The journey for Treshawn Blair has been a rocky road filled with adversity, but whether it was on the football field, on the basketball court or on the track, Blair has found a way to succeed and gain recognition on every level.
Now, the Bristol Central product will look to take on his next task at the collegiate level after committing to play running back for the Western New England Golden Bears.
“It was stressful. I had a lot of coaches emailing and calling me, but I’m just happy we got through it,” Blair said. “Western New England made me feel like family. Every time I went up for a visit or had a phone call they made me feel like I was a part of the team already.”
This season, Blair made his presence known on the field and while unbeknownst to him, many people took watch. Blair received All-State honors by the Connecticut High School Coaches Association for his playmaking ability and for being one of the main catalysts to the Bristol Central Rams success this season.
Blair said his football journey began when he was 4 years-old and for his high school career to finish with receiving All-State honors, it is a “remarkable and momentous accomplishment.”
“It was definitely very monumental, and it was a great experience throughout this whole year to become All-State,” he said. “I was surprised to be honest. I didn’t really expect that. I felt like I did a lot for our team, but I didn’t think everyone else saw that.”
He said it was very “rewarding.”
While Blair’s All-State achievement is a massive accomplishment that few people have received, it’s not the only distinguishing honor of his athletic career. On the basketball court, Blair’s defensive prowess helped lead the Rams to the first round of the Division I State Tournament and last season in track, Blair was a National and State Qualifier for the long jump, triple jump and high jump.
This season he is currently ranked first in the state for triple jump and third in the state for long jump.
Blair said track is currently going really well, but when it comes to athletic achievements there’s nothing better than being named All-State in football.
“States and Nationals are definitely up there. They were also big accomplishments, but All-State has a different type of meaning for me,” he said. “It just hit home.”
After achieving as much success as he has in his career, Blair is looking to cap off his high school athletic career with being a state champion in track in triple jump and finishing top 10 nationally. He said his experience from last year has given him the knowledge and the drive to claim a state title.
As he attempts to finish off with a bang, he said Bristol Central has meant a lot to him as he reflects on his time, but he’s not done excelling as a Ram just yet.
“There were a lot of obstacles that I had to overcome, but I had a strong team in my corner with my coaches and teammates and they supported me throughout the whole thing,” Blair said.
