Forgive the Oakville football team if it doesn't act like it's been here before.

It hasn't.

This is all new to the Tigers.

Until this week, Oakville had only heard about late November football, never experiencing it. It wasn't until last year the Tigers socked away their first playoff win.

Now?

Oakville has won back-to-back district titles, secured its first quarterfinal win and is a state semifinalist, one win from the Edward Jones Dome to take its shot at the state championship.

But that one win won't come easy.

Standing between the Tigers (9-3) and the state championship game is Hazelwood Central (11-1). If Oakville is the fresh faced rookie, the Hawks are the grizzled veterans.

Hazelwood Central has played for the state championship 13 times and won four, including last year. The Hawks graduated six seniors from last year's title team. Experience and expectations are in Hazelwood Central's corner.

"That's an extremely explosive football team," Oakville Coach Arlee Conners said. "It's a heck of an opportunity for our kids."

The two teams will tussle at 1:30 p.m. Saturday at Hazelwood Central.

Though the Tigers lack the history and hardware of their semifinal opponent, they have something else that could make the difference between dreaming about the title game and playing in it.

The Tigers execute.

"If you can do that on a consistent basis, football is a simple game. Execution is everything," Hazelwood Central Coach Rich Nixon said. "They did a real effective job of taking what was given to them. They're not in the state semifinals on accident."

It its 45-17 annihilation of Fox Friday night, Oakville played a nearly flawless 48 minutes of football. The Tigers executed their game plan with a precision that is often pursued but rarely achieved.

Senior quarterback Joe Plassmeyer was dominant as he completed 22 of his 28 passes for 252 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions.

"They got some really great protection," Nixon said. "They played a full four quarters."

Then again, the Hawks weren't half bad either in their 41-10 drumming of Lafayette.

Led by senior quarterback Kerry Gibson's pair of touchdowns, the Hawks rattled off 38 unanswered points to lock down their spot in the semifinals. While the offense can put up points at any given moment, the Hazelwood Central defense has done its part, too. In the postseason, the Hawks have yielded 17 total points.

Also aiding Hazlewood Central is the shear number of returning players. They know what it feels like to be one of the few football teams practicing at this time of year. They know how to handle it on and off the field.

"I think experience in this environment pays dividends," Nixon said.

They've been here and done this before. We'll find out Saturday if it matters.