The 2007 season will not be an easy one for the Blair baseball team, as inexperience and injuries have already begun taking their toll on the program. Most of the team has limited varsity experience, and injuries have robbed them of some players who do. "There's not a lot of varsity success returning," said head coach John MacDonald.
Blair coed volleyball began the seasonal campaign on a high note, soundly defeating the Springbrook Blue Devils in three games, 25-8, 25-17 and 25-8 on Wednesday night. In their first game action of the season, the Blazers looked sharp against an inexperienced Springbrook squad, dominating the net game and easily finding holes in the defense. Despite a scoring mix-up in the second set that erased three Blair points off the scoreboard, coed volleyball cruised to their first win of the year, a feat that took five games a year ago when the Blazers finished with a disappointing 2-11.
The Blair boys' tennis team was sorely disappointed as they failed to end a long streak of losses to Churchill, losing 3-4. The team was, according to Coach David Ngbea, set back by their poor mental game.
Tremendous expectations lie on the shoulders of Blair's varsity boys' volleyball team after bringing home county championship plaques the last two years and division championship trophies the last three years. With nine returning players and losing just two starters, Adrian Cretzu and Timothy Lee, to graduation and to the coed volleyball team, the Blazers were expected to finish the match against the Springbrook Blue Devils in three straight sets.
Both the boys' and girls' outdoor track teams defeated Northwood in their season opener, 76 points to 50 and 92 to 30 respectively. However, while the boys improved their season record to 2-0 by defeating Paint Branch 72 to 69, the girls fell to the Panthers 61.5 to 79.5.
Two years ago, the varsity softball team fielded eight sophomores and played to an impressive 15-3 regular season record. The next year, the class of 2007's ranks swelled to 12, and the Blazers finished the season as Division Champions with a 15-1 regular season record, the best in Montgomery County. Now, with high expectations and 13 seniors leading the way, the Blazers look to the upcoming season to duplicate their success and carry it into the playoffs.
The girls' lacrosse team lost to the Springbrook Blue Devils, 9-2, extending a four-game losing streak and bringing their record to a disappointing 2-4. The game started off sloppy, with poor handling and passing from both teams.
On a sunny, slightly breezy Sunday, Blair's unofficial ultimate frisbee team "Home Cooked" took the field against Thomas Jefferson High School, a fellow magnet school from Virginia. The game started late and lasted long, as these two well-matched teams battled for supremacy.
Despite a myriad of struggles, Blair's varsity boys' basketball team managed to produce positive achievements during the 2006-2007 season. The team took home a trophy at a holiday tournament and won their first home playoff game in a decade, defeating Watkins Mill last Friday 44-37. Unfortunately, the season ended with a whimper as the Magruder Colonels (17-5) handily defeated the eighth-seeded Blazers (5-18) by a score of 58-31 on Monday night, ending their run in the Montgomery County 4A regional playoffs. While the Colonels shot lights-out from the field and from the free-throw line, the Blazers struggled mightily with their scoring all night, concluding the season with a deflating loss in the wake of back-to-back wins.
Feb. 24, GERMANTOWN INDOOR SWIM CENTER - The boys' swim team placed 11th out of 33 teams against competitive private and public school teams from across the region in the Metros competition. The boys', after a rash of slow swims at the County championships, were able to improve many of their times in the last post-season swim season. Blair placed 21st overall out of 47 teams.
FEB. 23, Churchill- The girls' basketball team's recurring inconsistency led to a dismal offensive night for the Blazers as they fell hard to the Churchill Bulldogs in the first round of the 4A region playoffs. Riding a two game winning streak, the Blazers traveled to Churchill confident that they could be competitive against the Bulldogs. But the Bulldogs (14-8) shut down Blair's offense and capitalized on sloppy passes and lackadaisical defense to defeat the Blazers (3-20) for the third time this season.
Senior sisters Ashlyn and Halsey Sinclair capped off their high school indoor track careers with one bronze medal each, in the 800m and 1600m races respectively, at the 4A/3A Maryland State Championship. For the first time in their four years at Blair, the twins were joined at the state competition by two boys' relay teams who ran the 4x200m and 4x400m, placing eleventh and tenth respectively.
On Wednesday's senior night, the Blair Blazers played passionate defense, clinical offense, and used veteran leadership to beat one of the lower-ranked teams in the county.
Plagued by inconsistent play and long losing streaks, the boys' basketball team has had a trying and often disheartening 2006-2007 season. But on Senior Night, the Blazers (4-17), who entered the game with eight straight losses and a weeklong layoff thanks to the weather, mustered a gutsy win in one of the best team efforts this season.
The girls' indoor track team scored 20 points to tie Damascus for eighth place, while the boys tied Springbrook with 14 points to place tenth at the 3A/4A West Regional meet.
Former professional baseball player and Blair alumnus Steve Barber died on Feb. 4. A native of Takoma Park, Barber was a member of the class of 1956 and a star pitcher for Blair's baseball team. He was the first 20-game winner of the modern-era Baltimore Orioles and an inductee into the Orioles Hall of Fame, as well as the Maryland Athletic Hall of Fame.
The boys' team, keen on winning the Division II championship, had meticulously designed Saturday's lineup. Despite the mishaps that seemed to plague some of the key swimmers - injuries, fatigue or goggle malfunctions - the boys' careful strategy overcame the last minute setbacks for them to win the Division II championships with a score of 456. The girls, who had a 2-5 record, placed 5th with a score of 272. Sophomore Melanie Snail lowered two of her records (100 Free and 100 Back) while junior Michael Willems set a new 6-dive record.
FEB. 9, NELSON H. KOBREN GYMNASIUM- As a sophomore last year, Walter Johnson's standout guard Alex Chili served up 34 points as the Wildcats defeated the varsity girls' basketball team 63-50. Friday night, Chili returned to Blair's gymnasium as a junior and scored 37 points to bury the Blazers in their third loss to Walter Johnson this season.
The National Basketball Association has been a roller coaster full of surprises, highlighted thus far by dominating stretches by top teams (two 15+ game win streaks by the Phoenix Suns, 13 in a row by the Dallas Mavericks), uniform changes (Allen Iverson, Chris Webber) and an ugly brawl at Madison Square Garden. With the All-Star break fast approaching, we break down the top teams and dish out midseason hardware.
The boys' sprint relays continued to improve at the Last Track to Philly meet, cutting three seconds off their 4x400m relay time of 3:35.18 from the Montgomery County Championship. The invitational served primarily as the indoor track team's final tune-up for the 3A/4A West Regional meet, which will be held Feb. 13.
FEB. 5, NELSON H. KOBREN GYMNASIUM- On Jan. 12, the Blazers defeated the Walter Johnson Wildcats by a score of 65-41. It has been three weeks, six losses and countless frustrations since the Blair boys' basketball team last salvaged a win. It was the same old story Monday night for the Blazers (3-15) against the Magruder Colonels (14-4) as the problems that have plagued them all year were present in yet another loss.
As many sports teams are concluding their regular season and looking towards the post-season world of playoffs and divisionals, a review of their performances as well as expectations:
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.
The varsity girls' basketball team that took the floor on Friday night against the Blake Bengals bore little resemblance to the team from previous games. While the Blazers played a controlled offense, they struggled to complete their passes and were plagued with turnovers, a problem that the team hasn't had in previous games. The Bengals pounced on the Blazers' new vice, using a fast paced transition game to secure their 72-28 victory.
The Blair girls' indoor track team placed 9th with 31 points and the boys' team scored 18 points to tie Wooton High School and place 12th out of 21 teams at the Montgomery County Championship.
We found 1914 results.