Wheaton Blows Lead, Loses to Blair

Wednesday night's meeting in Silver Spring between Wheaton and Blair marked a matchup of two football teams still looking for their first win of the 2010 campaign.

The Blazers opened the season with a heartbreaking five-point loss to Paint Branch before they were beaten by Magruder in a game highlighted by penalties, turnovers and a scuffle that resulted in the ejection of two players.

Meanwhile, the Knights lost to Bethesda-Chevy Chase by two touchdowns in their season opener and were soundly beaten by Wilson (D.C.) last weekend.

After trailing for much of the game Wednesday, Blair rallied for a 43-42 victory over Wheaton and earned their first win of the season.

"To come out here and be down the first half and fight back the second half is a big win for us," said Blair senior Caleb Furlow.

Blair's remarkable comeback offset a phenomenal individual performance by Wheaton senior Rayshawn Taylor, who accounted for all of the Knights points. The Silver Spring resident ran for four touchdowns and passed for two scores while amassing over 200 yards of total offense.

"I told him he shouldn't be playing basketball," said Wheaton head coach Joe Ortega, "because he's a Division-I football player."

Wheaton (0-3) opened the first quarter with a 41-yard touchdown run by Taylor just 2:38 into the period. Taylor connected with Mac Juniorson on the two-point conversion to give the Knights an 8-0 advantage.

Blair (1-2) answered with a 6-yard touchdown run from quarterback Elisee Francios to cut the deficit to 8-6. However, on the ensuing play Taylor scored on an 86-yard run and added the two-point conversion to give Wheaton a 16-6 lead heading into the second quarter.

The Knights extended their lead to 22-6 when Taylor connected with Jairo Turcios on a two-yard touchdown with 8:01 remaining.

Francios scored on a 14-yard run and Assani Mudimbi ran in the two-point conversion to cut the deficit to 22-14 with 4:23 left before the intermission.

On the ensuing drive, Wheaton managed to score on a fourth-and-one play when Taylor passed to Travarus Rodgers for a 31-yard score and then added the two-point conversion, giving the Knights a 30-14 lead at the half.

Blair fought back in the second half and scored on Furlow's 60-yard touchdown run and Mudimbi's two-point conversion with 11:06 remaining to reduce Wheaton's lead to 30-20. A 56-yard run by Taylor set up his next touchdown, a 15-yard trot with 6:58 remaining.

Blair then scored on a one-yard run by Mudimbi with 3:40 remaining but the Blazers failed on the two-point conversion attempt.

Wheaton then recovered a Blair fumble with 6:19 left in the fourth quarter and the Knights promptly scored on 15-yard run from Taylor, his last of the night.

Ahead 42-28 with over six minutes left in the fourth period, Wheaton appeared to be in control. However, Blair drove 65 yards on the ensuing possession and brought the score to 42-36 with a touchdown by Furlow.

Moments later, Blair's Peter Gondor intercepted Taylor's pass deep in Wheaton territory. The Blazers then scored on a one-yard run from Johnathan Akien, completing their comeback.

"I guess we just kept believing in ourselves," said Furlow. "The coaches believed in us and they felt that we could do it."

Blair travels to cross-town rival Springbrook next weekend while Wheaton hosts Kennedy in a battle for neighborhood bragging rights.

To view a photo gallery from the game, click here.

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