Football Team's chasing their Ultimate Goal of Chasing The Ring

-(Photo Courtesy of Blake Athletics)

The Blake Football Team looks to exceed their success of the two years this season during Coach Anderson’s third season as head coach. Ever since Coach Anderson was hired as head coach of the team, they have consistently improved each year. When asked about his favorite part about Blake football, junior defensive end/guard Max Tempchin said, “The change in culture. We went from a losing culture before I came here, and then when I was a freshman we got a new coach and we started doing a lot better.”

Indeed they did. Last year, the team made the playoffs for the first time since 2012, and had their best record in five years of 5-5. The team fell short in the playoffs, losing in the first round to Potomac High School. “It was exciting to go to the playoffs,” Anderson said. Anderson also added, “We didn’t play that well that game, but I think it was a great experience for the boys and they understood the type of intensity and the type of focus that’s needed to be successful in the playoffs.”

At the end of the season banquet last December, Coach Anderson and the team came up with CTR, which means Chasing The Ring, as their motivational phrase for the upcoming season.. This feeds off Big Payback (BPB) , which was their building block for the 2016 season for getting big payback after being forced to forfeit their wins from 2015. CTR is one step above BPB. “This year is about getting back into the playoffs, but instead of getting knocked out we want to go all the way and get the ring, so we are Chasing The Ring this year,” said senior running back Carleton Thomas.

The guys were definitely ready to start the process of Chasing The Ring. Right after winter break, they hit the weight room to start conditioning for the season. The team was highly motivated to start conditioning early and some had personal things that motivated them as well. For instance, senior linebacker Bryce Hamilton is extremely motivated for this season because he was only able to play four games last year due to a torn ACL. All the conditioning and hard work preparing for this season is showing in their success on the field. Last week against Magruder, senior running back Isaac Smith, had 141 rushing yards, including a 54 yard return for a touchdown.

One thing that all the guys have in common is that their favorite part about being on the team is being a part of a family. Most of the players are really close and are good friends. “This team’s got a great relationship and are pretty cool with each other. They have fun together all the time, even outside of football. There’s more of a bond with this team compared to others,” Anderson says “It’s definitely like a family environment. We’re just all brothers. It’s just a great brotherhood to be in,” Hamilton added.

The guys all have one mission this season - Chasing The Ring. “We just need to come together as a family, get past tough obstacles. I think that we need to work on our discipline and get less penalties in games because penalties kill our drive momentums, and if we do that successfully as a team we can go all the way and win a state championship,” Thomas said about what the team needs to do in order to accomplish their goal of Chasing The Ring.

Come out and support the team as they continue their goal of Chasing The Ring. Their next home game is Friday October 6, at 6:30 against Northwood. This is also Blake’s homecoming game. Coach Anderson and the team want a full house at the game, so make sure you come out for a fun night and a great football game.