THE GAZETTE
Page B-8
Wednesday, August 28, 2013 s
B-CC develops a playoff state of mind Barons have made two straight postseasons BY
TRAVIS MEWHIRTER STAFF WRITER
The core of the team that brought some semblance of
tradition to Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School football may be all but gone — the coach has left, the quarterback has graduated along with the top two rushers and receivers — but one thing that cannot be lost to graduation, transfers or coaching retirement is
enthusiasm for a program that has made two of its three total playoff appearances in the past two seasons. The trickle-down effect the upstart success has wrought has been noticed by first-year varsity coach Josh Singer, who said the program has the best offseason participation he’s ever witnessed. “A lot of that is just the kids,” Singer said. “And it comes from making the playoffs the past two years and kids are seeing that maybe they aren’t the starter at their position or maybe they’re not playing a name role or getting their name in the paper, but by being in the weight room they’re contributing to our success. Definitely when you make the playoffs two years in a row you
keep that in the back of your mind.” So yes, the Barons and the Bethesda community seem to be rallying around its boys of fall. But while enthusiasm goes a long way in the morale department, offensive and defensive schemes need replacements for the heavy graduation losses. After taking the first team reps all summer in the passing league, Jack Hanifee has been promoted to fill in for David Hogan’s starting spot at quarterback. Singer, who coached the junior varsity team the past three seasons, said he noticed early in the offseason that Hanifee would be the “de facto leader of the team.” But it wasn’t until the team
went down to Harrisonburg, Va. for a camp at James Madison University that Singer officially handed the keys to the team over to his new signal caller. “He told me what he wanted from me at camp and what he wanted for the rest of the season and I think that’s when I realized that we got to step up and show the younger guys what we’re all about and continue what we started here when we came here,” Hanifee said. “It’s really exciting. I’m really excited for this year. It’s my senior year, I think coach really brought a lot more family values to the team than there has been in previous years and it’s really making us closer.” Given the Barons’ well-
known triple-option style of offense, Hanifee’s arm won’t necessarily be the most useful weapon in his arsenal. Hogan threw just 25 times all last season compared to the team’s 343 total rushing attempts. Helping Hanifee run the ball are Nana Amankwah-Ayeh, who took 53 carries for 351 yards last season (6.7 average) and Somto Ndubisi. “Just staying in the weight room, conditioning and stuff like that,” Amankwah-Ayeh said of how he plans on keeping his legs under him late in the season. “Even with the graduation losses I feel that guys, we have enough guys to step up, take control. We’ll be fine.” tmewhirter@gazette.net
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