CHERRY TWP - Garth Kohlmeyer proved the Brookville secondary not worthy.

The quarterback completed 11-of-18 passes for 250 yards and two touchdowns as the Moniteau High football team pulled away from Brookville in the second half on the way to a 52-20 season-opening win Friday night.

The passing attack was a welcome sight for Warriors coach Steve Wilson, who said he had some lingering trepidation about the air attack.

"That was the one area we were concerned about," Wilson said. "Believe it or not, I think defense will carry us while we work some things out on the offensive side of the ball."

There were no kinks to iron out in the passing game Friday.

Kohlmeyer hit his first six passes for 153 yards. He hooked up with Eric Hilliard three times in the first half for 110 yards.

"We have to go back to the drawing board to do the little things," said Brookville coach Chris Dworek. "Our corners and safeties were looking into the backfield too much. But Moniteau definitely has some weapons on offense."

The Warriors marched 76 yards on just four plays on the first possession of the game to score first. Matt Schandelmeier scored the first of his three touchdowns to put Moniteau ahead.

But Brookville, playing without six starters because of disciplinary suspensions, answered the score and then went up 14-7 early in the second quarter as quarterback Nick Heschke broke several tackles and scampered for 18 yards and a score.

That flurry had Wilson worried. But Schandelmeier rumbled in from 24 yards out after a 37-yard pass play from Kohlmeyer to Hilliard to tie the game.

"In the past we would let that get to us," Wilson said. "But the kids got mad and stepped up. I'm glad we showed some killer instinct."

The game was close in the third quarter after Heschke's 64-yard run set up a 1-yard touchdown run by Matt Berfield to cut the Moniteau lead to 23-20.

Then that killer instinct cropped up again.

Hilliard took the kickoff following the Brookville score at his own 13 and patiently waited for a seam to open before bursting through it for an 87-yard touchdown return that broke the game open as it broke the Raiders' backs.

"There were a lot of nervous kids before the game," Dworek said. "I'm proud of them. I think we got some confidence, despite what the scoreboard says."

Moniteau scored three touchdowns in the third quarter in just less than three minutes.

Schandelmeier, who rushed for 120 yards on 16 carries, scored on a 10-yards run just 45 second after Hilliard's kickoff return.

Brookville fumbled seven times and lost four. Moniteau's defense, which surrendered large chunks of yardage early, was able to tighten things up in the second half after Wilson and his staff made adjustments at the half that limited Brookville.

"We shifted and stunted our line," Wilson said. "And we moved back our linebackers - they were playing too close to the line, and when they overpursued, they couldn't get back in position."

Moniteau's offensive explosion gives opponents something to think about.

"Hopefully we can carry that over from week to week," Wilson said.