'07-'08 fall sports preview

Fall sports have begun once more, and Blair teams have started their seasons with strong performances. Here's a quick team-by-team preview for the varsity sports:

Varsity Football

Blair's varsity football team fell far short of expectations last year, ruining memories of a 2005 team that finished just one win short of a playoff berth. The Washington Post has predicted the same record, 2-8, for Blair this year, but the Post and the other teams in Blair's division should not be so quick to write off this season as another developmental year. Fourth-year head coach Jeffery Seals, who boasts 25 years of experience with the Blair squad, emphasizes the hard work the players have put in. "This is what we practiced all summer, five days a week for. It comes down to the first game," said Seals.

While Seals insists everybody is a key player, the offense this year is being tailored to sophomore quarterback Alex Egber. Egber took some snaps for varsity last year and it is clear his throwing ability will dictate the season as the coaching staff plans to air it out more often this year.

The season opened with a loss to Blake, but the team turns its attention to the rest of the year. "The upcoming game is always the hardest and most important one," Seals said. Improved chemistry, a more experienced quarterback and a football team with something to prove should make the season more unpredictable than the last.
-Jon Kesten and Greg Kohn

Varsity Boys' Soccer
After a magical 12-2 season in 2006, the varsity boys' soccer team takes on a drastically different look this year. Returning three starters after losing an astounding 18 players to graduation, the team will have to rely heavily on new players to progress. However, talent is something that coach Adrian Baez is not worried about. "We've got a lot of all-around balanced talent," he said. "No one player shines over the others." One aspect Baez hopes to work on in particular is scoring. The team lost many strikers and will rely on all junior forwards to put balls in the back of the net.

One face that will be missing is star midfielder junior Michael Funes, now at Magruder. Baez, however, is not overly concerned with the loss. "It's going to hurt to lose a talented player like [Funes]," he said, "but we're going to cover it well, no doubt." The addition of junior Mike McClain, a new transfer, into the midfield will be a definite boost.

Though prospects are still bright for 2007, Baez terms it as a "rebuilding" year as he hopes to gear the squad comprised largely of juniors and sophomores towards the 2008-2009 season. "We may have a little something here in the next few years," he said.
-Anshul Sood

Varsity Girls' Soccer
The girls' varsity soccer team is looking forward to a good season, after a solid start with a 6-0 win against Watkins Mill on Sept. 4. Coach Robert Gibb cited his team's all-around skill as reason for his optimism about the upcoming season. "The nice thing about our team is that there are a lot of dangerous players," he said. Gibb named juniors Anna Rassman, Annie Worden, Molly Brune and senior captain Lizzie Horne as some of his key players. "Annie is our catalyst, our playmaker," he said. "Anna Rassman is one of our more experienced players. Horne and Brune are some experienced defenders."

Gibb anticipates that the Blazers' offense will be able to control the pace of their upcoming games. "There's not as much pressure on our D," he said. "We're getting the chance to play very aggressively, to take a few chances. If someone scores one on us, we'll score three." Despite the team's arduous schedule, Gibb is optimistic. "We're going to find out how good we are and I think we'll do very well," he said.
-Kiera Zitelman

Girls' Tennis
After a 5-7 record last season, the girls' tennis team aims to improve its game both in terms of technique and record. After graduation, Jessica Cutler, last year's captain, left her fourth singles spot unoccupied and a position for head coach David Ngbea to play with. Junior Sneha Kannan and freshman Shilpa Kannan will be playing first and second singles respectively, while returning senior co-captains Bonnie Ding and Priyanka Gokhale will be manning third and fourth singles.

As a Division I team, the Blazers will need to continuously improve to hold its own against fellow Division I powerhouses of Wootton, Churchill and Walter Johnson. According to Ngbea, major goals for this year include focusing on consistency and remaining in Division I. Technically, Ngbea said the team needs to work on its net game as well as volleys and foot movement.

The team handily won its first match against Division III Einstein last Wednesday and will take on Walter Johnson next Monday in what looks to be an exciting matchup.
-Alisa Lu and Ya Zhou

Varsity Girls' Volleyball
Although the varsity girls' volleyball team this year is young after losing former standouts Wendolyn Quintanilla and Felicia Olawuni to graduation, head coach Heather Amell feels that her squad is promising. "I think we have a lot of mature and experienced players," she said. According to Amell, many of the girls have been playing together for many years and collaborate well. "I see us doing very well, but it's a growing year in a lot of ways," she said.

Sophomores make up more than half of the team and although the players are seasoned, Amell hopes to refine and improve various techniques, including service receptions and passing.

Amell is aiming for a good defensive team because of a lack of tall players this year. "We don't have a lot of height, which means that we're at a disadvantage for volleyball. [We must] really play well on defense and pass the ball really well [to do well]."
-Anika Manzoor and Monica Wei

Varsity Field Hockey
Although they ended with a disappointing 4-8 record last year, Blair's varsity field hockey team has new hopes for the upcoming season, and has already captured a win in their first game. The loss of a goalie, sweeper and many of last year's scorers is not discouraging Coach Brook Franceschini's optimism with the addition of several new players from last year's junior varsity squad.

Captained by seniors Helen Anderson, Sumih Chi, Eve Kenney and Claire Onley, the girls hope to effectively execute plays on the field with an improvement in teamwork and communication. "The girls worked hard this past summer and winter and played as a team year round," she said. "It's nice to bring back returning players with experience." She cited the return of Kenney, who was vital in starting plays; Onley, who was a big contributor in defense; and sophomore Eleanor Garlow, who brings speed and quickness to the team; as crucial components for the team's success.

Franceschini plans to take games one at a time, improving the team's skill throughout the season as well as increasing their scoring potential.
-Charles Kong

Cross Country
After a disappointing season last year, Blair's cross country team has stepped it up a notch in 2007 with new coaches and new faces. Last year's coaches Carl Lewin and Angelique Bosse have stepped down and the team is now led by Eric Prange and James Demma.

With a larger talent pool due to an increase in freshmen participants, the team's coaches are pleased with the mixture of both youth and experience on the squad. "We'll definitely have a strong JV team," Demma said. He is also impressed with the squad's veterans, especially senior captains Vijay Baharani, Johanna Gretschel and Christina Mullen and junior captain Frank Wen.
Other key runners include experienced track athletes junior Rutvij Pandya and senior Nilan Schnure.

Coach Prange is optimistic about where the team is headed. "My goal for them is regionals," said Prange, "whether it's their goal or not."
-Sean Howard