As is usually the case for the Oakville Senior High School Tigers, to enjoy gridiron success they are going to run the ball often and run the ball effectively.

In their 38-21 victory over Seckman Friday night, the Tigers did just that — racking up nearly 300 yards rushing to win their third game in a row and improve their record to 3-2.

Seckman, which fell to 3-2 with the loss, could not contain the running tandem of Reggie Ward and Dan Graham as the two Oakville backs combined for 200 of the Tigers’ 286-yard ground attack.

Tigers Head Coach Jerry Maulin knew coming into the game that the key to success would be the team speed that Oakville possesses.

“Seckman is a good team. They are big and strong, but on this night we were quicker,” he said. “If it’s used right, team speed is the most important thing, and that was the difference in the game.”

Ward, who led the Tigers offense running for 107 yards on 17 carries, scored a touchdown for the Tigers’ defense on a 55-yard interception. Nick Wymore also scored for the Tigers defense on a 34-yard blocked punt that went for a touchdown.

“Running the ball effectively is always our game plan and we did a good job controlling the ball,” Maulin said. “But we scored twice on defense and that always helps.”

The Tigers will put their three-game winning streak to the test this weekend when they face the defending Class 5 state champion Webster Groves Statesmen.

Webster, which lost to a very good Jefferson City squad last weekend 34-26, comes into the game with 3-1 record.

Maulin knows that the Statesmen have a lot of weapons to contend with — including Webster quarterback Darrell Jackson.

“We have a lot of matchups to look at — including Darrell Jackson,” Maulin said. “They are such a versatile team, but our players enjoy playing a team like this. It will take all we’ve got, but we hope to compete.”

Oakville and Webster Groves will play at 7 p.m. Friday at Moss Field.