CHERRY TWP — Led by a relentless ground attack and a swarming and punishing defense, Moniteau trounced Punxsutawney in a 36-0 victory Friday night.

The Warriors dominated the Keystone Shortway Athletic Conference clash from start to finish on Senior Night, winning their third consecutive game.

The offense, thanks largely to tough running by Dustin Geagan, scored on six of nine possessions.

On the defensive side, with inspired play by linebacker Stephen Hagg, Moniteau held the Chucks to just four first downs.

“The kids play well,” said a cool and calm Warriors head coach Cecil Blauser on a chilly and frosty night. “We did what we wanted to do on both sides of the ball.

“I didn't think it would go quite like this. I thought it would be closer.”

Both teams seemed to play it close to the vest for the first half dozen minutes of the game, trading three punts.

But the Warriors mounted a quick touchdown drive to close out the opening quarter. The four-play drive, all runs, ended with Trevor Shaffer taking a toss over the left tackle.

Shaffer sprinted untouched for nearly all 45 yards, and the rout was on with 1:50 left in the first quarter.

On the team's next possession, Geagan reversed a toss sweep and turned another long run into a TD, this one 39 yards with 10:22 left in the second quarter.

“He showed good vision on that one,” Blauser noted.

That scamper and many more that would follow brought Geagan closer to the Warriors' career rushing record.

By the end of the first half, Moniteau (3-6) would cross the goal line two more times — a pair of TD passes from quarterback Cody Skiver to Hagg and Shaffer.

While the offense clicked on all cylinders, the defensive scheme — a sometimes seven-man front to take away the Chucks' run game — worked to near perfection.

Punxsutawney's Christian Falgout, one of the conference's leading rushers, was limited to 13 yards on eight carries in the first half. His second-half numbers weren't much better.

“That was our game plan, to stop him,” Blauser said of Falgout. “The kids knew what they had to do, they kept to their assignments, and did the job.”

The halftime break did nothing to affect Moniteau's momentum or turn the tide for Punxsutawney (3-6).

On its opening possession of the third quarter, the Warriors mounted an impressive 10-play drive that included eight runs and two passes.

Geagan capped off the nearly six-minute drive with a 4-yard run, brushing off would-be tacklers.

By the end of the night, Geagan would score once more, another tough 4-yard run.

“Dustin ran his heart out,” Blauser said. “He never quits on any play.”

Moniteau's defensive unit, meanwhile, gang-tackled all game, shadowed opposing receivers and made life uncomfortable if not unbearable for Punxsy quarterback Matt Burkett.

Symbolism of the D's effort this game came midway through the fourth quarter when Hagg and linebacker Josh McBride each sacked Burkett in back-to-back plays that killed a Chucks' drive and turned the ball over to Moniteau.

“Stephen is just an incredible player. He's the heart and soul of our team,” Blauser said of Hagg. “He has an engine that doesn't stop.”