Moniteau’s bantam football team put together a perfect 8-0 season this year, the program’s first unbeaten season in more than 25 years. The Warriors finished 1-7 the previous season. Playerrs include, from left, front row, Reed Stark, AJ Kaiser, Beck Larimore, Clark McNeish, Liam McLean, Barret Funfer, Noah Fielding, Rand Grossman, Liam Anthony and Kameron Clark; back row, Wyatt McCall, Bentley Leonard, Bradley McNany, Hoyt Wright, Asher Whittington, Graham Larimore, Tyson Grossman, Keagan McNany, Ethan Brewer, Evan Brewer, Logan Stalker, Brentley Kepple, Ty Kohlmeyer, Aiden Overly, Zackary Fend and Kolten Cress. Submitted Photo

CHERRY TWP — If building a high school football program truly is from the ground up, Moniteau has plenty to be excited about.

The Warriors’ age 7-8 bantam team — competing in the ABC Youth Football League — recently completed an 8-0 season, the program’s first perfect season in at least 25 years.

“I’ve heard that 1996 may be the last (undefeated) year, but it may go back farther than that,” Moniteau bantam head coach Chad Funfer said. “Nobody seems to know for sure.”

One thing is certain: Nobody touched this team this fall.

Moniteau outscored its opponents 194-30. The Warriors posted four shutouts and allowed more than six points only once — in a 34-12 win over East Brady. That was East Brady’s only loss of the season. Moniteau defeated Armstrong, 18-6, handing the latter its lone loss of the campaign as well.

Making this season most impressive is the fact Moniteau’s bantams were 1-7 in 2021 and has 14 players from that team in this year’s team as 8-year-olds.

“We do have a first-year player on the team in Clark McNeish and he’s probably the fastest player in the league,” Funfer said. “Our quarterback, Liam McLean, may be the second fastest.

“Get the ball in those kids’ hands and let them go.”

Clay Kohlmeyer, a 2004 Moniteau graduate, is a former high school quarterback for the Warriors. He is one of five assistant coaches on the Moniteau bantam staff, joining Callen Funfer, Karns City graduate Andrew Larimore, Todd McLean and Nick Denniston.

“Fast kids dominate at this level,” Kohlmeyer said. “Our speed was a big part of our success. But we also started a flag football program last year and that got a lot more kids involved with football. That spilled over to this year.”

Moniteau’s bantam roster had 26 kids, making it the most heavily populated squad in the ABC League. East Brady, by comparison, had 11 players.

“Our kids, despite the young age, really know and understand football,” Kohlmeyer said. “They know how important it is to stay at home and man your position. They read players very well.”

Moniteau shut out Union, Grove City, Karns City and Slippery Rock this season.

Funfer said linebacker-fullback Tyler Rossman was “a major contributor on both sides of the ball” and described Ethan and Evan Brewer as “anchors on our defensive line.”

He added that the biggest reason for the team’s turnaround was the team itself.

“This was a good year because we had a great group of supportive parents and a bunch of kids with great work effort,” Funfer said. “We had quality practices all the time. A number of these kids will be moving up to the junior (ages 9-10) level next year and I’ll move up with them.”

Kohlmeyer will coach next year as well, but is unsure of what level.

“I’ll go wherever they need me to go,” he said of the Moniteau youth football organization. “I enjoy working with these kids.”