Blair defeats Wheaton in opening football game

On Friday, Sept. 4, the Blair Blazers (1-0) defeated the Wheaton Knights (0-1) 39-21 in their opening-night matchup. After a back-and-forth first half, Blair scored 23 unanswered points in the second half to secure the win.

The first three drives of the game ended in punts before a muffed punt return by Blair with 1:50 remaining in the first quarter gave Wheaton a short field. The Knights capitalized immediately, scoring on a 35-yard quarterback sneak on the next play. Wheaton missed the two-point conversion, leaving them ahead 6-0.

Blair responded on its next drive with a 60-yard rushing touchdown by Lucas Copeland. The Blazers’ extra-point attempt was blocked, keeping the game tied 6-6 at the end of the first quarter.

Wheaton eventually regained their lead after a 17-yard touchdown reception with 4:10 remaining in the half. The drive had been interrupted by a nearly 20-minute delay after Blair safety AJ Anderson suffered a leg injury with 5:43 left in the quarter. 

Blair again answered quickly when quarterback Malachi Rice found Copeland again for a 35-yard touchdown pass with 1:30 left in the half. Wheaton appeared poised to respond after a long kickoff return, but its running back fumbled at the 40-yard line. Blair recovered and converted the turnover into a 30-yard field goal as time expired, taking a 16-13 lead into halftime.

Blair carried their momentum into the second half. After two punts, Copeland broke free for a 70-yard touchdown, his second long rushing score of the night, to extend the Blazers’ lead to 10 points. Wheaton punted on its next possession, and Blair added a 5-yard rushing touchdown early in the fourth quarter, bringing the score to 29-13.

The Knights struggled to regain momentum as Blair continued to capitalize on turnovers. With 10:40 remaining, Blair #5 picked off Wheaton’s pass, setting up a Blazer touchdown just one minute later. Blair added a field goal at 7:40 remaining, stretching the margin to 39-13.

Wheaton responded with an 18-yard touchdown pass with 5:30 remaining and converted the two-point attempt, but the deficit was too large to overcome. Blair held on for the 39-21 victory, opening the season 1-0 while Wheaton fell to 0-1.