Friday night may have been the start of something special. Not only did the Blazers equal their win total from the past two seasons; they also won their season opener for the first time in recent memory. They beat the BCC Barons 34- 12 in superb fashion on September 7 at Blazer Stadium.
Junior fullback Felix Ruiz led all rushers with 157 yards on the ground. The majority of his yards came from power running plays between the tackles. "The game plan for [Friday night] was to maintain ball control by running the ball," said Head Coach James Short.
Senior offensive guards Junior Jabbe and Pierre Ayers provided important blocking for Blair. The veteran linemen plowed down opposing players, and old school power football prevailed for the Blazers. The tandem have been varsity starters for three years and felt that all their commitment and time in weight room finally paid off. "We couldn't lose, it was our turn," said Jabbe. Junior wide receivers Cedric Mack and Avon Jackson had important roles in blocking the defense as well, and the two set up multiple scores by Ruiz.
The game opened with a nice kick off return by Mack. His run-backs gave the Blazers great field position throughout the game. On the first play, a false start penalty was called against the Blazers. But as they showed throughout the night, these Blazers have the ability to bounce back. The next play was a quarterback draw followed by a slew of successful rushes by Ruiz, senior James McCrae, junior Ricardo Campos, and senior Alfonso Angus.
Special teams also played a major role in the success of the team. Key fumble recoveries by junior Tyantia Beale and senior Dominic Perry gave the Blazers excellent field position on most of their scoring drives.
The Blazers next game is against Northwest High School. Northwest went 8-2 last season beating county powerhouse Seneca Valley and shutting out five of its ten opponents. They also scored 30 or more points six times throughout the season. The Blazers have a formidable opponent and a daunting challenge ahead of them, but according to junior Nino Tran, "we're ready."
Max Brett. Max Brett is a senior at Blair, and is the Online Sports Editor and a staff writer for Silver Chips. His tireless efforts have helped the online section become what it is today. Just last year, he wrote a rap review the Saturday Evening Post … More »
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