WARDSVILLE - The Blair Oaks Falcons had one thing on their mind after winning the Class 3 District 6 championship.
Redemption.
The second-ranked Falcons will get their chance today against the top-ranked McCluer South-Berkeley Bulldogs in the Class 3 quarterfinals in St. Louis. Kickoff is at 1 p.m.
It will be a rematch of last year's state quarterfinal game, which McCluer South-Berkeley won 34-10 in Wardsville. The Falcons have won 12 straight games since.
"They look very similar to the team that played here last year in the quarterfinals," Blair Oaks coach Terry Walker said. "They've lost two or three players off that defense, but their defense is very, very good. They're giving up 5.5 points per game.
"Offensively, they thrive on big plays. They may allow you to gain some yards between the 20s, but they do a great job of clamping down once you get in the ball in the red zone."
McCluer South-Berkeley (10-0), which has won six times by shutout this season, advanced to the state playoffs last Saturday with a 24-8 win against St. Charles West in the District 5 championship game.In addition to scouting that game in person, Walker said he also went back and looked at last year's game film against the Bulldogs.
"We were seeing the exact same play concepts, the exact same philosophies with regard to how they're attacking defenses," he said. "I don't think they've strayed too far from what they're doing last year."
In last year's game, Blair Oaks actually outgained McCluer South-Berkeley 360 yards to 354. However, the Falcons committed four turnovers and struggled in the red zone against the Bulldogs.
"There was a lot of learning to be had there," Walker said. "We've looked that over, we've tried to make some adjustments based off that game film."
In addition to a perfect record, McCluer South-Berkeley boasts every top honor handed out by the Suburban Central American Conference:
Offensive player of the year: quarterback Tavian Willis.
Defensive co-players of the year: lineman Averyon West and end Lorenzo Phillips.
Lineman of the year: guard Jordan Jenkins.
Newcomer of the year: linebacker Tyreek Smith.
Coach of the year: Howard Brown.
"It looks like their coaching staff does a great job of trying to get a lot of players involved in the game, both offensively and defensively," Walker said. "All the kids are athletic, they're skilled, they can run, they can catch. I don't know that any one of them is better than the other."
The offense is powered by Willis, a senior, who has similar passing numbers to Blair Oaks quarterback Nolan Hair. Willis is 105-of-160 passing for 1,719 yards with 22 touchdowns to just two interceptions. Hair, who missed five games during the regular season, is 133-of-192 passing for 1,980 yards with 27 touchdowns and also two interceptions.
Willis, however, is also McCluer South-Berkeley's leading rusher with 525 yards on the ground and seven touchdowns.
"We watched him run against St. Charles West, and they had a really difficult time containing him," Walker said. "I have not seen really any team on film that has totally contained him throughout a game.
"We may not be able to contain him, but we're going to have to figure out how to control him."
Wide receiver Daevon Trust (6-foot-2, 175 pounds, sr.) had nine catches for 227 yards and a touchdown last week against St. Charles West. He also sealed the game with a 70-yard interception return for a touchdown late in the fourth quarter.
Running back Devon Blanchard (5-11, 200, sr.) is expected to get plenty of touches from the backfield and as a receiver. He is one of six Bulldogs to have at least 275 yards rushing and is in the top three in receiving as well.
Walker said McCluer South-Berkeley's spread offense will look similar to what Blair Oaks (12-0) has been using this season.
"They run quite a bit of motion, similar to what we do," Walker said. "If you don't honor the motion, they'll certainly throw to the motion and in the flat to create a 1-on-1 situation in space."
The Bulldogs also have a big size advantage on each side of the ball, utilizing players like West (6-4, 300, sr.), Jenkins (6-2, 300, sr.), Terrance Harris (5-10, 263, sr.) and Michael Williams (6-1, 320, sr.) on their lines.
"They're bigger kids, they're athletic and they know how to use their size," Walker said. "It's going to be a great matchup for us, both on the offensive line and the defensive line."
Defensively, the Bulldogs will rush five players, but Walker said he has seen them send as many as six players on the pass rush.
In addition to size on the line, Phillips (5-11, 175, sr.) provides quickness with 12 tackles for loss and nine sacks. West had a team-high 68 tackles.
"Those are probably two of their better players on defense," Walker said.
The secondary has done its part with nine interceptions this season, three each by cornerbacks Nathan Smith (5-8, 180, jr.) and Charles Wilkins (6-3, 177, sr.).
"They have a couple different zone looks that they like to run," Walker said. "They ave the ability to run some man coverage. It will be a little game of cat-and-mouse to try and see if we can get them in a coverage we want them in."
Hair threw for 123 yards and completed 12-of-30 pass with two interceptions last year against the Bulldogs. Walker feels more confident with Blair Oaks' passing game this season, especially with 21 touchdown throws and no interceptions since Hair's return.
"It's going to be a great matchup," Walker said.
Related media:
Blair Oaks Falcons Football Podcast [McCluer South-Berkeley preview, Nov. 11, 2017]