Three Blazers competed in the Maryland State Cross Country meet, held Nov. 12 at Hereford High School in Parkton, Maryland. Juniors Ashlyn Sinclair, Halsey Sinclair, and Joshua Uzzell all placed in the top 50 in the Maryland 4A region race.
Midway through the 2005 NFL season, the Minnesota Vikings have been the center of a sex scandal, the Indianapolis Colts remain undefeated, and the NFC East is perhaps the strongest division in football. So with our coverage of the NFL sitting on the 50-yard line, we present our midseason power rankings, awards, biggest stories and second-half predictions for an historic year in football.
As the JV Football team sauntered off the field at Blazer Stadium Thursday night, a wide grin appeared on the face of sophomore Milton Colquehon. Colquehon and his teammates had just wrapped up a 27-0 thrashing of the Blake Bengals, a game highlighted by Blair's superior team defense and efficient offensive production. The win tips the Blazers' record to 5-4 on the season.
Washington is not usually considered a hockey town, but one rookie phenom could bring back plenty of fans. He hasn't been labeled "the Next One" or called the future of the National Hockey League (NHL), but Alexander Ovechkin entered the NHL as the number one overall pick two years ago and with high expectations. One of this season's most intriguing subplots will be the battle between Ovechkin and his fellow rookie, 18-year old Sidney Crosby for the Calder Trophy as the NHL's Rookie of the Year.
Last week, the NBA announced that it would be implementing a league-wide dress code for all players and personnel, effective at the start of the 2005-2006 season, which tips off on Tuesday. The dress code- stressed as "business casual"- states that players should dress in professional attire during all team and league activities and publicity-related events. The dress code forbids the wearing of hats, "do-rags," chains, medallions, jeans, sneakers and jerseys while players are on the team bench, at press conferences or on team trips.
Blair's boys' varsity soccer team defeated the Damascus Swarming Hornets 2-1 in the first round of the playoffs Friday night.
The Blair boys' varsity golf team, coached by James Schafer, is already winding down their disappointing season, weeks ahead of other fall sports. Dwindling daylight forces the golf season to end earlier than most sports, but the Blazers still managed to pack in a rigorous schedule.
Oct. 26, NELSON H. KOBREN MEMORIAL GYMANISUM— Confidence was high tonight as the Blair girls' volleyball team prepared for their final home game of the season against the Seneca Valley Eagles. The Blazers started off strong with accurate serves but as the night went on they let their guard down. Poor court coverage and wild passes were the main causes for Blair's loss in three sets, 24-26, 19-25 and 17-25.
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.
It's only a week until the NBA begins the 2005-2006 basketball season and for the past 6 months teams have been making moves to get the upper hand in their respective divisions. Remember last year? If you've learned one thing, it's to never completely trust any predictions (Everyone scoffed at the thought of the Wizards making the playoffs). If that means taking these picks with a grain of salt, so be it. Still, teams have changed and talent has shifted from division to division. In order to inform and maybe spark some controversy we have compiled an analysis of all 15 Eastern conference teams, their projected record and rank. Enjoy.
Blair's star goalie Xenia Oroxom makes a spectacular dive towards the ball hurtling closer to the goal. But this time the ball is just too far out of reach. Einstein scores shortly after a beautiful shot by Blair forward Katie Scott, bringing the game to a tie at 1-1. With twenty minutes still to go in the second half, none of the players suspected that Einstein's goal would be the last of the game.
Nothing clever or inspirational this time but hey, I'm not in last place anymore. On to the picks...
The 2005 World Series is set, and this fall baseball will award its championship trophy to either the American League's Chicago White Sox or the National League's Houston Astros. The superb starting pitching of the White Sox propelled them past the Angels in five games, while the clutch hitting of young superstars and seasoned veterans helped the Astros shake off the defending NL champion Cardinals in six. So as the 102nd World Series gets underway on Saturday, we give you our thoughts on the matchup.
