Blair is winless no more, as it took care of business in a blowout victory over Ralston by a score of 48-6 at Krantz Field on Friday night.
After starting 0-2, with one loss being not so close and the other being a nailbiter, a much-needed bye week provided an opportunity to reset before a bout with the Rams.
“The bye week came at a good time after the way we started,” Bears coach Bryan Soukup said. “We needed to clean up some things, and practice was really good the past two weeks… We felt we let those two (losses) get away from us at times, and we looked a lot better tonight.”
One of those items that Soukup felt needed fine-tuning was the vertical passing game, and the work done in practice paid off as quarterback Bode Soukup connected on a fade route to the corner of the endzone with receiver Crayton Macholan and on a wheel route for a 25-yard score with running back Brock Templar.
The passing game got going in all facets, as Soukup was hitting open guys long, medium and short to a tune of 178 yards and three touchdowns. He also completed 83% of his passes.
Templar had the run game going, as well, totaling 16 carries for 78 yards and adding a couple of scores on the ground.
Add that to a near-shutout performance on defense and you end up with the game Blair put together for its first win of the season.
“They were very physical; I think (Ralston) only had one first down right before half,” Soukup said. “Defense played lights out in the first half, and they played really well overall.”
The lone lapse on defense came on a score by the Rams when the game was already out of reach. Just to be safe, though, Blair senior Ethan Baessler took the following kickoff return 90 yards to the house.
After avoiding him for much of the game, Ralston gave the reigning Class B 100- and 200-meter dash gold medalist a chance to make a play, and he did so with lightning speed.
“You’ve got to account for where he’s at,” Soukup said. “That’s why they started off with that little pooch kick, because they didn’t want to kick to him. Maybe they forgot he was still back there, but that’s what he can do when he does get the ball in his hands. He’s always a threat to take it back. He’s proven in track that he’s the fastest guy in Class B.”
Another important aspect of getting a win in dominating fashion is allowing younger players to get experience. Playing backups much of the fourth quarter, Ralston was held scoreless in the frame by players who Soukup believes are coming into their own more and more each week.
With several key players putting in high snap counts on both sides of the ball, the added depth could make a major difference over the course of the year.
“We’re very impressed with some of our young guys,” he said. “They’re helping us out in practice every day. I think you’re going to start seeing some more rotations here and there at times.”
The Bears will travel to Omaha for a meeting with Class B No. 9 Gross Catholic on Friday. The Cougars (2-1) are coming off of their first loss of the season, which came by a score of 27-13 against now No. 7 Elkhorn.
