CHERRY TWP — The moratorium is over. The Moniteau football team can talk about Karns City.

Banned from even thinking about the Gremlins for weeks leading up to Friday night's big matchup, the gag order was lifted Monday.

"The kids said (Monday), 'Finally, we are allowed to talk about Karns City,'" said Moniteau coach Jeff Campbell.

But Campbell isn't buying into the hype machine that started revving weeks ago and is sure to combust long before the 7 p.m. kickoff at Karns City.

"This football game is not the District 9 championship game. It's a regular season game," Campbell said. "Regardless of the hoopla, we have to go out and play a football game."

A Moniteau-Karns City game always whips the fans into a froth.

But this one is a little different. There is a lot riding on the outcome for both teams.

For Moniteau (7-0), a win would be a giant step toward winning the first Keystone Shortway Athletic Conference title in school history.

For Karns City (7-0), a win would extend its 27-game KSAC regular season winning streak.

While the Gremlins are used to being undefeated this late in a season, the Warriors are not.

The 7-0 start is the first for Moniteau since 1959. The Warriors have won seven games only two times since the birth of the program in 1957.

The seeds of Moniteau's success this season were sowed four years ago.

As freshmen, the 17 seniors on the Warriors roster played a killer schedule, squaring off against freshman teams from Quad-A schools.

They took a beating, Campbell said, but it exposed them to what winning football looked like.

That has led to the biggest change of all for Moniteau: attitude.

That was evident when the Warriors fell behind Union 13-7 at halftime several weeks ago. Moniteau responded by scoring 35 unanswered points in the second half.

"They have a different attitude about football, period," Campbell said. "Anyone who does beat this team is going to earn it.

"We played a horrible first half against Union. Horrible," Campbell added. "We did everything possible to give that game away. But we responded. That's when you see the true character of a team. You don't see it when you are beating a team by 20 points. You see it when the chips are down."

The chips certainly have been down for the Warriors when playing Karns City recently.

Since beating the Gremlins in the 2005 playoffs, Moniteau has dropped four straight games to Karns City by an average score of 35-20.

The teams are evenly matched on paper. They are just as evenly matched on film, Campbell said.

"It's very, very scary watching game film and seeing all the similarities," Campbell said. "The similarities far outweigh the differences."

Because of that, there will be no secrets between these two teams Friday night.

Moniteau is particularly cognizant of what Karns City quarterback Anthony Stimac can do.

The senior quarterback is the catalyst of the Gremlins offense with 485 yards passing and nine touchdowns, as well as 463 yards rushing and six more scores.

When Campbell put together his weekly scouting report on the Gremlins, he wrote "The real deal" in bold type next to Stimac's name.

"Stimac is a wonderful kid and a true competitor," Campbell said. "If we are going to beat Karns City, the first thing we have to do is stop Stimac, if that is even possible."

Moniteau may have the attacking defense to do it.

With junior Jake Boy and senior Tyler Armagost, two aggressive, big and physical outside linebackers, the Warriors might be the one team capable of containing Stimac.

"This is by far the best defense I have ever coached," Campbell said.

Moniteau has its own threats on offense.

Armagost has thrown for 1,394 yards and 15 touchdowns this season. Running back James Shope has found his stride — and the ability to run between the tackles — rushing for 509 yards on 60 carries. Wideout Tony Campbell has shown his big-play ability all season, grabbing 26 passes for 663 yards and 10 touchdowns.

Those expecting an offensive show might be disappointed, Campbell said. The Moniteau coach believes points will be as hard to come by as seats.

"It's going to be a hard-hitting, physical game," Campbell said. "It's going to be like that 10-7 game (in 2005). This is going to be a war."