Blazers stumble in home opener

In a game full of missed opportunities, controversy, and unsportsmanlike conduct penalties, the mighty Blazers fell 22-14 to the Northwest Jaguars. At the end of the slugfest Coach Jimmy Short got into a heated verbal brawl with the Jaguar's head coach. Short erupted when the other coach called Blair's team an "embarrassment." With those words there was a showdown in the middle of the field with each coach shouting obscenities and opposing players looking for confrontations, protecting their respective coaches.

Before the squabble between the coaches there was a hard fought game. The Blazers ran the ball religiously in the first quarter, wearing down the Jaguars defense. Senior quarterback Arie Piesert punched in the first score of the game with 36.7 seconds left in the first quarter.

The two teams battled back and forth with neither making too much progress because of stupid penalties and a lack of concentration until with 7:34 left in the half the Jaguar running back scampered off the left side of his line, breaking several tackles, en route to 6 points. The Jags' quarterback sophomore sensation, Ike Whitaker, capitalized on the two point conversion and went into the half with a 1 point lead.

The Blazers had spurts of brilliance to close out the first half with Cedric Mack almost catching a game breaking interception, and senior Jermaine Jack laying a pulse pounding hit. But like everything good that happened in this game for the Blazers it was called back because of unsportsmanlike conduct.

With 9:58 left in the third quarter Piesert scampered for a big 20 yard gain at the expense of a Jaguars lineman. The player left the game with a broken leg and will most likely be done for the year. On the next possession Jack busted open a huge gain and took sprinted to within the ten-yard line fumbling the ball and recovering near Blair's five-yard line. The play was however called back because of a personal foul, zapping the Blazers momentum.

In the third quarter the Blazers were in punt formation and the Jags sent everyone and blocked the kick and ran it in for a score. They missed the two point attempt, making the score 14-7. On the Blazers next possession they began to drive. Aided by big 15 yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalties against Northwest the Blazers were in their own redzone looking to score, when after a play was over Jack punched a Jaguar right on the chin. Jack was not ejected but a 15-yard personal foul was assessed. The Blazers could not convert on 4th and 2 and were forced to give the ball back to the Jags.

The Blazers defense again held stout and with 43.7 seconds left in the third there was a questionable fumble, deemed an incomplete pass by the officials. The Blazers held strong and forced the Jags to give up the ball on downs.

Blair began to drive again and again Jack came up big, twice. First he converted on a crucial 4th and 11-buck sweep and then he punched a 25-yard TD scamper to tie the game at 14 all.

But when the Jaguars got possession back they put together a wonderful drive to ice the game. With 40.4 seconds to go in the game, sophomore quarterback Ike Whitaker lobbed a beauty over linebacker Hansel Cedeno's head for a TD Strike in the back of the endzone. They converted a huge two point conversion and made the score 22-14.

On the ensuing kick off senior Ricardo Campos sprinted up the sidelines to put the Blazers near their own 40 yard line. With 24.6 seconds to go in the game Jack dropped a wide-open catch that could have tied the game. In desperation Piesert lobbed a pass to senior Avon Jackson in the endzone but he was unable to pull it in. And on 4th and 10 the Blazers ran their bread and butter, the buck sweep, but Jack only managed to pick up 7 yards and the game ended with that. The Jags ran out the clock and picked up the win to leave both teams at 1-1.

This was a hard fought game by both teams and even the verbal scuffle at the end of the game between the coaches could not take away the great game the Blazers played. Excellent efforts by Jack and Piesert as well as superb blocking games by Campos and that stupendous O-Line made for an excellent game.

Next week the Blazers face an Einstein team that Blazers should beat handily. Go Blazers!