Blair Oaks prepares for first-ever meeting against Knob Noster

Blair Oaks wide receiver Cobi Marble looks for room to run after making a catch during last season's Class 3 District 5 opener against St. James at the Falcon Athletic Complex in Wardsville.
Blair Oaks wide receiver Cobi Marble looks for room to run after making a catch during last season's Class 3 District 5 opener against St. James at the Falcon Athletic Complex in Wardsville.

WARDSVILLE - There aren't many opportunities for the Blair Oaks Falcons to play someone new in the regular season. The postseason is a different story.

So tonight's game against the Knob Noster Panthers will have that feeling of unfamiliarity to it, much like a postseason game. Kickoff is at 7 p.m. at the Falcon Athletic Complex.

"I like playing a lot of different teams, I have always been that way," Blair Oaks coach Ted LePage said. "You like to see different opponents, you like to see things you have to prepare differently. Your players aren't familiar with anything that goes on."

Tonight's meeting is the first between the two programs, and Knob Noster is the 66th different opponent Blair Oaks has played in the football team's 45-year history.

Knob Noster (1-0), which opened its season last Friday with a 46-7 home win against the Versailles Tigers, has posted a 16-7 record since the start of the 2018 season.

Leading a Panther offense that averaged 34.5 points per game last season is senior quarterback Iverson Sirom, who made the Missouri River Valley all-conference first team as an athlete.

Sirom totaled 167 yards - 90 rushing, 77 passing - against Versailles and accounted for three offensive touchdowns.

"He may be the most dynamic player we see all year," LePage said. "On one play last week, he made seven guys miss (tackles)."

The Blair Oaks defense is preparing to set multiple offensive setups against Knob Noster.

"Going into this season, we thought they were under center, hard-nosed, come right at you," LePage said. "They still could be, but in Week 1, they spread guys all over the field."

Knob Noster rushed for 223 yards against Versailles, averaging 8.0 yards per carry. Tim Williams had four carries for 69 yards and a touchdown, while Shawn Floyd rushed for 59 yards and two touchdowns.

"They have good complimentary backs, they've got good guys around him," LePage said.

Wyatt Schreiner led the Panthers with 44 yards receiving and a touchdown against the Tigers. LePage said many of Knob Noster's pass plays were an extension of Sirom's scrambling in the run game.

"They'll take their calculated shots," LePage said. "Last week, they threw a couple over the top. He looks like he has pretty doggone good accuracy on his long ball."

Xavier Ortiz, a lineman, is Knob Noster's only other returning all-conference player on offense.

Knob Noster's defense held Versailles to 171 total yards of offense, or 3.3 yards per play. The Tigers' only touchdown came on a fumble recovery for a score.

The Panthers operate out of a four-man front.

"They did not allow Versailles to do anything," LePage said. "They were really attacking at the point of the line of scrimmage."

Sirom also starts at outside linebacker and had a pick-6 last week, giving him four touchdowns in the win. LePage also noted defensive end Shawnacy Johnson had a big game for the Panthers against Versailles.

"Versailles was never able to get off and get to the second level with their offensive line," LePage said. "Their four D-linemen took up five blockers, and the three linebackers were able to run freely and were able to make plays consistently."

Blair Oaks (1-0) also won its season opener last week, routing Maryville 51-8 in a neutral-site contest at Warrensburg.

"We played at a really high level and attacked the football," LePage said.

The Falcons scored on their first seven offensive possessions. LePage credited the new five starting offensive linemen - Kaden Hoelscher, Brysan Jeffries, Wyatt Bonnett, Cale Willson and Griffin Herst - for opening up opportunities for the skill players.

"They played like they were bona fide returning starters," LePage said. "They were getting off the ball, and when you're playing Maryville, you'd better get off the ball."

Blair Oaks' defense also held the Spoofhounds' wing-T offense to minus-4 yards rushing.

"It was energetic," LePage said. "Our D-line, with Carson Bax, Rylee Niekamp and Nico Canale, were energized to stop everything. It took basically every guy they had to block those three."

III

Notes: This will be the Falcons' last non-conference game of the regular season, as Tri-County Conference play begins next Friday at California. Blair Oaks has won its last 14 regular-season non-conference matchups. Ian Nolph and Reid Dudenhoeffer were sidelined for the Maryville game, but LePage said both will play tonight. Nolph will be a two-way player at wide receiver and linebacker, but Dudenhoeffer will slowly work his way back from injury, mostly playing on special teams tonight. Defensive lineman Rylee Niekamp suffered a shoulder stinger in the second half against Maryville. LePage said he was limited at practice Monday and Tuesday but was back to full strength Wednesday and will start tonight.