WARDSVILLE - For the seventh straight game, the Blair Oaks Falcons kicked off to an opponent to start the game.
For the fifth time in those seven games, the Falcons got a stop on defense and followed that with a touchdown on their first offensive possession.
And the points continued to pile up in the first quarter.
Blair Oaks scored seven touchdowns in the game's first 13 minutes Friday night, coming away with a 55-16 Homecoming win against the Hallsville Indians at the Falcon Athletic Complex.
"I thought we really came out and played well," Blair Oaks coach Ted LePage said.
Six of Blair Oaks' seven offensive touchdowns came on drives of four plays or fewer.
"We've started doing what we do best, and we're getting better at it," LePage said. "It comes down to the execution of the play, and our players feel real confident about what we're doing right now.
"We're doing the option play, along with the play-action off the option, and we're able to throw the ball down the field. Every component of it is starting to fall into place."
Hallsville started the game with a three-and-out, and Blair Oaks answered with a four-play, 62-yard drive that ended with a 2-yard touchdown run by Jayden Purdy to make the score 6-0 just 2:23 into the game.
Following another Indians punt, the Falcons just needed two plays to score this time. Dylan Hair found Carson Prenger along the near sideline for a 35-yard catch-and-run touchdown. Zach Herigon made the first of his seven straight extra-point attempts, giving Blair Oaks a 13-0 lead early in the first quarter.
Three plays later, Cobi Marble intercepted a pass from Hallsville quarterback Tyger Cobb and returned it 31 yards for a touchdown.
"He does such a good job for us on offense, but we really felt like coming into this year, if Cobi hit the weight room, he'd be able to play both ways and be able to be a shut-down cornerback for us," LePage said. "Cobi had a great break on that ball."
Blair Oaks added three more touchdowns in the first quarter: a 19-yard pass from Hair to Jake Closser in the back of the middle of the end zone, a 16-yard run by Purdy and an 8-yard pass from Hair to Prenger.
During that stretch, Hallsville got on the scoreboard with an 80-yard kickoff return for a touchdown by Ben Boyle.
Two plays into the second quarter, Hair scored on a 12-yard keeper, juking left on a defender and crossing the goal line untouched. That made the score 48-6 with 11:21 to play in the first half.
Hallsville drained nearly seven minutes off the clock with a 13-play, 73-yard drive for its only offensive score. On fourth-and-goal, Harrison Fowler broke through the middle for a 4-yard touchdown run, and Cobb threw a 2-point pass to AJ Austene to make the score 48-14 with :54.6 to go before halftime.
The Indians recorded 78 of their 122 total yards of offense on that scoring drive. The Falcons held Cobb to 14 carries for 29 yards and Fowler to 13 carries for 16 yards.
"Our front seven did a heck of a job, because those two guys are going to get their yards," LePage said. "They're really good players."
Blair Oaks needed five plays to score its final touchdown to start the third quarter. After going 3-of-3 passing on the drive, Hair faked a pass and ran to his left for a 3-yard touchdown, extending the lead to 55-14.
Hallsville recorded a safety midway through the fourth quarter, when Alex White tackled Jake Hagner in the end zone after a fumbled snap.
Blair Oaks finished the game with 329 yards of offense. Hair completed 9-of-11 passes for 198 yards and three touchdowns. He added seven carries for 69 yards, while Purdy had six carries for 57 yards.
Closser led all receivers with four catches for 95 yards. Prenger added three catches for 64 yards.
Hallsville (4-3, 1-1 Tri-County) manufactured most of its offense through the air. Cobb was 13-of-27 passing for 90 yards, but he threw three interceptions. Marble snagged a second pick, while Closser recorded his second interception of the season.
Blair Oaks (6-1, 4-0 Tri-County), ranked No. 4 in Class 3, will face a state-ranked opponent next Friday with the conference title on the line against Class 3 No. 8 Southern Boone. Kickoff is at 7 p.m. in Ashland.
Southern Boone (4-1, 2-0 Tri-County) plays at 2 p.m. today at Tonganoxie, Kan. The Eagles were scheduled to play School of the Osage this weekend, but that contest was canceled.