Rob Flowers-Daniel Boone

It wasn’t the season that they hoped for, but the Blazers went out on a high note. Daniel Boone blew out Fleetwood 35-8 in its season finale. The Blazers led 35-0 at halftime. They outgained the Tigers 409-245 in total yards and snapped a 6-game losing streak. “It was great to end with a big win for these guys. It was big for us just to send these seniors out the right way. It was so important,” said head coach Rob Flowers. Dean Rotter threw for 145 yards and 2TD. The 6’0, 180-pound junior did more damage with his legs. He ran for 181 yards on just six carries. “Dean has turned into a really good football player, especially when he started to play defense a little bit more. Dean understands what he can and can’t do,” noted Flowers. Rotter passed for 1,208 yards with ten touchdowns and eight interceptions. His top two wide receivers, Max Heffner and Anthony High, will also return next year. They’re both sophomores. Heffner reeled in a team-high 32 receptions for 495 yards and a score. High added 23 catches. The 6’0, 205-pounder made three trips to the end zone. Ethan Kryman is another skill position player who will be back in 2023. The 5’8, 175-pound junior ran for 529 yards and 4TD. Kryman had a 26-yard touchdown grab at Fleetwood. “He just works hard [on] both sides of the ball. He’s able to produce and perform at a high level,” stated Flowers. Kryman averaged 4.5 yards per carry. The (2-8, 1-5) Blazers averaged 18 points while allowing 30 per contest. Flowers wrapped up his fifth year in Birdsboro. He’s known as a high-energy coach. I asked him how he remained optimistic during a frustrating season. He replied, “One of the things that we have to make sure we’re always doing is taking care of our young men; taking care of their minds, taking care of their bodies [and] taking care of their hearts. When you’re losing, that becomes more and more difficult to do.” Daniel Boone won five games a season ago and reached the District 3 playoffs. This was their first season in the Lancaster-Lebanon League. Solanco went undefeated to capture the Section 3 championship. Elizabethtown and Garden Spot ended up tied for second place with (4-2) league records. The Blazers also competed with Ephrata, Twin Valley, and Fleetwood. Flowers thought Section 3 was balanced after Solanco. We talked about a potential Solanco-Exeter matchup in the District 3-5A playoffs. They’re the top two seeds in that classification. Flowers also revealed his favorite Halloween candy.