A Warrior letdown? Coach says no way
CHERRY TWP — Can you say letdown game?
The Moniteau football team can't. And it won't let its showdown with Redbank Valley at 7 p.m. Friday become one.
After an emotional win against archrival Karns City last week, common knowledge states the Warriors are prime for a slip-up.
Not these Warriors, though, coach Jeff Campbell said.
"We talked about it on Monday," Campbell said. "We watched film on the Karns City game and that's when we close the book and start preparing for the next opponent."
What is setting Campbell's mind at ease is the fact that his team has responded to challenges all season.
The Warriors (8-0) will get another big one when they face Redbank Valley (7-1).
"I think the biggest thing is these guys know if they slip up against Redbank, they will let Karns City get a share of the KSAC," Campbell said. "These kids want it. They are hungry for it."
If the Bulldogs win, they too will have a share of the conference title.
Redbank is a worthy foe, led by running back Alex Bladel, who has rushed for 1,000 yards and 16 touchdowns this season.
The Bulldogs employ a two-headed quarterback on occations.
Shiloh Buchleitner is the starter and has played well at times. Redbank has also gone to Brandon Bain at times. Bain is a better passer, but not nearly Buchleitner's equal when it comes to running the ball.
If Buchleitner is under center, Campbell said he plans to make him strickly a passer.
"He runs the ball very well," Campbell said. "The question is can he throw the ball? Can he beat you passing? We don't think he can."
If Moniteau sees more of Bain, Campbell is cognizant of the fact that Redbank Valley has some potent receiving weapons in Kasey Haines and Kameron Rankin.
"They have some good wide receivers," Campbell said. "They have some talent."
But when you are talking about wide receiver talent, you have to start with Moniteau's Tony Campbell.
The Warriors' receiver caught two more touchdown passes against Karns City to give him 12 for the season.
James Shope also had another stellar game, rumbling for 154 yards and two long scoring runs.
The fact that the Warriors can run and pass equally well is one of the reasons they are sitting at 8-0 for the second time in school history.
No Moniteau football team has finished the regular season unbeaten and untied. The closest team to do that was the 1959 edition, which went 8-0-1.
The Warriors, though, will play a 10th game before the playoffs. They will travel to play Riverside at 7 p.m. next Thursday
But the game against Redbank Valley could be the crowing achievement.
"It's been a long time building, not just physically building a program, but mentally playing at that level," Campbell said. "There is so much depth and talent on in team. In other years, if you got down to your second or third player at a position, there was a pretty big dropoff. Not on this team."
Wilmington (8-0, 6-0) at Slippery Rock (7-1, 4-1) Friday, 7 p.m.
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Last year's score: Did not playn
Coaches: Wilmington, Terry Verrelli. Slippery Rock, Clyde Contin
Game notes: Wilmington is outscoring its opponents 353-48. ... The Greyhounds have face Grove City, Sharon and Greenville, teams with a combined record of 19-5, and have beaten each by an average score of 44-9. ... Derrick Burns leads Wilmington with 639 yards rushing on just 82 carries. ... SlipperyRock quarterback Jono Powell has more than 900 yards on the ground after a 164-yard effort against Canandaigua Academy. He also has a five touchdown lead in the Butler Eagle scoring trophy race heading into the final week. ... Greyhounds quarterback Shane Wagner has 13 touchdowns to just three interceptions.Summit Academy (2-6, 2-6) at Freeport (5-3, 5-3) Friday, 7:30 p.m.n
Last year's score: Did not playn
Coaches: Summit Academy:Steve Sherer; Freeport:John Gaillotn
Game notes: The Knights fell to Kittanning 48-7 to see their two-game winning streak snapped. ... The lone Summit Academy score came when Derrick Rawls tossed a 5-yard pass to Darnell Jenkins in the third quarter. ... Freeport crushed Deer Lakes 63-7 as Andy Teorsky continued his torrid running with a five-touchdown, 171-yard performance. He has now rushed for 677 yards on 114 carries and nine touchdowns. ... Quarterback Alex Isenberg completed all five of his passes for 70 yards and one touchdown while sophomore Alan-Michael Wisniewski rushed for two touchdowns. ... A win against the Knights would sew up the fourth and final playoff berth out of the Allegheny Conference for the Yellowjackets. ... Freeport averaged 14 points per contest in its first six games, but has scored 94 in the past two weeks. Opponents are averaging 12.8 points per contest.Union (1-7, 1-7) at Karns City (7-1) at A-C Valley (0-8) Friday, 7 p.m.n
Last year's score: Karns City 63, Union 6n
Coaches: Karns City:Ed Conto; A-C Valley:Gary Pinkertonn
Game notes: The Gremlins dropped their first Keystone Shortway regular season game in 28 tries with a 35-34 loss to also-unbeaten Moniteau. Anthony Stimac passed for 123 yards and two touchdowns and rushed for two more scores despite the loss. Karns City rushed for 200 yards on 35 carries, led by Markus LaVan's 57 yards. ... Friday's game will close out the KSACseason before facing nonconference opponent Wilmington before the District 9 playoffs. ... A-C Valley fell to Redbank Valley 57-14 as Alex Bladel led the Bulldogs' rout with five touchdowns on the ground. ... The Falcons received a pair of fourth quarter touchdown runs by Brent Hindman and Dillon Montgomery. ... A-C Valley has been outscored 322-60 in its eight games.Clarion-Limestone (1-7, 1-7) Friday, 7:30 p.m.n
Last year's score: Clarion-Limestone 34, Union 14n
Coaches: Union; Jeremy Lipps, first year, 1-7; Clarion-Limestone:Todd Smith, sixth year, 35-19n
Game notes: Clarion-Limestone is coming off a 46-6 loss to rival Clarion, one week after taking Keystone into two overtimes before losing, 40-38. ... C-LQBDan Miller completed five of 20 passes for 62 yards last week, but did throw a 26-yard scoring pass to Zach Kemmer. ... Union and C-L's lone wins are against A-CValley. The Golden Knights defeated the Falcons 40-0, the Lions knocked them off 21-12. ... Union QBMatt Gagliano threw for 115 yards in last week's 33-14 loss at Punxsutawney, but was intercepted four times. ... Excluding A-CValley, Union has allowed an average of 45 points to its seven opponents.Warren (1-7, 0-3) at Grove City (6-2, 3-0) Saturday, 7 p.m.n
Last year's game: Did not playn
Coaches: Warren, Brad Wright. Grove City, Jeff Belln
Game notes: The Grove City defense recorded a shutout against Meadville last week and has surrendered just 53 points in the past five games. ... Warren's offense is struggling, particularly in the running game. The Dragons are averaging 1.7 yards per carry. ... Junior Tyree Basham played quarterback for Grove City last year, but passed for just five yards. ... The biggest pass play of the game came from Dwayne Martin, who completed a 38-yard scoring pass to Juan Navia. ... In the last two weeks, the Eagles have scored 36 fourth-quarter points.
