HOLDEN, Mo. - The Holden Eagles came into Saturday's Class 2 semifinal game with one of the state's most-heralded running backs.
The Blair Oaks Falcons countered with an impressive 1-2 punch of their own, and both packed a bigger wallop than Eagles star Max Mickey.
With Eli Roberts and Derek Otto combining for more than 400 all-purpose yards, the Falcons earned a spot in the Class 2 state title game by bouncing Holden 46-32.
Blair Oaks (13-1) will take on Lamar (12-2) at 2:15 p.m. Saturday at the Edward Jones Dome in St. Louis for the championship. It will be the first titlegame appearance for the Falcons since they won championships in 2004 and 2006 and finished second in 2007.
"I'm really excited," Roberts said. "I've been wanting to do this since I was a little kid. I grew up watching all those Dome teams, it's nice to be able to do it myself."
Mickey did run for 140 yards on 27 carries, setting a new Missouri all-class record for single-season rushing with 3,373 yards to break the mark of 3,316 set by Marionville's Lee Flood in 2006. But it's a safe bet the Falcons will let opponents have any record they want in exchange for ....