Blackman’s football team ended their first home game with a victory against Stewarts Creek.
The game started off with the National Anthem, performed by the Blackman Blaze band, and the color guard, which consisted of cadets junior Alivia Graves, sophomore Bailey Williams, senior Ryah Abualrob, and sophomore Kirsten Espino.
Stewarts Creek took the lead in the first quarter of the game, scoring themselves a touchdown and a field goal. In the second quarter, Blackman scored their first touchdown, but it was quickly followed by another Stewarts Creek touchdown. Senior Ethan Carson said that Blackman started off on a different page, stating, “We were all trying to do our own thing instead of working as a team.” Carson also said that at the start of the game, the team was, “playing soft and timid,” causing them to be down going into halftime. The first half ended with the score being 7-16 Stewarts Creek.
The halftime show started out with a performance by the Stewarts Creek marching band. They were followed by the Blackman Band’s halftime show, “Journey.” Drum Major Ellie Sugden-Kundar, senior, says that she believes the band sets the tone and mood for the game. Sugden-Kundar said, “I think the band is extremely motivational…All of our students, football, and band really come together every Friday night to create an amazing atmosphere like no other. I’m proud of our school and who we are. Go Blaze!”
The third quarter had a total of five touchdowns, four of which were scored by Blackman. From the offensive side, Carson said they wanted to start running the ball and tiring out the defense so they could throw it behind them. The defense’s goal was, “to be physical and dominate.”
During the fourth quarter, Blackman was able to score themselves another touchdown, ending the game with a score of 42-35.
There were three big plays that helped Blackman win the game. There were two blocked punts, one was scored off of while the other got them into a great field position. Carson said that Coach Malek Holman played a large role in making sure the players were in the right place to succeed. The other big play of the game happened when #23 Tremel Johnson, junior, had the quarterback wrapped up, where #9 Paul Lankford, senior, got the interception.
