KAISER - With the result hanging in the balance, it took the Blair Oaks Falcons just 85 seconds to pluck it away.
The Falcons got two huge scores from Cody Alexander in the span of 1:35 to start the second half - one on a fumble recovery and the other a long run - and went on to bounce the School of the Osage Indians 51-22 on Friday night.
After a score late in the second quarter by the Indians, the Falcons were clinging to a 28-22 at intermission. And with Osage getting the ball to start the second half, it appeared the momentum had swung.
But then came the first play from scrimmage in the third quarter.
A pitch by the Indians went awry and Alexander came up with it and raced 25 yards for a touchdown. He added the 2-point run for good measure, and the lead was 36-22 with just 18 seconds gone by.
"We work on turnovers at least once a week as far as creating them and scooping them, so it was nice to see he put that practice to good use," Blair Oaks head coach Terry Walker said with a smile.
Blair Oaks then forced a three-and-out by Osage, and on the very next play, Alexander scampered 81 yards for a touchdown. He added another 2-point run, and just like that, it was 44-22 in favor of the Falcons with 10:35 left in the third.
Just for good measure, after the Indians had mounted a big drive on their ensuing possession, Alexander blunted it with an interception.
The Falcons added one more score in the game - a 6-yard touchdown pass from Jordan Hair to C.J. Closser with 3:38 left in the fourth quarter - to improve to 6-0 overall and 4-0 in the Tri-County Conference.
Osage dropped to 3-3 overall and 2-2 in league play.
The first half was a back-and-forth affair, with the teams combining for scores on the first three drives of the game.
Blair Oaks got a 28-yard touchdown pass from Hair to Closser with 9:27 left in the first quarter, with Alexander's 2-point run making it 8-0.
Osage came back and made it 8-all following a 4-yard pass from Zack Wheeler to Dylan Riley and a 2-point run by Riley at the 7:22 mark.
Then with 4:24 left in the first quarter, Hair and Closser hooked up again, this time from 31 yards out. The 2-point try failed, leaving the Falcons' lead at 14-8.
A 1-yard touchdown run by Hair at the 10:17 mark of the second quarter put the Falcons up 20-8.
Riley came back with a 10-yard scoring run and Jason Edwards kicked the PAT to make it 20-15 with 8:34 left before halftime.
A 5-yard touchdown run by Hair and a 2-point run by Alexander made it 28-15 in favor of the Falcons with 2:49 left before halftime.
Osage responded and got a 61-yard touchdown pass from Wheeler to Brandon Pierce. Edwards' kick made it 28-22 at the 1:56 mark.
Blair Oaks outgained Osage 511-300 in the contest. The Falcons rushed the ball 46 times for 205 yards and completed 19-of-28 passes for 306 yards.
The Indians completed 18-of-32 passes for 216 yards, but ran the ball for just 84 yards on 33 attempts.
Both teams return to action Friday, with Blair Oaks hosting California and Osage playing at Eldon.
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