In November, following another grinding football practice at Dunbar, Poets star Joshua Blackston was swarmed by teammates and coaches with pats on the back and congratulations.

The towering 6-foot-4, 270-pound senior right tackle had just made history, becoming the first Baltimore City public school football player to be named to the Under Armour All-America team. He will be joined by three St. Frances players — Blake Woodby, Jireh Edwards and Zion Elee — and Fallston’s Hunter Solwold on Team Unstoppable, which will face Team Icon on Thursday at 4 p.m. in DeLand, Florida, in a game broadcast on ESPN.

Presented his UA All-America jersey with his teammates, coaches and parents by his side in joyous celebration, Blackston reflected on one particular comment he received from a younger teammate.

“Somebody told me how great it was and how it really motivated him. Me personally, that’s the thing I like most. It made my day because I like seeing those around me trying to succeed and be great,” Blackston said.

The UA Next All-American Game has been played annually since 2008. Blackston called it a privilege to play in the prestigious showcase and, more importantly, a valuable chance to represent where he comes from on the national stage.

“Having this honor, I want to put on for my school and the city because of all the athletes that go unseen and all the talent that gets overshadowed by the negativity in our city. So it’s a blessing for me. I like giving back to my community and trying to make my city better,” he said.

Since 2017, UA has partnered with Baltimore City Public Schools with Project Rampart, designed to help student-athletes improve their performance in the classroom and respective sports. It has impacted thousands of students in the 23 schools that are involved.

A three-year starter, captain and ‘B’ student, Blackston provided a great example from his first day great example from his first day playing on the junior varsity team as a freshman. He was a major part of two perfect varsity seasons — coming in his sophomore and junior years — and this year’s run to the state title game that ended with a tough 8-6 loss to Patuxent.

“He got better each year with his hard work and also getting his work in the classroom, and it showed on the field,” Dunbar coach Michael Carter Sr. said. “With him winning this honor, it gives hope to other guys that can say, ‘Hey, if you work hard and do the right things, you can get recognized too.’ A lot of kids think you have to take another way to get recognized, either transfer or do something else. I’m just so happy that he showed that you can spend four years at a public high school and get recognized like that at the national level.”

Like Blackston, Dunbar junior Jaiyon Coleman started out playing guard on the Poets offensive line. Side by side with Blackston proved a huge benefit. Next year, he’ll be a senior leader for the Poets, and he’s been well prepped.

“Ever since I got bumped up to varsity, he’s been the one next to me and he was always there to help me. He brings a lot of positive energy with everything he does. It makes me want to work as hard as he works to try to get the results he did. So him working so hard has made me work that much harder,” Coleman said.

Observing from the other side of the field, Mervo coach Patrick Nixon gave a glowing scouting report on Blackston. He noted his outstanding footwork and leverage and his passion for finishing off blocks. Nixon said the deserved All-America honor Blackston earned can serve a greater purpose.

“I believe these individual awards don’t happen without a lot of other steps taken that lead up to the moment. It shows where he’s at and where the Dunbar program is at and it’s absolutely amazing. I know a lot of kids are definitely talking about it, looking up to him and we’re excited to see how he does in the game,” Nixon said.

The state championship game loss to Patuxent on Dec. 6, which ended a string of 50 straight wins and the chance for the No. 6 Poets (13-1) to complete a fourth straight perfect season, was a shock to Blackston. But he’s quick to add it will serve a valuable purpose. The following week, he took one day off from workouts “to be a normal high school kid” and went straight home and slept. The next day, he was back in the Dunbar weight room with the national showcase game to prepare for. Soon, he’ll be headed to Rutgers to eagerly face new challenges as a player in the Big Ten Conference.

“For me personally, [the loss] lit a fire under me,” he said. “It’s what you take from the losses, you got to put that work into something. And at Dunbar, we don’t take too many losses, so when it does happen, it’s a big lesson to be learned. The pain, it’s a feeling that you don’t want to have. So for me, it just motivates me that much more for this Under Armour game and also my next year going to Rutgers.”

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