WARDSVILLE, Mo. - The more things change, the more they stay the same.
Coming into the season, the Blair Oaks Falcons and California Pintos had several question marks after losing key contributors from squads that finished the season ranked among the state's top eight teams in Class 3.
But after six weeks of this season, the Falcons and Pintos are right where they normally are - battling for supremacy in the Tri-County Conference.
The Falcons come into tonight's showdown at the Falcon Athletic Complex at 6-0, including four straight wins in league play, while the Pintos have ripped off four straight conference wins after dropping a pair of non-conference games to start the season.
Those 4-0 marks in the conference are already two games clear of the teams in a three-way tie for third, so tonight's winner will be in the driver's seat for the league title.
"Each game is its own entity and you're just trying to focus on that week and do the very best that you can in that specific week," Blair Oaks head coach Terry Walker said. "Especially since we have a conference and many of our teams that are in the conference are also in our district. You can't point to any one game too much because guess what, you may turn around and play them again in the district.
"If you put so much emphasis on a single game, then it makes it hard to come back and play a team again later on during the district playoffs. We're going to prepare as hard as we possibly can for this week and we're going to go out there and the kids are going to play as hard as they possibly can."
That shouldn't be hard when California is the opponent.
"I know it's a rivalry game and I've been a part of many rivalries, that's great, the environment is fantastic, it's fun for everybody," Walker said. "But at the same time, you've got to keep it in perspective. It's still just this one game and it's not going to define the outcome of our season.
"What we try and do each week is prepare the kids the best we can for that specific week, and then when the week is done, we put it on the shelf and start again the following Monday.
"That's the way I feel about it, and not just with football, but with a lot of different things. You focus on the task at hand, you prepare, you go out and do it, and then you evaluate and you get ready to do it again, whatever it may be.
"It's really no different this week, although I think the kids are certainly sensitive to the perceived importance of this game."
After falling to Boonville (9-6) and Mexico (35-0) to start the season, the Pintos have come back with wins against Versailles (42-0), Eldon (34-23), Hallsville (28-0) and Southern Boone (20-12).
"What's really jumped out to me is their coaching staff's ability to recognize what their strengths are, both offensively and defensively," Walker said. "And then as opposed to trying to maybe fit them into a particular system, it looks like they assessed and said, "What system fits our kids?' And then that's what they started doing, which is an indicator of a really good, well-coached team."
One of those adaptations came on offense, where California decided to go with Jacob Wolken at quarterback. The sophomore came on during the first game when senior Landon Mouse got hurt, and Wolken has kept the job ever since.
Wolken has completed 54-of-90 passes for 995 yards with 10 touchdowns and eight interceptions. He's also the team's leading rusher with 214 yards on 65 attempts, more than 100 yards better than the next-closest ballcarrier.
"You've got to have a kid at quarterback that's confident in what he's doing and understands what you're trying to do offensively and then has the ability to adjust and execute," Walker said. "I think Wolken certainly is a really good kid for that position. He's a bigger kid who can see the field and he understands who the playmakers are on the field and he does a good job of getting them the ball."
Those playmakers include Mouse and Josh Woodruff at wide receiver. Mouse has 22 catches for 364 yards and four touchdowns, while Woodruff has 12 catches for 332 yards and four scores. Woodruff has also carried the ball 17 times for 95 yards and one touchdown.
"Our kids will definitely know where they're at," Walker said of Mouse and Woodruff. "Then it's just a function of, can we tackle them when they get the football? Then you're trying to play within the confines of a team defense with the understanding that when you play a good team, they're going to make some plays. All you do is you survive the play and you line up and do it again."
To limit those plays, Blair Oaks will have to play good defense all across the field.
"They do a good job of spreading out Mouse and Woodruff so that they're not in the same piece of ground where you can have a couple guys try and cover them," Walker said. "They try and spread the field with those two guys and force you to spread your defense, which then opens up running lanes and maybe some passing lanes, based on how you try to defend them."
Those two also have an impact on the other side of the ball.
"They like to run out of a three-man front, but we've seen them jump into a four-man from time to time, and their linebackers are very active," Walker said. "But with Woodruff playing corner and Mouse playing safety, they've got them positioned such that they have an impact on pretty much all the plays defensively. So they've done a good job of playing to their strengths, and consequently, they've been having a lot of success."
Notes: The rest of the conference race shapes up as follows: Eldon, Hallsville and School of the Osage are tied for third at 2-2, Southern Boone and Versailles are tied for sixth at 1-3 and Warsaw is in the cellar at 0-4. ... The teams have three common opponents. Like California, Blair Oaks owns wins against Eldon (62-47), Hallsville (48-0) and Southern Boone (61-26). ... The two main injured players for the Falcons, Heath Branch (broken foot) and Jake VanRonzelen (shoulder) are getting closer to returning. "Heath has been practicing this week, but I doubt he'll play against California since he won't be in any kind of game shape to do so," Walker said. "Jake was back to full practice this week, so he'll play a little bit and we'll see how the game goes as to how much."
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Blair Oaks hosts California - Updates on Twitter: @tony_hawley, @CDemocratSports and @PintosAthletics. Listen live online: pintosonline.com
Podcast:
Week 7 Falcons Preview: Blair Oaks vs. California
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