Prep Football: Blair Oaks vows not to take Warsaw lightly

Blair Oaks defensive lineman Mason Gipe (right) surges past the California offensive line to hurry the quarterback during last Friday night's game against the Pintos in California.
Blair Oaks defensive lineman Mason Gipe (right) surges past the California offensive line to hurry the quarterback during last Friday night's game against the Pintos in California.

WARDSVILLE, Mo. - On paper, tonight's matchup between the undefeated Blair Oaks Falcons and the winless Warsaw Wildcats seems like slam-dunk pick for the second-ranked team in Class 3.

Blair Oaks isn't addressing it that way.

Warsaw (0-8 overall, 0-6 Tri-County Conference) will face Blair Oaks (8-0, 6-0) tonight at the Falcon Athletic Complex in a battle between the first-place and last-place teams in the conference. Kickoff is at 7 p.m.

"When you look at their record, you would think that they haven't had a bunch of success, and they haven't in the win-loss column," Blair Oaks coach Walker said of Warsaw. "But when I watch them on film, every team they played against, they moved the football."

Warsaw lost 49-21 last Friday against Southern Boone. It was the Wildcats' biggest offensive output in conference play, finishing with 316 yards of total offense. Despite averaging just 14.1 points per game, the Wildcats have gained 270.5 yards per game this season.

Walker said on the first play of the game against Southern Boone, Warsaw threw a 40- or 50-yard pass to get in the red zone, only to commit a turnover on the very next play.

"They have shown flashes where they are capable of playing with any team," Walker said. "They've just had some difficulty with turnovers and penalties, which cost them some opportunities to put points on the board."

Warsaw's offense is led by junior running back Kegan Glenn, who has rushed for 793 yards and five touchdowns this season. He gained 120 yards on the ground and scored twice last week and has rushed for 90 or more yards in six of Warsaw's eight games this season.

The Wildcats also have a running quarterback with sophomore Matt Luebbert, who has rushed for 301 yards and three touchdowns this season. In the passing game, Luebbert is 35-of-99 for 538 yards with three touchdowns and 11 interceptions.

"Last week, we played against a predominantly running quarterback who had some ability to throw," Walker said. " The (quarterback) from Warsaw likes to run the football, and they've got a running back that goes with him. Now you have to prepare for two running threats."

The Wildcats have run the ball on more than 75 percent of their offensive plays. Blair Oaks' run defense has been locking down on run-heavy teams this season, allowing just 68.5 yards rushing per game. Last week, in a 52-12 win against California, Blair Oaks allowed 130 rushing yards against the Pintos, only the second time this season a team has gained more than 100 yards on the ground against the Falcons.

Walker said he has seen Warsaw line up in six to eight different formations on offense, but they tend to line up with two displaced receivers with two running backs in the backfield, similar to Blair Oaks' offensive setup.

"We're going to have to be really crisp defensively, both in the run game and the pass game, in order to be able to limit their yards and give us a chance to do some stuff offensively," Walker said.

Warsaw's defense has been searching for an identity this season, allowing an average of 42.6 points per game.

Walker said the Wildcats used a 5-man front against Hallsville earlier this season, but the Indians countered by dominating in the passing game. Last week against Southern Boone, Warsaw went with a four-man front and struggled to contain the Eagles' run game, allowing more than 500 yards of offense.

"I think they're still trying to search a little bit to figure out what best suits the personnel they have, in order to try and get them in the right spot," Walker said.

Senior linebacker Michael Pierce leads Warsaw with 82 tackles this season and a pair of sacks. Senior linebacker Dakota Bilderback also has 75 tackles and junior cornerback Jayden Schepker has a pair of interceptions.

With a strong balance in the passing and running games, Walker hopes his team's offense is able to give Warsaw some problems.

"Any time you have to defend against a team that's pretty much 50-50 run-pass, that certainly would give a defensive coordinator nightmares," Walker said. "We've got to be postured to be able to run the ball or throw the ball, depending upon what the defense is giving us."

Although Blair Oaks players felt frustrated with their second-half performance against California, they had already done the damage by halftime. Running back Jake Van Ronzelen surpassed the 1,000-yard rushing mark for the season and is averaging 9.9 yards per carry.

Wide receiver Cody Alexander needs just 23 more yards receiving to get 500 yards through the air. Ben Thomas (395 yards) and Braydan Pritchett (393 yards) aren't far behind him.

"Offensively, I thought we were pretty crisp," Walker said of the performance against California. "We have been scripting the first six to eight plays, and the kids have really taken to that. They executed really well there in the first half.

A win tonight would give Blair Oaks a second straight 9-0 record in the regular season. Walker said he, the coaches and the players have rarely talked about that this season, but it's finally within reach tonight.

"Our focus is on just trying to get better each and every single day that we go out there and play as hard as we can," Walker said. "If you do that, then it doesn't really matter how the game unfolds, because you've done pretty much all you can do.

"To me, there's got to be more to it than winning and losing. It's got to go beyond that.

Notes: Blair Oaks remains ranked No. 2 in Class 3 in this week's Missouri Media Rankings. The Falcons received 127 points and one of the 14 votes for the No. 1 ranking. Walker said there are no significant injuries on the Blair Oaks roster and all starters are expected to play tonight. "We've been really lucky, and hopefully we'll continue that trend," Walker said. With one week left in the regular season, Blair Oaks still holds the No. 1 seed in the Class 3 District 6 standings with 49.52 points. Mexico (6-2) is second with 46.93 points, followed by Southern Boone (6-2) at No. 3 with 38.79 points. The team with the No. 1 seed in the standings following this week's results will receive a first-round bye in district play during Week 10, since there are only seven teams in the district, and won't play again until Oct. 28.

Blair Oaks hosts Warsaw

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Preview podcast: Blair Oaks Falcons Football Podcast [Warsaw preview, Oct. 14, 2016]