with five assists.
Unfortunately, shortly after that, he suffered a bruised knee that kept him out for three weeks.
He was able to come back as he came off the bench against Nooksack Valley in the district tournament. He was only able to play a few minutes at a time, but his hustle and defense sparked the Borderites to a 58-37 victory.
Blaine nabbed a state berth, and the #9 seed, by defeating Overlake 51-44.
The Borderites opened by defeating Wahluke 50-48, but were eliminated by Quincy 69-51 in the Yakima SunDome. Despite still not 100%, Kortlever scored eight points in the final game.
Blaine finished 14-7 on the season, and the team’s winning percentage got better in each year that Kortlever played.
He also competed in the three-point contest, and the senior All-Star Game after the season, in which he scored five points as the county team beat the city team 109-97.
Basketball Career
I’m still working on gathering all of his official game-by-game stats, but if you watched him play, it was much more than about stats. He was unselfish, he worked hard, hustled and played defense. He hit key free throws, and never tired. He played through pain, and always lifted his team. He’s the kind of player that every successful basketball team has.
BASEBALL
2020 Season
There was no spring sports in 2020, due to COVID-19.
2021 Season
It was a shortened season that wasn’t going to have a postseason, but Kortlever made the most of it.
Blaine opened up its season with a 7-4 win at Meridian, in which Kortlever stole three bases, scored two runs and hit a single.
The Borderites followed that up with a 5-3 win against Squalicum.
Blaine suffered its first loss of the season against Ferndale, 8-4. The Borderites totaled five hits, and Kortlever had three of them.
He started at second base the entire year, and was amazingly consistent every game.
The Borderites finished with a record of 10-9, and Kortlever finished the season with 21 hits and 15 stolen bases. Both led the entire county. He also batted .429, which was the second highest average in the county, behind only Cole Moorlag of Lynden Christian.
Post season awards were not handed out that year, but he was named All-County 1st Team by Whatcom Preps.
2022 Season
It was an up and down season for the Borderites, but still a great season for Kortlever who started the year at shortstop and batting leadoff.
Despite going hitless through the first three games of the season, he got on track in game four in a 3-1 win over Lakewood with a hit after being moved into the five-spot in the lineup.
He then cranked out two hits in the following game, a 10-5 win over Squalicum.
He drove a walk-off double to right field which scored two runs on the bottom of the seventh against Overlake/Bear Creek the following week, and his season really took off after that.
Blaine then beat Lynden Christian and Nooksack Valley, but then went through a four-game losing streak.
During the streak, some changes were made defensively, one of them being Kortlever moving back to second base.
Blaine broke the streak by defeating Burlington-Edison 2-1, but then fell to Mount Vernon and Anacortes.
The Borderites suffered a few more close losses before defeating Ferndale 11-9 in their regular season finale at home.
Blaine lost its district opener to University Prep, despite two hits from Kortlever, and with the season on the line against Lynden Christian a few hours later, the Borderites handled the Lyncs 13-3. Kortlever finished with three hits and three runs scored in the game.
Blaine’s season came to a close the next weekend against Overlake/Bear Creek by losing 6-4. Kortlever scored two runs, and stole two bases but it wouldn’t be enough as the Borderites finished with a record of 9-14.
Kortlever was named All-Conference 2nd Team, and he finished the year with 17 stolen bases, the second most in Whatcom County. He also had 24 hits, four doubles, two triples, 19 runs scored, 11 runs batted in and a .320 average.
It was also the first year of my Baseball Top 50 Countdown, and he was named #13 on the list.
Baseball Career
A career batting average of .363. That’s incredibly impressive. A year was taken from him, so the totals aren’t as high as they could have been. he got on base a lot, and when he did, he had the green light. 32 stolen bases over two season, and he scored 33 runs. One of the top infielders in the area in the early part of this current decade.
CAREER BASEBALL STATISTICS
