WARDSVILLE, Mo. - The first two weeks of the season, the Blair Oaks Falcons showed off a run-heavy offense with a very low number of passes taking to the air.
Last week, six of the first seven play calls were pass plays, and the Falcons ended up throwing the ball 31 times.
So which offensive attack should we expect to see tonight at Hallsville? Whatever will get the job done.
"The identity we want to establish for the team is that regardless of what we do, whether it be out of a spread look or whether it be out of a tight-end, two-back look, that we're going to do it physical," Blair Oaks head coach Terry Walker said. "Our game-plan decision last week against Eldon was based on how we felt they were going to attack us. We felt it was in our players' best interest to spread the field, maybe create a few more seams in the running game with the option, and also take advantage of (quarterback Jordan Hair's) ability to throw the football.
"... As far as going forward, we've got a jumbo package in, we've got a base offense in, we've got a spread package in. We're going to look at each team and see where we think we can attack them. But our baseline identity is always going to be to be more physical than the team we're going against, regardless of what we line up in formation-wise."
The team Blair Oaks will line up against this week is Hallsville, and it will be a matchup of unbeatens, as both sport a record of 3-0. And both are coming off wacky games last week, with Blair Oaks winning a 62-47 shootout and Hallsville coming off a 20-17, triple-overtime win against Southern Boone that started after 10:45 p.m. and ended around 1:30 a.m. due to a scheduling mixup regarding the referees.
The same crew of referees that did the Falcons' game traveled to Ashland for the Indians' game against Southern Boone, which allowed several Blair Oaks coaches to attend the game in person.
"We had five or six of our coaches up there watching, and we saw it all the way through," Walker said. "It's always nice to get to watch a team live because you get a little different perspective versus watching them on film.
"Hallsville has got a quality team - they've got some good, young players."
That youth was the biggest question mark for the Indians heading into this season, as Hallsville graduated several key players that were part of a trend of recent success. In Hallsville's first four varsity seasons, starting in 2008, they went 8-32. Since then, including this season, they're 23-11.
"It just speaks to their coaching staff there and the fact that they've done a really good job of preparing the next group of guys," Walker said. "They had a senior-laden team last year and they had some really good players, as they proved out here on our field, winning 42-28. They're establishing a culture of success there within the football program."
Not-so-subtle reminders of last year - Blair Oaks turned it over four times in the first quarter and Hallsville scored four touchdowns to lead 28-0 after that period - were evident around the Falcon Athletic Complex this week.
"We were in the same position last year, 3-0 going into this game, and we just want to make sure that the players understand each week is a new week and if you don't learn from your history, you're doomed to repeat it," Walker said. "We try to remind them gently about how the game went last year and have tried to encourage them and motivate them to come out focused and ready to play Friday night."
The biggest point of emphasis is holding on to the ball, an area that's been much-improved this season. At this time last year, the Falcons had fumbled 16 times, losing seven, and been intercepted twice. Then came the two lost fumbles and two interceptions in the first quarter against Hallsville.
This time around, the Falcons have just four fumbles in three games, losing none, and have thrown one interception.
"Turnovers are things that we talk about each week," Walker said. "We want to try to create them on defense and eliminate them on offense."
It's taken a team-wide focus to be a plus-five in the turnover battle this season.
"I think our coaching staff does a good job of emphasizing the importance of protecting the football, and I think the kids have bought in to understanding that importance, and consequently, they've been more focused about that," Walker said. "That's not to say we won't have some turnovers in the future, because they're just part of the game. But certainly you want to do everything you can to eliminate them, because statistically speaking the more you turn the ball over, the less your chances of winning the game."
The Falcons will look to force turnovers against an Indians offense that is multi-dimensional.
"If you look at their offensive sets, it appears they have the ability to run all of their plays out of various sets," Walker said. "I don't know that they have an extremely complicated offense, but they do have quite a few different sets.
"... They've got two good-looking young quarterbacks that are both athletic and both can throw the football. And they've got a really good-looking running back who runs very hard and very aggressive. We're going to have to do a good job of gang-tackling him. And their line appears to be fairly strong. They're a good, sound football team offensively."
The running back is senior Garret Vincent (5-foot-9, 197 pounds), who has racked up 409 yards rushing on 60 carries so far with six touchdowns.
The 17 points Hallsville gave up last week were the first the Indians had allowed all season, as the team opened with a 28-0 win against Fayette before beating Salisbury 37-0.
"Their defense likes to operate out of a four-man front, with one of those guys being a stand-up guy," Walker said. "They've got two real good linebackers and some solid cover guys in the secondary. They're balanced defensively and appear to be fundamentally sound. We'll have to do a good job of executing in order to have some success."
Blair Oaks at Hallsville - Updates on Twitter: @tony_hawley. Watch live online: ustre.am/1mwr6
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