Slow starts became a theme for the Jefferson City Jays in the final three weeks of the regular season.
The Jays' opponents scored first in all three games, all resulting in losses.
Last week against Blue Springs South, the Jays got on the board first, improving their record to 6-1 when scoring first this season.
Jefferson City went the scripted plays route to fix the reoccurring issue, and it worked.
The Jays went 21 yards in five plays, including Rashaun Woods' 7-yard touchdown run, on their first drive of last week's 46-28 win in the first round of the Class 6 District 3 Tournament.
The week before in a 49-6 loss at Rockhurst, Jefferson City lost a fumble, had two runs total five yards, an incomplete pass and a punt in the first five offensive snaps.
"We don't normally do that," Jays coach Ted LePage said about scripted plays. "The players knew what was coming, they knew what we were going to run and there was no doubt we were going to be successful. For that to happen it really kind of kick-started it."
Jefferson City's offense found the end zone six times against Blue Springs South, but not once against Rockhurst.
Tonight, the Jays are in Blue Springs to face a Wildcats team used to leading early. Kickoff for the district semifinal is set for 7 p.m.
The top-seeded Wildcats scored all 49 of their points in the first half last week against eighth-seeded Francis Howell Central.
Blue Springs has shut out its opponent in the first quarter four straight weeks. The Jays were shut out in the first quarter in the final two games of the regular season.
To get early points on the Wildcats, the Jays will need to get through Blue Springs' big defensive line that features Khristian Boyd (6-4, 305) and Daniel Parker (6-3, 255).
Parker has received several Division I offers as a junior.
"Those guys are big and they move well," LePage said. "What we've got to do is be able to move the pocket and we've also got to put those guys in conflict. We've got some things where we think we can put them in conflict where sometimes maybe we're not going to block them, and we're going to make them make a choice of what they're going to do and we're going to try to make them wrong with what they don't do."
Parker plays on both sides of the ball, blocking for the Wildcats' numerous running backs they've used this season.
Injuries and a suspension have forced Blue Springs to rotate numerous running backs in and out of the lineup, but it hasn't stopped the Wildcats from moving the ball.
Blue Springs will get Jaylen Ivey back from injury. He has run for more than 1,000 yards and 13 touchdowns on 134 carries in six games this season.
"He'll be out there and he's a special back," LePage said. "He doesn't need much help but they give him a lot of help with their offensive line."
Michael Warmack has ran for more than 200 yards and two touchdowns on 38 carries in the past two games with Ivey out with an injury.
Blue Springs has also been playing without starting quarterback Chase Donohoe, who has been out since breaking his foot in Week 8 against Blue Springs South.
Dylan Cowling has taken over, going 5-for-14 for 75 yards in a Week 9 loss to Raymore-Peculiar and 8-for-10 for 76 yards in last week's win against Francis Howell Central.
"He throws the ball accurately," LePage said. "They don't like to throw it a lot because they don't have to, but he does a good job with it. We can't go to sleep. We're going to have to continue to play the front end of the defense and the back end of the defense together."
Notes: The Jays will have one of their key pieces back on defense this week in linebacker Tate Borgmeyer, who returns after sustaining a knee injury against Rockhurst. "It looks like he was never hurt," LePage said. "Tate, he's one of those guys, he's a country kid that is just tougher than nails. When they told him he could go he ran on the field like he never had missed a second of it." Safety Mason York is still out with a concussion.
Jefferson City at Blue Springs, 7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 28, 2016
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