Quantico has formidable duo in Blackson and Brothers

Whatever you do, don't call Quantico football's 2009 season a turnaround.

If you ask first-year head coach John Hubert, that happened last year, when the Warriors won just two of their eight games.

Yes, the program went just 2-6, but the coaching staff recognized an attitude change among their charges, one that would undoubtedly lead to a successful campaign in the future.

"This is really not a rebound," Hubert said of his team's 7-1 mark entering tonight's game against visiting Southampton Academy, also 7-1. "Really, the program turned around last year. I credit coach [Ken] Woodie and coach [Mike] Feldman with that. The boys believed in themselves, in the coaching staff and in one another."

The Warriors are trusting in each other's abilities more than ever and it's leading to more success. That's translated to a team that leads the area in scoring with 308 points.

It doesn't hurt to have two of the area's most dynamic athletes, too.

Trey Blackson and Denzel Brothers are almost an oddity at Quantico: both are two-year players. They're also having two of the best individual seasons out of anyone in the area.

"Last year we won our first game and we let it go to our heads. We became cocky," Brothers said. "This year we learned that a win is just a win and we forget about it, looking forward to the next game."

Blackson, a senior running back, already has 1,166 yards rushing and is the area's leading scorer by 26 points. His rushing yardage is more than any other player's rushing and receiving numbers combined. The next closest runner is Hylton's Jabari Neeley, who trails Blackson by 417 yards on the ground.

"Trey has been so dynamic in every phase: offense, special teams and defense," said Feldman, the team's offensive coordinator and former head coach at Osbourn Park. "He is a talented high school football player and, in my evaluation, he's a talented player at any level. He just happens to be at our level and makes us go."

Blackson's role has changed since last year, when he caught 18 passes for 431 yards and four touchdowns. Without much of a passing game -- Feldman admits the team rarely throws more than a couple times a game -- Blackson's abilities were best suited for playing out of the backfield in a Wing-T offense.

"One of the things I believe in is you play to your kids' strengths," Feldman said. "You don't put them in a position where their weaknesses are going to be more evident than their strengths."

Blackson's development is apparent just from watching him on sweeps when he uses his stutter step, waiting patiently for a hole to open outside and allowing him to use his breakaway speed in the open field.

Brothers is a freshman --he was on varsity as an eighth grader last year --and is third in scoring (82 points) and averaging more than six yards a carry. Nicknamed Diesel because of his first name and his running style, Brothers complements Blackson out of the backfield.

And despite having last year's center, Chase King, as the signal caller this season, Brothers has caught nine passes for 174 yards and four scores.

Brothers is trying to learn from his backfieldmate and even took jersey No. 1 as a nod to Blackson's No. 2.

"Denzel's really improved as a running back," Feldman said. "At the beginning of the season ... he wasn't attacking. He has really come along and added a dimension of toughness to our offense between the tackles and that's opened up a lot for Trey. They've really grown together as football players."

"They're very selfless," Hubert said. "Trey is that slashing runner who doesn't appear that fast until you're out there trying to stop him. Diesel gets going running downhill real well. It's a nice combination."

Add in bruising fullback Roderick Mitchell and the Warriors have three backs for opponents to gameplan for.

"I think you can defend us and you can take some things away," Feldman said, "but you can't take everything away."

Now the Warriors are looking at the possibility of making the Virginia Independent Schools Athletic Association postseason. Quantico is ranked fifth in Division 3, trailing Roanoke Catholic by less than a point in the VISAA poll. The top four teams earn playoff berths.

"This is not a little different [from 2008]," Blackson said, "it's a lot. We were expecting the same thing as last year, but now we have it in our minds that we're going to the playoffs."

Staff writer Joe Conroy can be reached at 703-878-8047.