Eastlake's Blake Borup is SBLive's WaFd Bank Class 4A Senior Athlete of the Year

Welcome to a continuing tradition at SBLive Washington – honoring the WaFd Bank 2022-23 senior male and female athletes of the year for each classification.

Because the SBLive crew gets so immersed in specific sports seasons, it is nice to take a step back to pick a statewide honor from a broader perspective.

The criteria isn’t too expansive: The starting point is finding seniors who are all-league/all-state performers in two or more sports. Totality of career is also a factor. So is administrator/coach/fan recommendation.

Enjoy as we honor some of Washington’s top multi-sport senior athletes!

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What Eastlake High School standout Blake Borup did on the football field his senior year won't soon be forgotten by former coach Kyle Snell.

Borup led the 4A KingCo in rushing with 1,403 yards and 14 touchdowns. He added 140 receiving yards and seven more scores through the air.

His efforts put him on the 4A All-KingCo first team and earned him offensive player of the year honors in the league.

Borup is SBLive WA's Class 4A senior male athlete of the year for 2022-23.

"Right when junior year ended and we lost that semifinal game to Lake Stevens we immediately went right back into the weight room," Borup said. "Senior year I really jumped into a different gear and started to work really hard. I pushed myself to the max and it definitely showed results on the field."

Snell was quick to say Borup is the best kind of kid to coach.

"Low ego, high output, he's humble, doesn't take credit for the things he accomplishes – he just plays really, really hard all the time," Snell said. "Blake is special as a kid. Everything about his demeanor and effort makes him really fun to coach."

Snell said what truly set Borup apart on the football field, though, was his ability to get yards nearly every time he touched the ball.

"He rushed for so many yards, but he wasn't a guy who had a 75-yard run and then five carries for three yards," Snell said. "Through five or six weeks, I think his longest run was 35 yards and he was almost at 1,000 yards. He just got yards every play."

Borup followed up an outstanding football season with an even more special baseball season.

A starting outfielder for the Eastlake team that captured its first state title, Borup said it's still sinking in nearly a month later.

"It still feels unreal. I still wake up and I seriously don't even know until I remind myself we won a state title," Borup said. "I've talked to a couple of the other guys and they still think it's unreal. We all put in the work to get that far and we all definitely are super excited and honored to have that state title."

It didn't take long for Borup's focus to shift from high school baseball's pinnacle moment to his future with Central Washington University's football team.

While Borup won't officially head to Ellensburg until August, his days are spent with workouts from the program.

"I'm excited to see how (football is) played at the next level and definitely learning about it," Borup said. "(I want to) match it and gain from it and work twice as hard to play at the next level

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BLAKE BORUP BIO

School: Eastlake.

Sports: Football, baseball.

Next step: Signed to play football at Central Washington University (NCAA D2) where he will study construction management with a minor in business.

Senior-year highlights: Voted to 4A KingCo first team at running back and was named the league's offensive player as leading rusher. Carried the ball for 1,542 yards of total offense - with 1,403 of those yards coming on the ground. Those 1,403 yards were the most rushing yards in a single season in the league in the past decade and good for 14 touchdowns. Added 140 receiving yards and seven touchdowns. ... One of two team captains on the Eastlake baseball team that won its first WIAA Class 4A championship in program history this spring. Voted to 4A KingCo second team as a right fielder. Hit just under .500 during the Wolves' postseason run.

Career accomplishments: All-4A KingCo outside linebacker in 2021 when the Wolves advanced to the Class 4A semifinal round. KingCo rushing leader his senior year breaking multiple school records, including rushing yards in a single game with 302 against Bothell. Also holds the Eastlake football record for most all-purpose yards in a career with 2,118. Team captain in football and baseball his senior year. Was selected to SBLive WA's 2022 honorable mention all-state football team at running back.

School/community achievements: 3.85 GPA; member of leadership council and honor society; Central Washington University football scholarship.

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