CHERRY TWP - Playing fullback is the ideal offensive position on a football field as far as Matt Schandelmeier is concerned.

"I can bust through and hit a linebacker whether I'm carrying the ball or not," he said. "I like to hit people."

The Moniteau junior does plenty of it.

At 6-foot-3, 205 pounds, Schandelmeier is the Warriors' featured runner at fullback during an era in which the tailback gets the carries at any level of football.

Schandelmeier has 29 carries for 184 yards and four touchdowns in Moniteau's first two games. Adam Cousins is second on the team's rushing list with 65 yards, Matt Pry is second in carries with 12 and the Warriors have scored just one other rushing touchdown.

"He loves to block as much as run the ball," Moniteau coach Steve Wilson said of Schandelmeier. "He's a special kid, the kind of athlete a coach dreams about.

"He's not an ego player. He's always been very coachable and he always delivers a big hit on the middle linebacker."

Whether he has the ball or not.

"Matt is quick enough to run around defenders," Wilson said. "He'd rather run through them."

Schandelmeier is used to winning, too. He played tight end-linebacker in seventh grade for his undefeated junior high team. He played halfback-linebacker - current Moniteau quarterback Garth Kohlmeyer was the fullback - in eighth grade for his unbeaten junior high team.

The junior varsity lost one game in 2002 with Schandelmeier on the squad. He started at fullback and defensive tackle as a sophomore - leading the varsity with 10 quarterback sacks - on last year's varsity team that finished 6-4.

It was Moniteau's first winning varsity season since 1986. Now this year's Warrior varsity is trying to go 3-0 for the first time since 1960.

"Matt was a good halfback. He just physically grew out of the position," Wilson said.

He still runs a 4.8 in the 40-yard dash and Wilson said he has "deceptive speed."

The Warriors moved him to defensive end this year and Schandelmeier responded with four sacks against A-C Valley last week.

"We had an all-conference defensive end in Rob Flick last year and we wanted to get Matt on the field," Moniteau defensive coordinator Jeff Campbell said of playing him at tackle last year. "Now he's out at defensive end and we changed our scheme so he has no outside containment responsibility.

"Matt can just get after people. That's what he likes to do and he's very good at it."

Campbell said Schandelmeier jammed the tight end, then took on two lead-blocking guards on the same play against A-C Valley.

"He just blew the play up all by himself," Campbell said. "He does that a lot."

Schandelmeier has very definitive goals this year.

"I want to rush for more than 1,000 yards and exceed my 10 sacks from last year," he said. "I want to be an impact player."

Wilson likes the sound of both.

"Matt has the work ethic," the coach said. "He bench-presses 300 pounds and dead-lifts 465. He's such a strong kid."

Schandelmeier patterns his running style after Duce Staley - and not because the latter plays for the Steelers.

"I've always liked his running style," Schandelmeier said. "He's a powerful guy who likes to hit people."

Few defenders like to hit Schandelmeier, however.

"When Matt breaks through the line, defensive backs and safeties want no part of him," Campbell said. "They dive at his ankles and do what they can to avoid contact."

Wilson plans to take advantage of his big fullback as the season goes on.

"He tends to wear people down," Wilson said. "As the year goes on, we'll lean on him more and more."

Schandelmeier has no problem with that.

"The more defenses have to pinch in and try to stop me, the more our passing game will open up," he said. "Our offense has plenty of weapons.

"Garth moving to quarterback, me moving to fullback … it's worked out for everybody."