Run the ball, stop the pass.
It was a simple equation for the Foothills Falcons’ Blackout Game and one they solved with ease in a 29-0 shutout over the Rundle College Cobras Friday at home to cap an undefeated regular season in the Big Rock Football Conference.
“It’s playing to our strengths, for sure,” Falcons head coach Darren Olson said. “With Jude (Oh) and the two Paytons it makes a huge difference and the O-line is really coming along, they’ve advanced tremendously since the start of the year.
“For us to be successful we have to run the ball.”
Foothills set the tone early, hitting pay dirt on its opening drive.
Grade 11 tailback Jude Oh capped off a dominant series with a short scamper to set off the first of a series of fireworks for the host squad on a brisk Friday evening in Big Rock Country.
Following a botched punt by the Cobras deep in their own zone, the Falcons offence took full advantage of the tremendous field position. Quarterback Tyson Pitcher took off an a bootleg play on the team’s first play of the drive, scampering into the end-zone for an easy touchdown.
“It gave us momentum,” Oh said of the early lead. “It helped our rookie kids believe that we can do it. That we can do this. It gave them confidence.”
Rookie runningback Payton Burbank got into the offensive parade.
The elusive runner cutback to the left for a 59-yard backbreaking major in the final two minutes of the opening half.
The second half saw the Falcons threaten to add to the lead only to be turned back a number times on offensive penalty calls.
Oh, who was near impossible for the Cobras to bring down all evening, ended the contest with an 18-yard touchdown run to cap easily his most dominant game of the season.
“(Jude) is low to the ground, he’s got such good lateral movement, he’s quick and he explodes into the tacklers,” Olson said. “It’s good for his confidence because he hasn’t played a lot this year with that injury he had. Payton Burbank and Payton Price, they’re north-south guys and they go hard.”
Both Oh and Burbank eclipsed the 100 yards rushing plateau. All told, Foothills posted 362 yards on the ground. Peter Baker led the team with 64 receiving yards.
On the other side of the ball, early adjustments in shutting down the Cobras power formation kept the visitors off the scoreboard.
“They ran that pretty well in the first quarter and into the second a little bit then we shut them down,” said Falcons defensive back Ben Tighe. “They did not have a lot of running yards.
When the Cobras did go the air the Falcons were ballhawks. Tighe brought down an attempted deep ball to start the second quarter.
Miskew said the rinks in Okotoks next week are the top 15 in the world, which includes 2014 Olympic gold medallist Jennifer Jones, last year’s Scotties champion Chelsea Carey and defending world champion Switzerland’s Binia Feltscher who beat Homan in the world finals in 2014.
The men’s field includes defending Masters champion Mike McEwen, reigning World champion Kevin Koe and 2014 Olympic gold medallist Brad Jacobs and fan-favourite Brad Gushue out of Newfoundland.
“There won’ be any surprises, everybody there deserves to be there,” Miskew said. “We don’t take anyone lightly that is for sure.”
The WFG Masters runs Oct. 25-30 with the finals taking place on the Sunday. Prior to the men’s final match there will be an exhibition match between two pairs of boys and girls rinks from the Okotoks area.
Tickets for the WFG Masters have become a hot commodity. For information on the draw and for tickets go to www.okotokscurling.com
