Kansas Pregame Feature: Falcons flying high again
By: Robert Falkoff
For Kansas Pregame.com
Posted: November 12, 2009 - 12:43 AM

So, what do you do after the perfect season?

If you're Baileyville B&B, it's simple. You buckle the chinstraps, tighten the pads and try with all your might to do it again. Twice is particularly nice and the Falcons now have just two more hurdles in front of them as they strive for a second consecutive undefeated season and state championship in the Kansas 8-man Division I playoffs.

Should Baileyville knock off Pretty Prairie in the semifinals on Nov. 13 and follow that up with a victory in the championship game a week later, the Falcons will have themselves a mini-dynasty to savor over the course of a long, cold winter.

Baileyville has looked to be well on the way to doubling its pleasure with convincing playoff wins over Madison and Goeseel through the opening two rounds. For coach Steve Tiernan, who had four returning starters on offense and just one on defense from last year's 13-0 team, it has been a season of satisfaction thus far. But Tiernan and his Falcons are fully aware that the biggest challenges are yet to come.

“These kids have done a good job of concentrating on the task at hand and realizing once the playoffs began that if we fail the next test, we're done,” Tiernan said. “You take care of what you have to do each day and move on.”

When Baileyville fell behind Goessel 16-14 after one quarter of its second-round matchup, it marked the first time all year that the Falcons had trailed. Undaunted, Baileyville revved it up with three dominating quarters in a 58-24 victory.

“We made some mistakes early, but as the game wore on, we didn't make those mistakes again,” Tiernan said. “When I got home and watched the film, I felt we played a lot better than I thought we played while I was standing on the sidelines.”

Baileyville has thrived behind a strong offensive line that features 240-pound Nathan Haug. Quarterback Kyle Haverkamp has been able to run and throw effectively with the 0-line creating running lanes and providing solid pass protection.

“Kyle is just a good leader,” Tiernan said. “He's going to give you everything that he has. He's 6-4, about 170 pounds. When he runs, he runs hard. When he throws, he throws it well.”

Running back Ryan Huerter is another skill position player who has been able to thrive all season. Although Huerter is only 5-11, and 165 pounds, he plays much bigger.

“Ryan is a good one,” Tiernan said. “For no bigger than he is, he runs just as well inside as he runs outside. He really brings it. In our offense, you've got to be disciplined. When you do have the ball, you have to make it look like you don't. When you don't have the ball, you have to make it look line you do. All of our backs have done a good job of carrying out their fakes.”

The Falcons strive to set the tone right from the opening whistle. The first offensive play from scrimmage may not seem that significant to the casual observer, but Tiernan believes it can send a strong message to the opponent about how the game will go.

“You only get one first play in every game,” Tiernan said. “No matter how pumped up our opponent may be, thinking they are going to be the state champs, that first play can let them know that maybe they won't beat the state champs. We just try to power you right off the bat and let the opponent know they are going to have 48 minutes of that. If you can stop us, you're better than we are. So far, we've come out on top. But we've seen a lot of good efforts from a lot of teams.”

The Falcons could be on a collision course with Clifton-Clyde in what would be a rematch of last year's state title game. Clifton-Clyde, which plays Quinter in the other semifinal matchup, was picked second behind Baileyville in the 8-man Division I preseason coaches' poll.

Tieran is counting on his team's strength in the trenches to show up big as Baileyville tries for a second straight unbeaten season.

“”The way our linemen have cleared the path, our backs should be buying those guys pizza,” Tiernan noted.

Pass the pepperoni. The 2009 Falcons seem hungrier than ever.