Blair Oaks hosts Moberly in season opener

WARDSVILLE, Mo. - The coaching staff at Blair Oaks has been preaching patience for the better part of two weeks. Now the Falcons can take out some of their impatience tonight.

After three weeks' worth of practices, the Falcons finally open the season at 8 p.m. today at the Falcon Athletic Complex against Moberly.

"Hit fast-forward is what the kids want to do," Blair Oaks coach Brad Drehle said earlier this week. "It's, "Let's get on with it and let's get to it.'"

Preaching patience to a teenager is a hard task sometimes.

"The kids are ready for it, they've been asking for (the game plan) since last week," Drehle said. "It was, "Just be patient, just be patient, just be patient.'"

The Jamboree last Friday only served to whet the Falcons' appetite.

"It was a good tuneup for us getting ready," Drehle said.

The Falcons will be looking for a measure of revenge tonight after losing 48-18 at Moberly in last year's season opener.

"Last year we went over and we were young - the kids want to prove they were better than that," Drehle said. "What we took away from it last year was we were playing a veteran football team, a physically imposing football team, and we still had some success. The scoreboard wasn't there, but we put up 400 yards of offense and were at a point where we could have made plays and didn't."

It was the change to making plays that paid off when the Falcons righted the ship after that loss and went on to have a 12-2 season that ended in the Class 2 state semifinals.

"There's a difference between being almost right and exactly right," Drehle said. "Almost right gets you beat and exactly right wins ball games. We want to be exactly right in the things we do. If we do that and play fast, we have a chance to be successful."

Success against Moberly will have a lot to do with dealing with running back/linebacker Gregg Bain, who has returned the opening kickoff for a touchdown the past two years against Blair Oaks, and wide receiver/cornerback Dupree Alexander.

"They've got two very dynamic players," Drehle said. "Bain has played running back for them since he was a sophomore and Dupree Alexander ... is very explosive, very fast. He made a couple moves in the Jamboree that made us go, "Wow.' You know those kids will be ready to play. They're looking forward to this game and an opportunity to showcase what they can do."

Related audio:

Blair Oaks Falcons Football Podcast [2014 Week 1]