With seven regular season games left in the varsity boys' basketball schedule, the Blazers' playoff hopes rest on their success in the next few games. Blair's performance in Friday night's 64-51 loss to Blake revealed weakness in the team's execution and motivation. The Bengals jumped out to an early lead and never let up, dealing the Blazers their seventh loss in their last eight games.
Wild-card weekend is in full effect, and although the Redskins couldn't make it this year, there are still four intriguing matchups to look forward to. Oh, and in case you were wondering, Pia held on to take the top spot in this year's NFL picks.
When we started NFL picks this season, Pia was the underdog. Now, the rest of us are fighting to get out of last. From the three (lovable?) losers, Abe, Josh and Phil, this is our last set of picks from the past two years. And we finished where we started—the bottom of the barrel. Peace out NFL predictions, it's been real. Happy New Year!
Happy Holidays! Overall
| Josh | 130-93 |
| Abe | 129-94 |
| Pia | 139-84 |
| Phil | 131-92 |
Clutch free-throws and a spectacular three-point shooting display by senior guard Darius Smith enabled the Blazers to battle back and defeat the Titans 86-81 in a double overtime thriller.
The boys' basketball team hoped their season opener would prove to the community that the program had reversed its fortunes. Instead, the Blazers reverted back to the bad habits that have plagued Blair basketball for nearly a decade: turnovers, lackadaisical defense and poor shot selection.
Thursday night games premiere this week on NFL Network, which means either more excitement or more frustration for football fans, and earlier deadlines for us. But either way you slice it, it's football.
The varsity boy's basketball team was called down to the security office today to fill out reports in connection with items stolen from the team room yesterday. During the team's practice an estimated $70, three iPods and a cell phone were removed from the Blazers belongings.
Happy Thanksgiving to all of our loyal readers out there, and be sure to plop down in front of the tube for some post-stuffing NFL football.
As we reviewed the standings this week, we noticed that there was a discrepancy in the number of games we had each picked. Somehow, Pia had two less games than the rest of us. Josh suggested giving her two losses, hoping to even the field. Phil said we should hand her one win and one loss, keeping her totals even. Wondering what to do and where we had gone wrong, we poured over the last ten weeks of predictions, hoping to find a clue as to where we had done some bad math. As fate would have it, we found the mistake. So what did we find? We omitted two of Pia's correct predictions. Her two more wins plus another week of superiority mean she's pulling away fast, as the rest of us are left stunned and embarrassed. As for this week…
The SCO sports staff is currently Ballin'!!, and with a full docket of games on the schedule, all our senior experts will be looking to close the gap between their records and Pia's. Too bad she never has a bad week.
It's the beginning of the end for Pia. I see it now. Last week was just the beginning as she lost ground. Amazingly, Phil was the best last week, even though as a group we unanimously picked six games wrong. There are a couple of real tough games this week, including Denver versus Indy in a matchup with playoff implications. Abe makes his return to the picks and looks to gain ground from his last-place standing, which is highly unlikely. Check it out for yourself"
Another week in the NFL, and another probable Redskins loss. I hate to say it Skins fans, but this week looks bleak. With a loss here, we could be looking at a quarterback switch. As you can see, last week was a stalemate as we all picked horribly. Pia maintains her lead of four games, while Abe, the most egotistical of us all, retains sole possession of last place, a whopping nine games out. R.I.P. Abe's comments. Check out what the rest of us experts have to say this week…
For Redskins fans, this week is big. Real big. The difference between 3-2 and 2-3 could mean the difference between playoff contention and a season destined for Jason Campbell's development. Plus, the 'Skins travel to New York to face the Giants, who you may recall have a certain flashy linebacker by the name of Arrington who would love to lay out some Washington players. As for the rest of the NFL, the Bears may have established themselves as the league's top team and T.O. returns to Philadelphia. So pour yourself a cold drink, grab the chips and dip and plop down for a Sunday of zoning out on football.
Mark Brunell will face his old team Jacksonville this week when the Jags invade FedEx Field for a big matchup with the Redskins, Seattle and Chicago square off Sunday night for the right to be called #1 in the NFC and the Chargers face the Ravens for a defensive battle that will leave one team undefeated and the other with an L on their record. In short, this Sunday's slew of NFL games is a big one. It's time for teams to separate from the pack, and as for our standings so far, well, Pia has done most of the separating. She still hasn't gone over the 10-loss mark yet…jeez, Josh, Phil and I need to step our game up.
Okay, so the Redskins dropped a tough game to the Vikings on Monday night. Boo-hoo. Buck up and get ready for week two, the weekend that solidifies our opinions on teams that looked great or terrible in week one. More importantly, if you're still looking to win that friendly wager with a buddy or you just want to check out how bad our crew of "experts" is doing this week, we've got you covered. And by the way, don't sleep on Pia, the leader out of the gates.
Breathe. The months of waiting for pro football to return are over. Lord football is back and ready to reign once again. Whether you need to check up on your favorite team, analyze this year's Super Bowl contenders or just want to do a little light reading before the NFL kicks off later tonight, SCO's staff of NFL experts is here for you.
Four students, presumed to be 2006 graduates, ran through Blair wearing only underwear, today during 5B lunch. The streakers, three males and one female, marked their bodies with "06" to identify their graduating class.
The Blair Athletic Department hired Mark Destefano as the varsity basketball coach. Destafano, who replaces Orlando Larraquente, held a players meeting to discuss his plans for the program on Thursday.
With the fate of their season in their hands, the Blair boy's lacrosse team stepped up their play and defeated the Einstein Titans 8-2 in the first round of the playoffs. For four quarters, the Blazers played one their most complete games of the season, and Friday night's victory set up a Saturday afternoon game with Wooton in the second round.
