Falcons go through scrimmage to wrap up first week of practice

Braydan Pritchett takes the ball down the field Saturday during Blair Oaks' scrimmage at the Falcon Athletic Complex
Braydan Pritchett takes the ball down the field Saturday during Blair Oaks' scrimmage at the Falcon Athletic Complex

WARDSVILLE - Ted LePage didn't come back to Blair Oaks to reinvent the wheel.

When the Falcons' head coach was hired in March to begin his second stint with the football team, he had a discussion with the senior class to plan for the 2018 season.

"When I sat down and had a meeting, they gave us the road map of where they wanted to go," LePage said after Saturday night's intrasquad scrimmage at the Falcon Athletic Complex. "Once we get on the road, we're going to put the wheels on the car and we're going to drive it that way."

It would have been easy for LePage to adopt the "If it isn't broke, don't fix it" methodology. The Falcons haven't lost a regular-season game in the past three seasons, and in 2017, they scored 42.1 points per game while allowing just 14.9.

Instead, he's looking for ways to improve a team that finished with a 13-1 record.

"It was slow at first, getting into the new process," Blair Oaks senior Nolan Hair said. "But we trust him, and our team is starting to click and starting to work together."

Offensively, the Falcons gained a bulk of their yards through the passing game. LePage wants to find more of a balance between the pass and the run games.

"We're not just going to be a one-dimensional pony here," he said. " We know we can throw the ball, but can we impose our will on the other team?"

On the other side of the ball, Blair Oaks was nearly flawless during the regular season. But a 49-20 loss to Maryville in the Class 3 semifinals exposed some weaknesses on defense.

During the preseason, LePage said the defensive line has shown the biggest area of growth.

"If the ball will go lateral to the line of scrimmage, we have a lot of speed on the back end that can run the ball down," he said. "We can't allow that penetration straight up the middle, and that's what happened last year (against Maryville)."

The Falcons are also working on their kicking game.

Blair Oaks did not attempt an extra point last season, but senior Marcus Edler consistently made his PATs during Saturday's scrimmage. He even made a 37-yard field goal with plenty of room to spare.

"I'm a big believer that you're playing with fire when you try to line up and go for two every time," LePage said. "If you kick extra points, you're never chasing points."

With only three weeks of practice to prepare for the season, there isn't much time for fun and games. Well, one night was an exception.

When LePage was previously the head coach with the Jefferson City Jays, one evening during each preseason the team would hold a Moms Night, where mothers went through drills on the field with their sons.

LePage brought Moms Night to Blair Oaks last Wednesday, adding everybody who came out "had a really good time."

"I tell the players, 'We want your moms to understand why you love this game so much,'" he said.

Blair Oaks will host a Jamboree on Friday, with California, Centralia, Helias, Moberly and Owensville also attending. The Falcons will scrimmage against Moberly at 7 p.m., followed by Owensville at 8 p.m.

After that, Blair Oaks opens the season Aug. 24 against Maryville, the defending Class 3 state champion. Kickoff will be at 7 p.m. at William Jewell's Greene Stadium in Liberty.

It's a game more than one or two Falcons have been thinking about since last November's loss in the state playoffs.

"I think we all have it circled on our schedules," Blair Oaks senior Braydan Pritchett said. "It should be fun."