T.C. Williams seniors Jay Whitmire and Joe Massaquoi were supposed to compose one of the top lineman combos in the Northern Region during the 2010 season — a pair of Division I talents wreaking havoc in the trenches.
The duo of destruction never came to be, however, as each suffered a significant injury. Whitmire missed the first half of the season after injuring an ankle and a knee injury kept Massaquoi out the second half. The Titans didn’t play a single game with both on the field at the same time.
On June 12, Whitmire and Massaquoi got one more chance to play on the same team, and the duo didn’t disappoint.
They were among seven Titans to suit up for the Northern Region during the 2nd Annual Region Rumble Football All Star Game at South County Secondary School. A strong defensive effort and a pair of rushing touchdowns by Hayfield quarterback Jason Stewart led to a 20-12 victory for the Northern Region, which improved to 2-0 in the event.
Massaquoi, who will play for Marshall University, recorded a sack and knocked down a pass.
"I felt like I got to show what I could have done if I wasn’t injured," Massaquoi said. "I felt like I dominated. … When I got that sack, it brought me back to during the season. A rush went through my body."
Whitmire, who will play at the University of Virginia, played right tackle for the Northern Region. Receiver Will Rossi was the other TC offensive player on the roster. Joining Massaquoi on defense were linebackers Damian Benton and Tevin Isley and linemen Deontre Sanders and Eric Berger.
"That’s like the whole reason I did this was just to play with my TC guys one more time," Whitmire said. "If I was just by myself, I wouldn’t have done this."
At times there were four Titans playing on the defensive side of the ball.
"We had good chemistry," Isley said, "and we had good chemistry with the other players during the practice week."
T.C. Williams head coach Dennis Randolph coached the Northern Region and said the Titans got strong reviews from other coaches.
"I’m proud of our kids," he said. "… Once [other coaches] saw our kids, they said, ‘Hey, you’ve got some athletes.’ Our kids did a great job."
T.C. Williams finished the 2010 season with a 6-4 record, the program’s first winning season since 1995. The Titans ended the school year as the most well-represented team at the Region Rumble.
"I felt this was like a TC game," Massaquoi said, "because we were so deep here."