KARNS CITY - Steve and David Black made the Moniteau football team feel mighty blue.

The Karns City duo connected on a 70-yard touchdown pass to cap a 20-point first half and the Gremlins defense held firm in the second half to topple the Warriors 20-7 in front of a large and raucous crowd Friday night.

"Whoa," said Karns City coach Ed Conto. "That's all I can say. Whoa."

That was the operative word for Karns City (3-3 overall, 2-3 in the KSAC) which used big plays in the first half to take command of the game.

After Josh Fiscus rumbled in from the 9 to cap the Gremlins' first possession, quarterback Steve Black dropped the ball to Fiscus on a screen pass and the senior running back did the rest, weaving through the Warriors defense for a 59-yard touchdown.

But the biggest blow came with a little more than two minutes left in the first half when Steve Black hit older brother David Black with a perfect pass that was nearly batted down by Moniteau cornerback Greg Kepple for a 70-yard score.

"We gave up three or four plays," said Moniteau coach Steve Wilson. "It seemed like all game long, when they needed to convert, they converted."

Karns City was 4-of-6 on third down conversions in the first half, including the two long scoring passes.

"We made mistakes we never make," Wilson said. "We did some things we don't normally do."

Moniteau (4-2, 3-1) struggled on offense in the first half, gaining just 36 yards.

Warriors quarterback Garth Kohlmeyer, who came into the game with 668 yards, 10 touchdowns and just one interception, threw two picks on his first two pass attempts and finished 0-for-9 with three interceptions.

Wilson said Kohlmeyer was playing with a bum throwing shoulder for much of the game and almost didn't see action in the second half.

"He couldn't throw anything deep," Wilson said.

When he tried, he found an aggressive and blanketing Gremlins secondary.

Karns City cornerback Kyle Texter hounded Moniteau's standout receiver Eric Hilliard all game and had one of the interceptions.

"We think Kyle Texter is one of the best cover corners in the league," Conto said. "He's had one pass caught on him all year."

Karns City also was able to contain Moniteau's big back, Matt Schandelmeier, in the first half.

Schandelmeier had just 22 yards in the first two quarters.

"Our defense came together," Conto said. "This week they came together and we played a complete defense."

But the Gremlins had their own struggles in the second half, particularly with penalties.

Karns City was flagged 11 times for 92 yards in the second half and 15 times for 112 yards in the game.

"They were all lining up wrong, movement penalties, too many in the huddle," Conto said. "That's just focus. That's one of the biggest things in football: focus."

Moniteau climbed back into the game when Schandelmeier powered into the end zone from the 3 in the third quarter to cut the lead to 13.

The Warriors threatened several times in the second half, but Karns City turned them away.

"We need to learn to finish things," Conto said. "First, we needed to learn how to stay in ballgames, now we need to learn how to finish them."

Schandelmeier ran for 107 yards on 24 carries. He was able to find some running room in the second half.

"Maybe we should have kept pounding it up inside," Wilson said. "But we went to the passing game, and normally that is a sure thing for us, but tonight it wasn't.

"(Karns City) came out to play today. We didn't. It was that simple."

The win was a must for Karns City, which is now in the thick of the playoff hunt in District 9 Class AA.

The playoffs are open to any team, but Conto has set a limit.

"I set a standard; we need to be 5-4," Conto said. "I don't want to take a 4-5 team to the playoffs. I think we can do it."