SAINT MARYS — It was old-school football, which suited Shonn Kline just fine.

Blowing snow made any form of passing a daunting task for both teams, but Kline thrived, rumbling for 153 yards and two touchdowns on 33 carries as Moniteau scored a 17-6 win over Saint Marys in a District 9 Class AA semifinal playoff Friday night at Dutch Country Stadium.

The Warriors (5-6) advance to face unbeaten Karns City in the title game next Friday or Saturday.

Moniteau had defeated St. Marys 29-28 in Week 9 of the regular season, but the weather dictated that Friday's meeting would be a different type of game. Warriors' quarterback Derek Boben did not attempt a pass in the rematch.

“It played in to what we want to do, which is run the football,” said Moniteau coach Wade Vogan. “We put him (Kline) at tailback the fourth week of the season. He's a tough kid and he plays with heart. We'll keep giving him the ball until a team can stop him.”

After a scoreless first half, the Warriors set out to draw first blood on the opening drive of the third quarter. Kline and Boben gained all of the yards on a 10-play, 57-yard scoring drive. On 3rd-and-1 from the Dutch 2, Kline found paydirt, followed by Steven Fawcett's extra point for a 7-0 lead.

On Moniteau's next drive, Kline scored from 31 yards out.

“With the snow and us running the football, it was just a lot of fun out there,” Kline said. “Our line played well. They kept their feet moving and stayed on their blocks.”

Trailing by 14 points, St. Marys' Wing-T offense was forced out of its comfort zone. Junior quarterback Pat Schlimm, who completed just four of 21 pass attempts in the game, was intercepted by Dacota Skiver on the ensuing drive, setting up Fawcett's 22-yard field goal and a commanding 17-0 edge.

The Dutch's one big play on offense came early in the fourth quarter. Schlimm connected on a screen pass with Matt Marconi, who raced down the left sideline for a 63-yard touchdown.

St. Marys, which does not have a placekicker, attempted a two-point conversion that failed.

“We told our kids to watch for the double-screen right before that play,” said Vogan of the touchdown. “They (Dutch) picked the right side.”

Moniteau was then forced into a three-and-out and St. Marys appeared ready to make the game a one-score affair. But on 4th-and-6 from the Warrior 20, Schlimm was hit as he threw and the ball was picked off by Garrett Young with six minutes to play. It was the third and final time Schlimm was intercepted in the game. The first came when Dalton Anderson snuffed out a scoring opportunity when he snared a pass in his own end zone late in the first half.

The Dutch, who averaged nearly 200 yards per game on the ground in the regular season, were held to an anemic 34 yards on 31 carries. Senior fullback T.J. Hogan, who rushed for over 1,000 yards in 2014, returned from a leg injury sustained in August and led St. Marys with just 19 yards on eight carries.

“We knew the team that ran the ball more successfully would win the game,” said St. Marys coach Tony Defilippi. “Hats off to Moniteau. They did what they needed to do.”

Moniteau's defense came up with a huge stand when the game was still very much in doubt.

The Dutch (7-4) recovered a Warrior fumble at Moniteau's 1-yard line with just over four minutes left in the first half. The Warriors held Hogan and Schlimm to no gain on back-to-back plays. On third down, Schlimm tried again on a quarterback sneak, but fumbled and Boben recovered for Moniteau.

“We have to score there,” said Defilippi. “That was a very big play in the game.”

The district championship game will be a rematch of Karns City's 41-0 victory Oct. 2.

“We're blessed to be playing another week,” said Vogan. “We'll get back at it on Monday.”

Moniteau 17, St. Marys 6

Moniteau 0 0 17 0 — 17

St. Marys 0 0 0 6 — 6

M SM

10 First Downs 8

51-181 Rushes-Yards 31-34

0 Passing Yards 84

0-0-0 Comp.-Att.-Int 4-21-3

181 Total Yards 118

2-2 Fumbles-Lost 3-1

6-70 Penalty Yards 5-45

Third Quarter

M — Shonn Kline 2 run (Steven Fawcett kick), 7:48

M — Kline 31 run (Fawcett kick), 5:01

M — Fawcett 22 field goal, :47

Fourth Quarter

SM — Matt Marconi 63 pass from Pat Schlimm (pass failed), 11:41

Individual Statistics

Rushing: Moniteau, Shonn Kline 33-153, Derek Boben 15-24, Mitch DiMaria 3-4; St. Marys, Matt Marconi 7-6, T.J. Hogan 8-19, Nathan Straub 6-7, Pat Schlimm 8-(-4), Christian Steffan 2-6.

Passing: St. Marys, Pat Schlimm 4-21-84-3.

Receiving: St. Marys, Matt Marconi 4-84.