CHERRY TWP— Butler County football fans are only now getting introduced to James Shope.

But Moniteau coach Jeff Campbell has known about him for a while.

Shope, a sophomore running back who has received ample varsity time because of injuries, has rushed for 536 yards and eight touchdowns over the past three weeks — all Warriors victories.

"I'm not stupid and I'm not surprised,"Campbell said. "I could tell this kid was going to be a special runner the first time I saw him in practice.

"No. 1, he's the fastest kid on the team. And the way he can cut while running with the ball — you can't teach that."

But Shope began the season third on the depth chart and without an overwhelming resume coming out of junior high and freshman football.

"I wasn't even expecting to play varsity this year,"he admitted. "I was hoping to get some action on special teams, maybe."

Instead, he's a two-way starter. The two running backs in front of him — Ricky Best and Clayton Drnek — went down with a knee injuryand a high ankle sprain, respectively.

Now Shope, also a starting cornerback, has become the Warriors' prime ball carrier. After rushing for 150 and 181 yards against winless opponents A-CValley and Union, he ran 28 times for 205 yards and two TDs in a critical Keystone Shortway Athletic Conference game against Keystone last week.

That's a lot of carries to put on a 5-foot-9, 160-pound frame.

"He handled it fine,"Campbell said. "James is one of those kids who is hard to get down. He fights for that extra yard or two all the time."

Numerous injuries on both sides of the ball have forced Moniteau to shift its personnel all over the field. Left tackle David Glenn broke his arm, forcing tight end Aaron Randall to slide into his spot.

Left guard Beau Eshenbaugh tore tendons in a foot, forcing fullback Zane Slater to move to that position. Despite those injuries, Shope continues to find room to run.

"Our line has dealt with injuries and those guys keep doing the job,"Shope said. "Without the initial hole to run through, nothing can happen."

With the initial hole to run through, plenty happens.

Shope has gotten loose for numerous long runs, including touchdown efforts of 59, 54, 23 and 18 yards twice.

"Our theory in running the football here is that the first three yards are up to the offensive line," Campbell said. "The next three yards are up to the running back. Any additional yards are up to the receivers blocking downfield.

"A lot of high school teams don't get blocking from their receivers downfield. Guys like Clay Casper and Mitch Czech do a great job in that area for us.

"The way James Shope cuts and changes direction downfield, our receivers never give up on a play. They know he could suddenly be headed in their direction,"the coach added.

Shope had a couple of 100-yard games for Moniteau's freshman team last year. In junior high, he played more fullback than running back.

"I wasn't very big, but I was bigger than our other running back, so that's where they put me,"he said of playing fullback "I'll play anywhere, just as long as I'm playing."

It's doubtful Shope needs to worry about relinquishing playing time anytime soon.

"Had no one gotten hurt, he was gonna climb the ladder anyway,"Campbell said. "James has that kind of talent. Because of the injuries, it just came out a little sooner than expected."