CLARION — Nick Martino had a simple message for his Moniteau teammates after a rousing road playoff win Friday night.

“Buckle down, boys,” Martino said. “It's going to be a long ride.”

The first leg of the journey came at Clarion University against Clarion and the defense that Martino anchors in the middle as a linebacker did something it hadn't done much of this season.

Score points.

Martino started it off by scooping up a fumble and racing 62 yards for a touchdown on Clarion's opening possession.

Donavan Francois then intercepted a pass and rumbled 55 yards for a score as the Warriors ousted Clarion, 20-14, in the first round of the District 9 2A playoffs.

It was the first playoff win for the Warriors since 2015. It was also the first win for Moniteau over Clarion since that same season.

“It was pretty monumental,” Martino said of the defensive scores. “It helped pick up the energy a whole lot and made us hungry every play.”

The two defensive touchdowns against a shellshocked Clarion team that entered the playoffs on a four-game skid staked the Warriors to a 14-7 lead at the half.

It stayed that way until Clarion tied the game on a 5-yard touchdown run by Logan Minich with 4:03 left in the game.

But Moniteau responded with a five-play, 65-yard drive that was set up by a 44-yard run by Cody Wise.

Wise culminated the drive with a 1-yard touchdown run with 1:54 to play.

Wise rushed for 156 yards on 24 carries despite facing 10 — and sometimes even 11 — Clarion defenders in the box who were set on stopping him.

“We never went away from what we do, even when it seemed like there were 12 guys in the box sometimes and everyone blitzing,” said Moniteau coach Bob Rottman.

“Cody has great vision and makes the cuts that he needs to make,” Rottman added. “I can't say enough about him. He doesn't go backward. He runs hard. He runs angry.”

Clarion played sloppy.

Turnovers and penalties hurt the Bobcats, who had a touchdown called back due to an illegal shift.

Clarion also gave Moniteau two first downs on offside penalties while trying to jump the snap.

Moniteau had two interceptions on defense and also sealed the game by stopping Clarion on three plays after the Wise score.

“Our defense played amazing,” Rottman said.

Francois' touchdown came on an attempted screen pass by Clarion quarterback Archer Mills, who lost a fumble that led to the Martino score earlier in the game.

Francois read the pass and found the ball in his hand.

After breaking a tackle, the 6-foot-5, 340-pound defensive tackle showed off his deceptive speed.

“I haven't seen him run that fast all year,” Rottman said. “That was fun to watch. When you see those big guys running down the field, that's great to watch.”

Francois played some fullback two years ago, so he knew what to do with the football once he had it in his grasp.

“I was going to drop down, but I saw an open lane, so I went for it,” Francois said. “I looked back and no one was there. It feels amazing.”

So does winning a playoff game for the Warriors, who will take on No. 1 seed Ridgway next week on a day and at a site and time to be determined.

“It feels pretty crazy doing this,” Martino said.

“The first couple of years when I played wasn't the best for me,” Francois added. “This year I definitely set a goal to pour my heart out this year as a senior and I think I've done that pretty well.”

Moniteau (7-4) has now won four consecutive games, mainly using the same formula it did against Clarion.

“I think this means the world to them, but I know they're not going to rest on this victory, either,” Rottman said. “As far as these guys go, it's a big win for them and it's a signature win for them and the program.”

Moniteau 7 7 0 6 — 20

Clarion 7 0 0 7 — 14

First Quarter

M — Nick Martino 62 fumble return (Cody Wise kick), 8:34

C — Logan Minich 3 pass from Sam Mills (Mills kick), 3:26

Second Quarter

M — Donavan Francois 55 interception return (Wise kick), 10:10

Fourth Quarter

C — Logan Minich 5 run (Mills kick), 4:03

M — Cody Wise 1 run (kick blocked), 1:54

Individual Statistics

Rushing:Moniteau, Cody Wise 24-156, Chance Nagy 11-45, Nick Martino 8-27, Austin Yeager 1-0, Mason Mershimer 1-4, JD Dessecino 1-3, TEAM 3-(-3). Clarion, Sam Minich 7-151, Logan Minich 10-48, Colton Zacherl 4-16, Cutter Boggess 2-3, Archer Mills 4-(-24)

Passing:Moniteau, Chance Nagy 0-3-0-1, Cody Wise 0-1-0-0. Clarion, Archer Mills 7-16-58-2

Receiving:Moniteau, none. Clarion, Sam Minich 5-24, Logan Minich 2-34