CHERRY TWP — The coaches knew it. So did the players. Even the water boys knew it.

Moniteau's 2007 season was done in by sputtering starts.

The Warriors were the perfect study in duplicity: uneven first halves followed by stunning second halves.

Moniteau was outscored 191-40 in its six losses. In three of those games, a prodigious second-half surge nearly secured a victory.

"I felt like we were at our best when we just went out there and let it rip," said second-year head football coach Jeff Campbell.

Moniteau did that in its first playoff game againstBrookville in a 38-12 rout.

The Warriors lost the following week to Karns City to finish 6-6.

With 17 seniors and 25 juniors on the roster, the Warriors are looking for much better results — in both halves — this season.

It's been unspoken, but they're all the same in camp this summer: Better starts are a must.

"Oh, it's huge to get off to a fast start," said senior quarterback Tyler Armagost, who threw for more than 2,000 yards in 2007. "We can't try to come from 20 points behind again all season.

"I have to be a better leader and get these guys ready to play."

Armagost did pretty much everything else for the Warriors last season.

Because of a rash of injuries in the backfield, Campbell had to go with a spread offense almost out of necessity. Armagost threw 282 passes and rushed another 116 times.

The backfield is healthy again — and as deep as it's ever been.

Campbell will run some of the spread offense he used last season, but he will mix in some of the more traditional, smash-mouth sets like the power-I.

The misconception last season was that Moniteau was a pass-happy team. In fact, the Warriors had one of the more balanced attacks with about a 50-50 split in passes and runs.

James Shope rushed for more than 1,000 yards as a sophomore, although his production sharply declined toward the end of the season.

Still, he gives Moniteau a legitimate running threat.

And expect a little more running this season, Campbell said.

"We're going to run a lot of misdirection, play-action passes," Campbell said.

That's fine withArmagost, who found himself covered in ice at the end of most games last season.

"We have a bunch of guys with different running styles," Armagost said. "I think it's going to work out well with me getting under center. It's really going to help out in the red zone."

That's all possible because Dakota Campbell and Ricky Best are back. So are Mitch Czech and 6-foot-6 Jeremy McFadden. All missed at least some time due to injuries.

Best tore his ACL and is still wearing a brace, but figures to be 100 percent when the season starts.

Because of all the injuries last season, many underclassmen saw significant amount of playing time. That has left Campbell's coaching staff with a welcome dilemma at this year's camp: how to get everyone enough reps.

"We got a ton of kids a lot of experience last year," Campbell said. "Usually, you have your ones and then you have a drop off between your ones and twos and then a drastic drop off between your twos and threes. This year, honestly, we have some positions where there is little difference between our ones and threes. That's a very nice problem to have."

The group is also football smart. Campbell finds his voice much fresher by the end of practice.

One of his former players, Justin Costello, came to practice during the first week and wondered if he had missed the session. When he walked over the hill, he saw a full team on the field.

"He summed it up best," Campbell said. "He said, 'What? You aren't yelling? I thought you guys weren't practicing.' I don't have to yell at these guys. They know what to do."