CHERRY TWP — The Moniteau football team ended the battle of winless teams with a consistent performance on the ground with a 24-8 win over A-C Valley Friday night on the road.

Moniteau (1-3) ran 46 times for 204 yards, averaging 4.4 yards per carry, but the runs came at ideal times. The Warriors converted most of their 14 first downs with runs.

Senior fullback Shonn Kline saw 20 touches and totaled 74 yards. Kline scored the first touchdown with 10 minutes, 35 seconds left to give the Warriors a 7-0 lead in the second quarter.

Moniteau coach Wade Vogan said Kline is the type of player to fight for every yard.

“He's a bruiser,” Vogan said. “He's not going to run around you, he's going to run through you.”

Senior quarterback Derek Boben also rushed for 75 yards on 14 carries.

A-C Valley coach Brad Dittman said their goal was to stop Kline and Boben, but they came up short with sloppy tackles, especially in the first half.

“We needed to bring those guys to the ground, and we weren't wrapping them in the first half,” Dittman said.

Dittman said the Falcons' defense also struggled on third-down opportunities, growing more fatigued with each Moniteau first down.

“We couldn't get off the field on defense on third down,” Dittman said.

Warriors senior wide receiver Elijah Stewart moved to the backfield in the second half, seeing seven carries for 41 yards and scoring one touchdown.

Stewart, who also celebrated his birthday Friday, closed the first half with a 70-yard touchdown catch from Boben with 20 seconds left before the half to put Moniteau ahead 16-0.

“One big play sets the tone,” Stewart said.

Stewart said he cherished the experience of winning and scoring on his birthday.

“It felt great,” Stewart said. “No better feeling than hearing the crowd go crazy like that.”

A-C Valley (0-4) switched quarterbacks in the second half and saw some success with senior Evan Redding taking the snaps. Redding scored the Falcons' only touchdown on a 70-yard run in the third quarter.

Dittman said he trusted Redding to step up after a starting quarterback Jeffrey Ginn's rough first half. Ginn completed 2-of-6 passes with two interceptions.

“We were trying to switch it up and get something going, and we were able to do that,” Dittman said.

Moniteau's defense also played a role. They forced four fumbles, which were not recovered, but did slow down A-C Valley's offense at key moments.

The Warriors' secondary also came through big with three interceptions. Senior safety Ray Hagg caught two interceptions in the first half and returned them for decent yardage.

Vogan said their secondary was a concern before tonight's game. They struggled with breakdowns in pass coverage.

“We've been focused on our secondaries, since after the first or second week,” Vogan said.

Vogan said he wants to see consistent performance from the secondary. He said he also wants to see the line continue to open gaps for the running game.

Vogan said he plans to keep the offensive line working on the same things, hoping to promote his run-first offense. He said he'll call a pass if it is necessary, but he likes his team's running game.

“That's the plan,” Vogan said. “To continue to hit those holes.”