Blair football upsets Paint Branch in thrilling game

On Friday, Sept. 18, the Blazers upset the Paint Branch Panthers in a highly competitive game. After a scoreless first quarter, the Blazers jumped out to a 17-point lead, which proved to be just enough to hold off the Panthers. 

Both offenses started slow, as there was no score through the game’s first four possessions. Halfway through the first quarter, the Blazers managed to drive down to the Paint Branch 1-yard line, but were stopped on fourth-and-goal and emerged without points. Except for a pair of explosive rushing plays from Blair running back Kysen Harris and Paint Branch’s running back, both defenses held strong for the remainder of the first quarter, which ended 0-0.

With 3:50 remaining in the second quarter, the Blazers’ offense finally broke through with a 15-yard receiving touchdown by Teagan Kellman, putting Blair up 7-0. Paint Branch looked to respond on their next possession, but an errant throw by their quarterback led to an interception by Blazers middle linebacker Charlie Fallon at midfield with 1:09 remaining in the half. The Blazers slowly drove down the field, ending the half with a 30-yard field goal that put them ahead 10-0.

When asked about the first half, Blazers running back Lucas Copeland praised the team’s strong defensive performance. 

“The defense, man, we stayed true to what we were supposed to do,” Copeland said. “We didn’t break.”

Both offenses stalled to begin the second half, but it was eventually Blair that struck first, with Copeland scoring a 10-yard rushing touchdown with 3:34 remaining in the third quarter. However, Paint Branch responded quickly, with a 30-yard rushing touchdown that brought the score to 17-6. 



Blair struggled to weave through the Panthers’ defense in subsequent plays until Emmanuel Tagne scored the Blazers’ final touchdown from the 10-yard line with 9:19 on the clock in the fourth quarter, giving Blair a comfortable 24-6 lead. However, Paint Branch responded quickly: with 7:28 on the clock, Leoul Solomon scored a second rushing touchdown for Paint Branch, and the Panthers soon regained possession with an interception two minutes later. The Panthers marched down to the one-yard line, but the Blazers’ defense made a triumphant fourth-down stop with 2:37 remaining that appeared to have sealed the game.

However, Blair quickly went three-and-out, and Paint Branch scored a touchdown on a 10-yard quarterback sneak, bringing the score to 23-18 with 1:37 remaining. Despite the scare, the Blazers were able to run out the clock and win the game.

Blair head coach Samual Nosoff expressed great pride for the game’s outcome and the teamwork that Blair demonstrated throughout the night.

“There were a lot of guys who came together [and] that were put in positions where they were a focal point when usually they’re our rotation guys. [But] they all stepped up, they all came together, it was a full team effort,” Nosoff said.

The varsity football team will play their next home game against the Walt Whitman Vikings on Friday, Oct. 9 at 6:30 p.m.