Moniteau football, led by RB Brendin Sankey and big defensive plays, dominates Bucktail for 2nd win
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Moniteau defeated Bucktail 35-0 in a football game Friday, Sept. 5, 2025, at Moniteau High School. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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Moniteau defeated Bucktail 35-0 in a football game Friday, Sept. 5, 2025, at Moniteau High School. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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Moniteau defeated Bucktail 35-0 in a football game Friday, Sept. 5, 2025, at Moniteau High School. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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Moniteau defeated Bucktail 35-0 in a football game Friday, Sept. 5, 2025, at Moniteau High School. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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Moniteau defeated Bucktail 35-0 in a football game Friday, Sept. 5, 2025, at Moniteau High School. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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Moniteau defeated Bucktail 35-0 in a football game Friday, Sept. 5, 2025, at Moniteau High School. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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Moniteau’s Brendin Sankey (9) celebrates after sacking Bucktail’s quarterback in a football game Friday, Sept. 5, 2025, at Moniteau High School. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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Moniteau’s Brendin Sankey (9) and Braden Beachem celebrate after Sankey sacked Bucktail’s quarterback in a football game Friday, Sept. 5, 2025, at Moniteau High School. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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Moniteau’s Brendin Sankey (9) runs through Bucktail’s defense in a football game Friday, Sept. 5, 2025, at Moniteau High School. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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Moniteau defeated Bucktail 35-0 in a football game Friday, Sept. 5, 2025, at Moniteau High School. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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Moniteau defeated Bucktail 35-0 in a football game Friday, Sept. 5, 2025, at Moniteau High School. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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Moniteau defeated Bucktail 35-0 in a football game Friday, Sept. 5, 2025, at Moniteau High School. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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Moniteau defeated Bucktail 35-0 in a football game Friday, Sept. 5, 2025, at Moniteau High School. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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Moniteau’s Weston Cook (20) throws a pass in a football game Friday, Sept. 5, 2025, at Moniteau High School. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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Moniteau defeated Bucktail 35-0 in a football game Friday, Sept. 5, 2025, at Moniteau High School. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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Moniteau defeated Bucktail 35-0 in a football game Friday, Sept. 5, 2025, at Moniteau High School. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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Moniteau defeated Bucktail 35-0 in a football game Friday, Sept. 5, 2025, at Moniteau High School. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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Moniteau defeated Bucktail 35-0 in a football game Friday, Sept. 5, 2025, at Moniteau High School. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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Moniteau defeated Bucktail 35-0 in a football game Friday, Sept. 5, 2025, at Moniteau High School. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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Moniteau defeated Bucktail 35-0 in a football game Friday, Sept. 5, 2025, at Moniteau High School. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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Moniteau’s Brendin Sankey (9) celebrates with his teammates after scoring a touchdown in a football game Friday, Sept. 5, 2025, at Moniteau High School. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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Moniteau defeated Bucktail 35-0 in a football game Friday, Sept. 5, 2025, at Moniteau High School. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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Moniteau defeated Bucktail 35-0 in a football game Friday, Sept. 5, 2025, at Moniteau High School. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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Moniteau defeated Bucktail 35-0 in a football game Friday, Sept. 5, 2025, at Moniteau High School. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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Moniteau defeated Bucktail 35-0 in a football game Friday, Sept. 5, 2025, at Moniteau High School. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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Moniteau defeated Bucktail 35-0 in a football game Friday, Sept. 5, 2025, at Moniteau High School. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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Moniteau defeated Bucktail 35-0 in a football game Friday, Sept. 5, 2025, at Moniteau High School. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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Moniteau defeated Bucktail 35-0 in a football game Friday, Sept. 5, 2025, at Moniteau High School. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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Moniteau defeated Bucktail 35-0 in a football game Friday, Sept. 5, 2025, at Moniteau High School. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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Moniteau defeated Bucktail 35-0 in a football game Friday, Sept. 5, 2025, at Moniteau High School. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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Moniteau’s Braden Beachem (75) works to hold off Bucktail’s defense in a football game Friday, Sept. 5, 2025, at Moniteau High School. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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Moniteau defeated Bucktail 35-0 in a football game Friday, Sept. 5, 2025, at Moniteau High School. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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Moniteau defeated Bucktail 35-0 in a football game Friday, Sept. 5, 2025, at Moniteau High School. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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Moniteau's Jeremiah Donaldson (62) is patted on the head in celebration by Brendin Sankey after scoring against Bucktail in a football game Friday, Sept. 5, 2025, at Moniteau High School. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
CHERRY TWP — Brendin Sankey was a threat in all three phases for Moniteau football, as it vanquished Bucktail 35-0 Friday night at Moniteau’s Luciano Plesakov Stadium.
