Maryland Community Newspapers Online
Last year's wealth of varsity experience will give way to youthful inexperience this fall for the Blair football team. With the loss of 24 seniors, including Mr. Everything Dayne Bolt and versatile running backs Jonathan Haughton and Keith Ayensu, this year is a whole new proposition.
The Blazers used those numerous seniors to reach the .500 mark in 2008 after enduring an 11-game losing streak that spanned a season plus one game. That run of futility ended with a 47-14 win against Blake to open the 2008 campaign. Blair, in fact, won three of its first four games and defeated county heavyweight Damascus late in the season.
OK, enough for last season. How will the callow Blazers do this fall?
Well, according to assistant coach Adrian Kelly, not too bad, with numerous players coming up from last year's 6-3 junior varsity squad that experienced just one lopsided loss, to Sherwood.
"We're just looking for this group to build on what we did last year," said Kelly, a 1995 graduate of the school. "We hope to push forward and make the playoffs."
To reach postseason play for the first time, the Blazers will need big-time performances from the following players: Andrew Gondor (5-foot-9, 170 pounds), Daniel Solomon (6-2, 290), Ibrahim Jarr (6-0, 195), Caleb Furlow (6-1, 180) and Arthur Tstadond (6-2, 275).
Gondor and Furlow will be the featured backs in the team's double wing offense that relies heavily on the run game; perhaps even more so this year with the loss of all three quarterbacks the Blazers used last fall.
Victor Wang (298 passing yards, six touchdowns) and Bolt (809 rushing yards, 13 touchdowns) graduated while Alex Egber has yet to rejoin the team while focusing on baseball. He could return perhaps at the beginning of the season.
Gondor produced roughly 700 all-purpose yards a year ago and scored five touchdowns, including a 53-yard punt return. Furlow is up from the successful JV squad. Both will also line up in the defensive secondary.
Solomon will anchor both the offensive and defensive lines. He produced 12 tackles and a sack a year ago. Jarr will play fullback and linebacker in the team's three-linemen, five-linebacker set. He racked up 10 sacks a year ago. Tstadond, up from the JV, will help Solomon on both lines.
"We have a lot of speed but we only have three returning seniors," Kelly said.
A tough early schedule won't help Blair's chances either. The Blazers play Paint Branch and Magruder to open the season and will see Springbrook, Whitman and Sherwood before mid-October. If, however, Blair can collect some wins during that tough stretch, its playoffs chances grow with four winnable games to end the season.
Blair
Head coach: Jeff Seals, 6th year (17-33)
League affiliation: Montgomery 4A East
Last year's record: 5-5
Last playoff appearance: None
Last state title: None
Players to watch: WB/FS Andrew Gondor, OL/NT Daniel Solomon, LB/FB Ibrahim Jarr
2008 results
Sept. 5 — Blake, (W), 47-14
Sept. 12 — Northwood, (W), 41-12
Sept. 19 — Gaithersburg, (L), 28-14
Sept. 26 — Whitman, (W), 13-7
Oct. 3 — Magruder, (L), 12-7
Oct. 10 — Sherwood, (L), 35-7
Oct. 16 — Wootton, (L), 36-7
Oct. 24 — Kennedy, (W), 27-8
Oct. 31 — Damascus, (W), 28-26 (OT)
Nov. 7 — Springbrook, (L), 41-33
2009 schedule
Sept. 4 — at Paint Branch, 6:30 p.m.
Sept. 11 — Magruder, 6:30 p.m.
Sept. 17 — at Wheaton, 6:30 p.m.
Sept. 25 — Springbrook, 6:30 p.m.
Oct. 2 — at Whitman, 6:30 p.m.
Oct. 9 — Sherwood, 6:30 p.m.
Oct. 17 — B-CC, 4 p.m.
Oct. 23 — at Walter Johnson, 6:30 p.m.
Oct. 30 — at R. Montgomery, 6:30 p.m.
Nov. 6 — Northwood, 6:30 p.m.