The field hockey team was handed a frustrating, double-overtime loss by the Paint Branch Panthers, despite the strongest performance they have had all season. Playing on a muddy field in a frigid rain, the Blazers had an intense game with solid passing and excellent individual performances in the last game of the regular season. Yet it was not enough, as Blair fell 2-1 in sudden death.
Blair girls' varsity volleyball served their way to another win tonight against the Kennedy Cavaliers in a three set win. The Blazers serving and saving were consistent against a tireless Kennedy team. Blair fell short of their expectations however; winning by smaller margins than they hoped, 25-17, 25-18, and 26-24. Blair sprinted ahead of Kennedy during the beginning of every set because of accurate serving, but had to work hard to keep ahead of the Cavaliers and secure a win.
To win the Heisman Trophy is to be immortalized among college football's greatest players. Last year, former Texas Longhorns running back Cedric Benson said he would even trade team success for winning the Heisman and joining the list of all-time greats. This fall, as the competition stiffens, a player's performance in one big game could make or break his chances to follow in the footsteps of such greats as Paul Hornung, Roger Staubach, Herschel Walker, Barry Sanders, Desmond Howard and Ricky Williams. The chase looks to be one for the ages as there are five extremely qualified candidates all hoping to come away with college football's version of the Miss America crown: everyone struts their stuff and at the end, the best of the best is awarded the coveted trophy. Here is how the race stands midway through the season.
The girls tennis squad whipped all of their John F. Kennedy high school Division II opponents today, ending with a stunning 7-0 victory and improving their overall record to 7-4.
The Blair field hockey team was defeated this afternoon 4-0 by the last year's divisional champions, the Springbrook Blue Devils. Led by their seven departing seniors, the Blazers played well against a difficult opponent but were hurt by a lack of cohesion and aggressive play.
Oct. 14, NELSON H. KOBREN MEMORIAL GYMANISUM— The Blair girls' varsity volleyball team walked onto the court tonight after a win against Whitman on Monday, confident that they could again emerge victorious against the Einstein Titans. The Blazers exceeded even their own expectations, as the team played the best they have all year, winning 25-13, 25-11, and 25-22, exhibiting impressive serving and communication throughout the match. Blair showed excellent teamwork and energy in the first two sets, but was forced to come from behind in the last set to clinch the win tonight.
Last year marked the emergence of a new era in the Eastern Conference. Teams like the Chicago Bulls, Washington Wizards and Miami Heat rebounded from years of stagnancy with sudden playoff appearances and a promising future ahead of them. As players' contracts expired and organizations looked at the market for new talent, these teams, along with numerous other organizations around the league, shuffled their lineups in preparation for the 05-06 season. Here before you, are the top three offseason transactions in the NBA:
Blair girls' junior varsity soccer team beat the Damascus Hornets yesterday, four to two.
Oct. 10, BLAZER COURTS- The girls tennis team solidified its place in Division I and improved its record to 6-4 after winning a decisive divisional match today against the Whitman Vikings, 5-2. Their win insures Blair's girls tennis a place among the top five teams in the county.
The Chicago White Sox swept the reigning World Series champ Boston Red Sox in the American League Division Series last week, meaning baseball will crown a new champion this fall. The White Sox will face the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, who are coming off an emotional series-ending victory over the Yankees on Sunday. In the National League, the slugging St. Louis Cardinals face off against the Houston Astros, who beat the Atlanta Braves in a series that included the longest postseason game in baseball history, an eighteen-inning marathon. So as we get going in round two, here are my amended predictions:
Both the boys and girls cross country teams achieved wins against Blake and Paint Branch at today's meet at Blake. The girls' team also beat Sherwood, but the boys lost by ten points.
OCT 6, MONTGOMERY BLAIR— Blair's varsity field hockey team tied the Gaithersburg Trojans today in a frustrating 1-1 match that went into double overtime, bringing the team's record to 1-5-1 following last week's win against Kennedy. The Blazers dominated the game but once again failed to capitalize on their many scoring opportunities.
We found 1918 results.