WARDSVILLE, Mo. - The Blair Oaks Falcons beat the Hallsville Indians at their own game.
Facing a pass-happy Indians offense, the Falcons intercepted four passes and also threw three touchdowns passes, all as a steady rain blanketed the field Friday night at the Falcon Athletic Complex. Blair Oaks dominated Hallsville in a 61-20 Homecoming win.
"I thought we came out really fast, which I really like to see," Blair Oaks coach Terry Walker said.
Blair Oaks had a 26-0 lead not even seven minutes into the game. Quarterback Nolan Hair had a 1-yard touchdown run - his sixth rushing touchdown of the season - on the Falcons' opening drive. Cody Alexander added a 6-yard run on the next Blair Oaks possession with 6:38 to play in the opening quarter. Alexander scored both 2-point conversions to make the score 16-0.
Mason Gipe blocked a Hallsville punt through the back of the end zone for a safety and on the ensuing Blair Oaks drive, Hair completed a short pass to Alexander for a 43-yard catch-and-run score. Alexander added the 2-point conversion with 5:15 to play in the first quarter.
Hallsville got on the board early in the second quarter with a 53-yard touchdown pass to Jadon Kilpack, who scored all three Hallsville touchdowns. The senior added an 82-yard kickoff return for a touchdown later in the second quarter and then he had a 21-yard interception return for a score with 5:11 to play in the fourth quarter.
Aside from those three plays, Blair Oaks was solid. Hallsville (2-3) had only two pass plays for 10 or more yards and finished with minus-30 yards rushing.
Braydan Pritchett had a first-quarter interception but fumbled the ball back to Hallsville on the return. Three plays later, Jake Van Ronzelen grabbed his first of three interceptions in the game, and he nearly had a fourth pick late in the third quarter.
"Considering I haven't had any all year, to have three in one game, it's a great feeling," Van Ronzelen said. "Hard work at practice pays off."
Van Ronzelen, who returned to the starting lineup after missing last week's game with a concussion, led the Falcons offensively with 10 carries for 122 yards. He had touchdown runs of 13 and 43 yards in the second quarter.
Pritchett added an 18-yard touchdown catch in the last minute of the second quarter to give Blair Oaks a 45-14 halftime lead.
Ben Thomas picked up a 15-yard touchdown reception and Jared Lootens scored on a 1-yard run in the third quarter to put the running clock into effect.
"Some of the things that we were doing, we weren't calling those in from the sidelines," Walker said. " That's all those guys making a play based upon what the defense was giving us. We give them the freedom to do that."
Riley Lentz had eight carries for 54 yards for Blair Oaks and Alexander finished with 10 rushes for 53 yards. Hair completed 16-of-20 passes for 242 yards with one interception.
Blair Oaks (5-0) will play Southern Boone next Friday in Ashland. The Falcons remain tied with School of the Osage for the Tri-County Conference lead, each with 3-0 conference records.