Nov. 18, 2017

WARDSVILLE, Mo. --- There's no way to sugarcoat it, this game was as ugly as the weather for Blair Oaks.

If not uglier. And the weather --- if weren't sure --- was really, really ugly.

It was a game and an outcome nobody could have seen coming --- a simply stunning, shocking, head-scratching, Did that really happen? outcome.

Yes, it did.

The Falcons, who made so many teams look non-competitive this season, were on the business end of that equation Saturday, as the Maryville Spoofhounds dominated Blair Oaks from the opening kick in 49-20 victory in the Class 3 semifinals at the Falcon Athletic Complex.

Here's what really happened: The Falcons didn't lose this game, they got beat.

"That's exactly right, they definitely beat us," Blair Oaks coach Terry Walker said. "Weather had nothing to do with it, where we played had nothing to do with it, they flat-out beat us. Physically, they just dominated us up front, on both the O-line and D-line. You have to be able to control the line of scrimmage a little bit if you expect to win, and we just couldn't.

"When those things happen, you tip your hat, you learn from it and you move on."

It was a cold (wind chills hovered just above 30) rainy, windy and dreary day, the kind of weather you figured would favor Maryville. The Spoofhounds, after all, feature a run-happy, ground and pound offense, while the Falcons prefer to spread the field and throw it around.

Winds of 30 mph and footballs in the air aren't a good formula for accuracy or success.

But this had nothing to do with the weather --- so you can keep Zach Paul on your Christmas card list --- and everything to do with Maryville.

The seventh-ranked Spoofhounds (12-2) dominated the game because they dominated the line of scrimmage. On the flip side, the second-ranked Falcons (13-1), who were able to overcome their size disadvantage all season, withered under the Maryville attack.

"It wasn't like they did anything we hadn't seen them do," Walker said. "We knew exactly what they were going to run, we just had no answer for it. We literally ran through four or five different things, defensively, and they adjusted to everything we did.

"They did a great job of locking onto us and getting blockers to the second level, their backs were very patient and when they did get hit, they broke tackles."

The tone was set on the first play from scrimmage, when Maryville junior Eli Dowis busted free over the right side and went 68 yards for a touchdown to make it 8-0 just 20 seconds into the game.

This, however, was not a shocking development, because the Falcons have made a pattern of giving up big-play, early touchdowns, only to shut down the opponent the rest of the way.

So it wasn't time to panic ... yet.

But it didn't take long for the panic to set in.

Maryville would rip open leads of 22-0 after one quarter and 42-0 at the half to record the early knockout. The Spoofhounds rolled up 342 total yards in the first half, all on the ground --- including two 100-yard rushers (Dowis 123, Tyler Houchin 101) --- while the Falcons totaled less than 100 yards.

"At that point (halftime), you're playing not so much to win the football game," Walker said, "you're playing to gain some respect, you're playing for the guy to your right and the guy to your left, and you're playing for the name on the front of your jersey."

Blair Oaks, so often involved in games with the mercy rule, had it once again. Only this time, it worked against them.

After the Spoofhounds made it 49-0 to open the second half, the Falcons --- who had won their 13 games by a combined 441 points this season --- made it more respectable with three touchdowns to close it out. The scores came courtesy of Nolan Hair, who finished a sensational junior season with touchdown passes of 20, 45 and 58 yards to junior Ben Thomas.

Hair threw for 243 yards, with Thomas being on the receiving end of 214 of those on nine receptions.

For the Spoofhounds, who will meet Mt. Vernon (10-4) for the state title at 11 a.m. Saturday at Faurot Field, Houchin led the onslaught with three rushing touchdowns, Mark Zahnd had two, while Dowis and Jacob Reuter both had one.

"(After the game), I told them I was proud of their efforts throughout the year and I thanked the seniors for everything they'd done for the football program," Walker said. "If you would have asked me in Game 3 after Nolan Hair goes down if we'd be 13-0 coming into this game, I'd said: 'Heck no, there's no chance.' So it's a credit to these guys for what they've done ... we can't let one game define our season.

"This game doesn't reflect how these kids have played all year."

Certainly, this will leave a sour taste in the mouths of Blair Oaks players, coaches and fans. Let's just hope it doesn't last long.

Because this season should be remembered for what the Falcons did for three months, not what they couldn't do for two, dreary hours.


Falcons, 'Hounds

battle for berth

in state title game

Did that really happen? Maryville

​dominates Blair Oaks in semifinals

Saturday was a miserable day both on and off the field for the Blair Oaks Falcons and their fans.

Loeffler's Link