Five out of eight position starters and five pitchers will be returning this year. The team's core is composed of a large number of juniors and seniors who plan to use their experience to guide the team to victory. After working hard in the offseason and playing for other club teams, the Blazers have kept their skills sharp.
They all jump at exactly the same time. Crowds of people clad in red and white slam their bodies against the clear plastic, smearing their red face paint down the pane in long streaks. Screaming and clapping each other on the back, they congratulate the people gathered around them. The cause: A small black piece of plastic glided across the ice into the opponent's net.
After ending last season on a low note with a loss to Richard Montgomery, the boys' basketball team (0-3) was ready to redeem themselves. The Blazers suffered a tough loss to Clarksburg in their home opener, but had a promising performance against Paint Branch. What the team lacks in rebounding and shooting skills, they make up for in their athleticism. "Our defense looked good, but we hope that by getting more points in transition we will be able to score more points," said senior forward Ben Hukill. With the loss of six seniors, the team is relatively young but still equipped with the talent to have a winning season. "Our schedule looks good, I think that if we can win the next couple games and then at least go .500 in our division we should be fine," explained Hukill.
The halls of Blair are dark and an eerie stillness has replaced the hustle and bustle that filled them during the school day. But the school is not completely empty. Amid the silence, his phone vibrates in his pocket as he glances at the clock. It's 9:00 pm, and he has been at school for approximately 15 hours. He flips open his phone to hear a fellow math teacher, William Rose, instantly ask "Hey Giles, are you still here, too?" John Giles smiles before saying yes, knowing he is not the only teacher at Blair who keeps unconventional hours.
The drum line begins to tap, the trumpets herald and the flutes begin to softly blow. As the marching band struts across the field, four Blazers in glittering red costumes follow, twirling their flags and stepping to the beat. Halfway across the stadium, they pause, pivot toward the audience and transition into a new routine of bright red whirls.
Pumpkins are neglected for 10 months of the year, but just as the leaves begin to crunch underfoot, it's pumpkin season once again. Pumpkins, the quintessential fall fruit (yes, they're fruits) can be carved, baked or rolled down a hill in a pumpkin race. Chips is here to offer a guide to all things pumpkin for your fall weekends.
After completing an overall 14-2 season this fall, the varsity girls' soccer team is arguably the best team Blair has seen in a long time. Enforced by a strong core of naturally outstanding soccer players, the girls dominated over teams throughout the county during their regular season and were just shy of making it to the state level during playoffs.