I'm unfamiliar with Blair Oaks beyond the fact they are Blair Oaks and that coach is a legend at this point. But I keep going back to the Seneca Lamar score, makes me think Seneca will be too much for anyone in C3 let alone a team missing key contributors. What's the scoop on Blair Oaks for the uninitiated?
Yes, Blair Oaks is a team that has been blessed with great coaching for the past 20 years and a program built from the ground (4th grade) up (Freshman - Seniors). They are a school built around a family community culture with families where the grade schoolers and the middle schoolers play pickup games while watching their older brothers play on the big field. The students learn in middle school the same plays that are taught at the high school level and taught the full culture at that age of doing their job, getting better everyday, and being a role model for their school, team-mates, and young kids no matter the age.
A lot of the big contributors over the past few years are young brothers of now alumni who played years before them. They always want to get better and continue a tradition of what their brothers before them have left. It shows in their preparation, in their lifting, their overall knowledge of the game, and overall their drive to always want to improve.
When you have that kind of deep culture and drive in a program then it is so much easier to have success as often as that program has had over the past 2 decades.
After all that preparation you then throw in a group of coaches, not just Coach Lepage that have the same drive in teaching, developing game plans, reviewing film and you have a very good chance at success being 1-0 on the week.
2 players that are out are 2 of what was the main offensive targets of the QB. They were returning all staters. 1 was a transfer from Southern Boone. Even though they are now done for the season the depth on the offensive side of the ball has made to where Blair Oaks could continue be successful. Blair Oaks does not run personnel on both sides of the ball if at all possible, which also helps.
They have a dynamic offense where they can beat a team through the air or just ground and pound and play keep away.
The defense which this year is now their strength since most of their defense was underclassman the year prior. They are well coached, physical upfront, and will take away what ever the other team does best. Most of the time its the run. If you like the run and only throw when you absolutely have to then you are not going to be successful against BO.
I know I wrote a lot and if your still reading well good for you because I probably would have stopped myself. 1 last thing, Blair Oaks prepares by playing and scrimmaging against great competition. They now currently play 2 out of conference teams every year like clockwork, Maryville which has been played in several different locations over the past few years but now are played in house. The other team is Lutheran North which has became a slight rivalry between the 2 schools ever since not only Blair Oaks playing them in post season play but playing some of the other St. Louis private schools in past few years such as Cardinal Ritter, St. Mary's. Blair Oaks played Cardinal Ritter not long ago when Luther Burden was on the CR team in Semifinal action in St. Louis. Not only did Blair Oaks win but BO defense never allowed Luther Burden to be the reason that CR would win. Blair Oaks played so many times against St Louis private schools over the past 6 years and never lost until 2023 and this year in 2024 when Lutheran North improved, greatly. They might have D1 talent but what lacked was great coaching and a full well rounded team. Last year Lutheran North's defense lived and died by their speed and it worked. In 2024, to go along with defense they improved on the offensive side of the ball from being mainly a running team to a dynamic passing offense that was complemented by their running game and speed. This also led them to eventually beat their older brother Cardinal Ritter later in the season.
Now you know who Blair Oaks is and why they get talked about so darn much. A program built right from the ground up. A program hated by many who have to deal with them yearly.
Seneca will have their hands full this weekend but it will be a close game, a low scoring game from 2 great defenses good enough to slow down 2 great offenses. A must see if you can see it in person, or online if you can't travel to Columbia.