The playoffs are once again upon us, the culmination of six months of games, controversies, trades and record-breaking feats. This year's ensemble of playoff teams includes some familiar faces as well as some names that we haven't seen in a while (Clippers? Bucks?). Expect exciting play from the league's best players, a few surprises and plenty of highlights.
As 65 teams get geared up for this year's NCAA Tournament, here are a few schools that were left pouting in their dorm rooms.
Boys' varsity basketball coach Orlando Larracuente was released today, March 1, according to Blair Athletic Director Dale Miller and James Short, Blair's administrator in charge of athletics.
In light of the recent turmoil stirred up by Ron Artest about his trade to the Sacramento Kings along with athletes like Bode Miller and his Olympic antics, Silver Chips Online takes this opportunity to explore the professional athletes no one wants in their locker room.
Senior Sebastian Johnson finished second on Jeopardy Teen Tournament in his semifinal round in an episode that aired yesterday, Feb. 13.
Every single game this week is a rematch of a regular season game...how weird is that? The Redskins are still alive this week...let's hope that they'll be here next week too.
The wild card round is here and the hometown Washington Redskins are finally back into the playoffs. With intruiging matchups including former Super Bowl champions and rabid fans, Silver Chips Online and their crack team of football experts breaks it all down...
To participate in Montgomery County high school athletics, students must maintain a 2.0 grade point average. For some student-athletes this isn't a problem, but for others the academic requirements are a formidable hurdle. Some people argue that academics should not play a role in determining who gets to play sports and that the best athletes in a school should represent it in athletic competition, but others believe that school takes precedence. Students, parents and administrators all have an opinion on this contested topic. So the question is, are these academic restrictions justified?
The Blazers opened their new season the same way they ended last years: with a loss and without their head coach.
Happy Thanksgiving! Enjoy the picks and don't worry about how much you eat; you can always work it off later...
Last Saturday the Blazers missed the playoffs by just 14 points in a loss to Damascus, the number one team in the Washington, D.C., area. Despite the loss the Blazers had a tremendous year, finishing 6-4 and losing only to teams with winning records. But at one point in the season it didn't appear as if a winning record was in the cards. The Blazers came out of the gates to a dismal 1-3 record and appeared to be on course for another sub-.500 year. In the fifth game against Wheaton, starting running back Terrin Flowers-Jackson was out with an injury and the offense was again sputtering. In the third quarter of this monumental game, Coach Jeffery Seals decided to make a bold move.
It is nothing new for artists, especially rappers, to branch out into all sections of the entertainment industry. Entrepreneurs such as Russell Simmons, P-Diddy and Jay-Z have paved the way by starting their own clothing lines and entering other types of business.
The bench-press bar pulses up and down as the beat of Missy Elliot's "Lose Control" blares throughout Junior Eli Simon-Mishel's cramped basement. As the bar bounces, his breath becomes short and sharp. His face contorts into a look of anguish, his puffed up cheeks showing the intense stress on his body. "Twenty!" he exults as he clangs the bar back into place above his now still frame. Simon-Mishel reaches to his side and, with shaking hands, ladles two scoops of powder from a giant gray tub, stirs them into a cup of water and then downs the pink mixture in one swig.
Oct. 24, BLAZER STADIUM— Blair's varsity boys' soccer team arrived at Blazer Stadium shortly after 6:00 p.m. with little enthusiasm for the approaching senior night game. Pouring rain, biting winds and a surprisingly low temperature all seemed to silence the team. Yet the referees deemed the field playable and the "mud bowl" began. Blair played poorly in the first half, but after capitalizing on two penalty kicks in the second half, they came away the winners over visiting Walter Johnson with a score of 2-1. Blair improved its record to 8-4.
Nothing clever or inspirational this time but hey, I'm not in last place anymore. On to the picks...
Sept. 26, BLAKE— The Blazers first half performance showed no inclination of a team about to win 7-0. The boys' varsity soccer team started the game slowly, even against a Blake opponent fielding only 10 players due to disciplinary reasons. After a motivational half time speech and a spark from the bench, the Blazers erupted for seven goals in the second half. The drastic turn-around marked Blair's highest offensive output of the regular season, giving the team a second straight victory, while improving their record to 3-2.
Sept. 20, SHERWOOD— The Blazers lost their second straight game in particularly disappointing fashion to defending state champion Sherwood High School. The 6-0 score resulted from the team's dismal defensive performance. This combined with a complete lack of offensive cohesiveness led to the Blazers' first goalless game this year.
With the exception of Phil, the whole panel had a 9-7 record last week. Not bad considering upsets by Miami over Denver and the 49ers over the Rams. With some more info going into week two, I expect a much better record overall. Anyway, on to the picks.
The NFL is in the midst of a transformation, with young, energetic teams like the Cardinals and Lions will beat out aging, traditionally powerhouse teams like the Rams and Packers for playoff spots. The Patriots are the NFL's defending champions for the third time in four years, and the "dynasty" label has been slapped on Tom Brady, Corey Dillon, and the rest of the Patriots. But in spite of the Pats' dominance, the Indianapolis Colts' top-ranked offense and improved defense will finally beat the Patriots in the playoffs, something the team has never done with Peyton Manning at the helm. Here are the rest of our picks for the NFL in 2005.
Over the past three decades Chinese food has taken its place alongside pizza and fast food as one of Americas favorite quick meals. Don't know what to eat? Just order Chinese! This degradation of Chinas cuisine has created a void of high quality sit-down restaurants. This cavity has been filled since 1987 by City Lights of China Restaurant, widely regarded by Washingtonians as the best Chinese in the city. A result of the restaurant's success in its original location in Dupont Circle allowed it to branch off into two new locations in Bethesda and Ronald Reagan Center food court.