RIMERSBURG — After one half of football Friday night, it appeared an upset was brewing. But it proved to be nothing more than a mirage.

Union fell to Moniteau 42-12 in a Keystone Shortway Athletic Conference contest after opening the second half with two turnovers that would prove to be costly against a tough Moniteau defense that allowed Union only 48 yards rushing.

"We came out flat in the first half, but they played us tough," said Moniteau head coach Jeff Campbell. "They were everything that I thought they would be."

In the first quarter, the Warriors (5-0, 5-0) executed an 11-play drive that took four minutes off the clock to start the game but ended with quarterback Tyler Armagost throwing an interception in the end zone to Union's Taylor Smith.

Union went three-and-out on its first possession, but managed to keep the pressure on Armagost, sacking him and forcing two incomplete passes to end the Warriors' drive with a punt.

Union (0-5, 0-5) scored first on a 30-yard pass from quarterback Matt Gagliano to halfback Colby Davis to jump out to a 6-0 lead.

Moniteau responded on its next possession, moving 71 yards in six plays, scoring on an Armagost run from a yard out.

"We take what they give us," said Campbell. "If they play a safety over the top, we'll run the ball. If they cheat down on the ball, we'll throw it."

Both teams proved to be tough in the first half of play. Armagost completed only 4-of- 11 first-half passes with an interception and 68 yards.

The running game was the only thing Moniteau could go with in the first half, as Armagost failed to find his rhythm. Union, on the other hand, was finding plenty of rhythm in the passing game while its running game faltered.

Gagliano was an impressive 7 of 11 in the first half, with two touchdowns and 147 yards. He recorded a touchdown throw with 12 seconds left in the first half on a 2-yard pass to Curtis Shirey to give Union a 12-7 edge.

After playing so strongly in the first half, Union struggled in the second half as Gagliano threw two interceptions that resulted in two touchdowns for Moniteau: the first on an a 53-yard interception return by Victor Santoyo and the second on a Dakota Campbell scoring run from a yard out, giving Moniteau a 21-12 lead.

Union also was dealt blows when Gagliano was hurt on a desperate attempt at a first down. Curtis Shirey replaced him near the end of the third quarter.

The Knights also had to deal with an injury to Gagliano's main target, Zach Traister, in the second half as well, which allowed Moniteau to keep the Union passing game in check.

Union wasn't able to keep up with Moniteau after that, allowing 35 unanswered points in the second half.

"We know what we want this program to become," said first-year Union head coach Jeremy Lipps. "We are not going to let anything stand in our way of what we want to accomplish."