Moniteau cramped and St. Marys crumbled.

Both lost leads and potential victories last week in their respective high school football season openers.

They play each other at 7 p.m. Friday in St. Marys looking to do something about it.

"Our kids are chomping at the bit," Moniteau coach Steve Wilson said. "They feel like they left a win on the field last week. They're out for redemption this week.

"We know we're a better football team than what we showed."

The Warriors are coming off an 8-7 loss to Clarion-Limestone. Numerous Moniteau players - including running backs Matt Schandelmeier and Adam Cousins - cramped up during the game, limiting their effectiveness.

Schandelmeier wound up with 17 carries for 82 yards and his team's lone touchdown. Cousins had 13 carries for 78 yards.

"My understanding was that a lot of teams had problems with cramps last week," Wilson said. "I don't think our kids were hydrated properly during the week.

"You can't drink pop all week, down a bottle of Gatorade Friday and be ready to play football. You have to take care of your body all the time. That's what we're getting our kids to understand."

Cramping wasn't the Warriors' lone problem last week. They completed only seven passes for 62 yards and two interceptions, had three turnovers overall and failed to punch the ball in from the 1-yard line just before halftime.

"We've been working on our blocking technique up front," Wilson said. "Our line was coming up too high off the snap and we were getting stood up.

"Our passing game always seems to come around last. (Tuesday) was our best offensive practice of the season. We have to improve offensively to move the ball Friday."

Wilson lauded the play of sophomore Kyle Mauthe, a first-time starter at cornerback.

"He played C-L's receivers well," the coach said. "Our defense had a solid game overall."

St. Marys is trying to snap a streak of 19 consecutive losing seasons. The Dutchmen were 2-7 last year, but jumped on Karns City for a 14-0 lead in the first quarter last week.

They had a chance to extend that lead after getting a first down inside the KC red zone late in the half, but turned the ball over on downs. The Gremlins turned around and scored with 27 seconds left before halftime.

"That gave them all the momentum," second-year St. Marys coach Joe Schlimm said. "They played the downs in the game that made a difference better than we did.

"We're still working on the mental side of it here. We have to learn to play to win instead of playing not to lose."

Brian Tamburlin had 13 carries for 73 yards and a touchdown to lead St. Marys last week. Quarterback Lucas Wendel, who missed last season with a broken foot, completed just two of 10 passes for 45 yards and an interception.

"We've got to throw the ball better," Schlimm said. "I'm sure Moniteau feels the same way. We're two teams in the same situation."

Both teams need a win Friday.

"Moniteau is huge and they play physical with two very good running backs," Schlimm said. "We need to match that intensity.

"This is a big game for us confidence-wise. We saw a lot of positives at Karns City. A bad loss this week would negate all that. A win would do wonders for us."

Wilson said St. Marys will be bigger than Clarion-Limestone, but still brings the speed and quickness.

"They don't like to throw the ball, so we have to make them do it," Wilson added. "They run a traditional Wing-T, so we'll have to deal with a lot of misdirection. I doubt they'll run right at us. They'll do a lot of off-tackle and they'll try to get outside."