The senior running back and linebacker did just about everything except direct the band at halftime. Along with over 150 rushing yards, a long punt return and a flurry of disruptive plays in Bucktail’s backfield, Sankey pulled in the only interception of the game and recovered a fumble.
Moniteau improved to 2-1 with the win; both victories have come by shutout.
“All I focus on is competing,” Sankey said. “We know we’ve had a rough couple of years. We want to be the groundwork of getting this program up and running, so I’m really focused on doing my part to help my team out the best way I can.”
“Kid is a true gamer,” Moniteau head coach Clay Kohlmeyer said. “I knew he was going to be like that this year, and it’s great. It helps, and he picks the whole team up by doing that.”
It took until less than five minutes remaining in the first half to see the first points of the game.
Moniteau capitalized on a pair of Bucktail penalties that landed the ball on the Buck’s 1-yard line. Levi Lacava brought down Bucktail’s ball carrier in the end zone to record a safety and open a scoring stretch for the Warriors.
Ian Ross returned the following free kick right back to Bucktail’s 1-yard line before Aidan Shakely ran it into the end zone on the next play, opening up an 8-0 Moniteau lead with 4:16 remaining in the second quarter.
Sankey started the following defensive drive with a sack. A trio on penalties set Bucktail even further back before the snap on its punt attempt sailed over the punter’s head. Kanye Scott eventually recovered the ball and ran it the last few yards into the end zone.
A fumble recovered by the Warriors’ Braden Beachum on the Buck’s next drive put Moniteau right back in advantageous field position, where Sankey immediately scored a 9-yard rushing touchdown.
In under three minutes of game time, the Warriors transformed a scoreless tie into a 22-0 game.
After a slow start in the passing game by Moniteau, it took advantage of a big punt return by Sankey just after the outset of the fourth quarter. Wide receiver Blaine Jamison hauled in a strong throw from Weston Cook for a 30-yard score on the second play of the drive.
“We knew we could run, we wanted to start working on our pass game trying to get them ready for next week and put some stuff on film. It didn’t work out so well in the first half. (Cook) made a nice ball there in the fourth quarter,” Kohlmeyer said. “We looked better at the end.”
Not to be outdone, Sankey rumbled for a 47-yard gain on Moniteau’s next possession, setting up a 1-yard ground score by lineman Jeremiah Donaldson, which rounded out the Warriors’ 35-point total for the night.
“My coach has been working with me on cutting and just using my eyes, and the holes just opened up and I took the opportunity,” said Sankey, a converted quarterback.
Moniteau’s defense deserved praise for returning to the right side of the scoreboard to start this season.
“That’s two shutouts this year at home, so the defense is really helping our team out and boosting us up,” Kohlmeyer said. “Sometimes our offense is sputtering, and that really picks us up.”
“We still got some work on offense to do a little bit,” Sankey said. “We got off to a slow start. I think we should’ve scored a lot more points, but our defense, I think we played outstanding.”
The game was delayed heading into halftime when Bucktail’s Samuel Mansfield was taken off the field on a stretcher and removed from the stadium in an ambulance.
Bucktail 0 0 0 0 — 0
Moniteau 0 22 0 13 — 35
Second quarter
M — Safety, Bucktail tackled in end zone
M — Aidan Shakley, 1-yard run (pass failed)
M — Kayne Scott, 8-yard return of fumbled punt snap (Aiden Kern kick)
M — Brendin Sankey, 13-yard run (Kern kick)
Fourth quarter
M — Blaine Jamison, 30-yard pass from Weston Cook (Kern kick)
M — Jeremiah Donaldson, 1-yard run (kick blocked)
Individual Statistics
Rushing: Moniteau, Sankey 11-151, Shakley 5-59, Ben Prengaman 1-2, Landon Czepiel 1-3, Donaldson 1-1. Bucktail, Jaden Intallura 6-3, Levi Stevenson 4-2, Corbin Pentz 10-(-17), Stephen Heiser 2-4, Teagan Stone 1-1.
Receiving: Moniteau, Jamison 1-30, Sankey 1-23. Bucktail, Stone 2-62, Intallura 1-9, Aidan Ditty 1-5.
Passing: Moniteau, Cook 2-12-53. Bucktail, Pentz 4-7-76-1
