Sept. 22, 2017
WARDSVILLE, Mo. --- The first day of Fall felt like the first day of August, so perhaps you were expecting something unexpected Friday night.
It may have happened somewhere, but not here.
Blair Oaks won.
No surprise.
The Falcons extended their regular season winning streak 26 straight --- Terry Walker is now 24-0 in such games in his third year as head coach --- as Blair Oaks celebrated Homecoming with a 30-7 win over the Southern Boone Eagles 30-7 on a steamy night at the Falcon Athletic Complex.
Week 6 gave us the hottest night of the 2017 season, leaving us yearning back to those cool days of August.
The Eagles were coming off a silly 55-51 win over Osage, in a game Southern Boone won despite giving up a staggering 611 yards of total offense. This affair was the antithesis of that one --- Southern Boone (3-3) played much better defense, allowing 21 fewer points and 320 few yards.
But lost.
That's because the second-ranked Falcons (6-0) did what they do --- play great defense.
Blair Oaks took a 6-0 lead on its first possession, going 80 yards in eight plays, capped on a a 33-yard pass from Cade Stockman to a wide open Ben Thomas down the left sideline on 4th-and-7. On a night when little came easy offensively for either team, this one was quite easy.
Southern Boone answered with a six-play, 64-yard sprint. After a long pass/jump ball catch from Sam Stichnote to Ross Trittler moved it to the Falcons' 21, Tristan John went the distance on the next play on a burst up the middle to make it 7-6 with 4:11 left in the first quarter.
Aside from that drive, the Eagles had only 31 total yards the rest of the night.
Then it was the Falcons' defense turn to score, with a big, helping hand from the Eagles' offense. On the first play of the second quarter --- and backed up at their own 5 --- a high snap sailed through the hands of Stichnote and out of the end zone to give Blair Oaks the lead for good at 8-7.
The lead grew to 16-7 at the break when Stockman tossed his second of three touchdown passes, this one a 2-yarder to Brayden Pritchett with 4:23 left in the half.
To say the least, the second half was sloppy, especially early --- three turnovers in a span of four plays. A turnover on a punt, an interception, then a fumble on the next play following the interception.
If you wanted a surprise on this night, there it was.
The Eagles benefited from two of those, but their ensuing drive ended on downs --- only to get it back on another turnover, Stichnote's second interception of the night at the Southern Boone 16.
Lo and behold, here came another giveaway, as Ben Thomas had his second interception of the quarter, which produced the game's fifth turnover in as many possessions.
This time, the Falcons --- who finished with five turnovers, the Eagles had three --- held on to it and went 40 yards in eight plays to build the lead to 22-7 on a 1-yard plunge by Riley Lentz early in the fourth quarter.
Stichnote was then picked again, this time by Drew Boessen who returned it 43 yards to the seven. Four plays later, Stockman connected with Ethan Luebbering on a 11-yard touchdown to finish the scoring with 4:23 left.
Lentz, a sophomore, finished with 130 yards rushing and Stockman, a freshman, had 166 yards through the air for the Falcons, who finished with 291 total yards.
On the flip side --- and just one week after racking up 55 points --- the Eagles had seven points and just 95 total yards.
If you were wondering how the Falcons have won 26 straight games in the regular season, wonder no longer.
Defense wins.
Loeffler's Link
On steamy 'fall' night, Blair Oaks
celebrates homecoming with win
Blair Oaks' Brayden Pritchett waits for a swing pass from Cade Stockman during the first quarter of Friday night's game with Southern Boone at Wardsville.