WARSAW - Blair Oaks scored 16 points before their offense ever touched the field and the Falcons rolled to a 57-0 win against the Warsaw Wildcats on Friday night.
The Falcons blocked punts on each of the Wildcats' first two possessions, returning both for touchdowns, and it jump-started them to their eighth-straight win to start the season.
Blair Oaks, ranked second in the state in Class 3, also improved to 6-0 in the Tri-County Conference heading into next Friday's regular-season finale at Versailles.
"We had really worked hard on our punt block all year and didn't have much to show for it," Blair Oaks head coach Terry Walker said. "And this was another week where we really emphasized it and thought we had an opportunity to get a block or two."
After three plays netted just 1 yard on Warsaw's first drive, the Wildcats went back to punt. C.J. Closser streaked around the end to block the punt and Chance Cumpton scooped it up and raced 31 yards for the score. Cody Alexander added the 2-point run and Blair Oaks led 8-0 just 1:37 into the game.
Three more plays for the Wildcats on the ensuing drive again netted 1 yard. This time, the punt was blocked by Cody Alexander and Heath Branch, in his first action of the season since returning from a broken foot, rumbled 30 yards for a touchdown. Another 2-point run by Alexander, and it was 16-0 Blair Oaks with 7:34 left in the opening quarter.
"I was really happy for Chance and (Heath) because defensive linemen don't get an opportunity to score real often," Walker said. "So for the ball to bounce right up in their hands and them to take it the rest of the way were really nice moments."
The Falcons tacked on two more scores in the first period - a 29-yard touchdown pass from Jordan Hair to Owen Luebbering and a 2-yard run by Brenden Brown. Paul Karsten kicked both PATs and it was 30-0 after one quarter.
Blair Oaks tacked on two more scores in the second quarter, passes of 14 and 13 yards from Hair to Adam Schell. Karsten made 1-of-2 PATs to give the Falcons a 30-0 lead at halftime.
Blair Oaks needed just 38 seconds to score in the third quarter, with Alexander ripping off a 62-yard touchdown burst. Karsten's PAT made it 50-0.
The Falcons also scored quickly in the fourth quarter, as Jared Lootens plunged in from 1 yard out just four seconds into the frame and Karsten added the point after.
For the game, Blair Oaks outgained Warsaw 377-52. The Falcons had 12 different ballcarriers while racking up 270 yards rushing on 42 carries. Hair completed 8-of-9 passes for 107 yards.
Warsaw (0-8, 0-6), meanwhile, completed just 2-of-9 passes for 7 yards. The Wildcats had just 45 yards rushing on 31 carries, and their leading rusher, Austin Steenburgen, mustered just 3 yards on 19 carries.
Both teams will have road games next Friday to close out the regular season, as Blair Oaks travels to Versailles and Warsaw goes to California.