The Blair Oaks Falcons played in an offense-dominated state semifinal game last season. They might get more of the same this afternoon. Blair Oaks hosts the Park Hills Central Rebels in the Class 3 state semifinals at 1 p.m. today at the Falcon Athletic Complex. The two teams enter the game nearly averaging a combined 100 points per game.
The Blair Oaks Falcons will be taking a rare midseason break from Tri-County Conference play. And for just the third time in the program’s 48 seasons, Blair Oaks will play an out-of-state program. The Falcons welcome the Seaman Vikings, a Class 5A school from Topeka, Kan., tonight to the Falcon Athletic Complex. Kickoff is at 7 p.m.
When the Blair Oaks offense had the football, the Falcons found the end zone. Every. Single. Possession. Blair Oaks had the ball for eight drives, each resulting in a touchdown Friday night. The Falcons ran all over the Boonville Pirates, accumulating 25 first downs on 50 offensive plays that led to a 56-27 victory in Tri-County Conference play at Gene Reagan Field.
The Blair Oaks Falcons remember the past two times they visited Boonville very well. The score was constantly changing on the scoreboard in both games in 2021. A total of 76 points were scored in the regular-season meeting, a 41-35 win for Boonville, while 102 points were compiled in Blair Oaks’ 64-38 district win seven weeks later. Coming into tonight’s Tri-County Conference matchup at Gene Reagan Field, the Falcons and the Pirates are averaging a combined 80 points per game this season. The offenses know how to find the end zone.
The Blair Oaks defense felt it had something to prove coming into the 2022 season. Last year, the Falcons gave up 371 points, the most in a single season since the program began in 1976, and allowed an average of 30.9 points per game. Blair Oaks showed week after week this season it had grown into a better defense, both through maturity and on-the-field play. But its turnaround wouldn’t be complete without one last defensive stop Friday night. And the Falcons got it.