WEST SUNBURY – Clarion’s defense held Moniteau to 73 total yards of offense on its way to 33-6 win Friday night at Moniteau.

"I thought our defense played very well," Clarion head coach Larry Wiser said. "Kyle (Cathcart) has been all over the field the last two weeks, and Greg Larson is paying very solid as well at defensive end."

The Bobcats (5-2 overall, 4-2 KSAC) got three touchdowns from Ben Bevevino and two more from Cathcart and built a 21-0 halftime lead over Moniteau (3-4, 3-4). Clarion then extended its lead to 33-0 before Moniteau scored a late special team’s touchdown to account for its lone points. The Bobcats racked up 332 yards on offense including 203 on the ground.

"I thought we played very well on both offense and defense," Wiser said. "We didn’t allow them to score an offensive touchdown, and it is now two weeks in a row that we have mixed throwing and running the football very well and getting the ball into a lot of different people’s hands. I was pretty pleased with our resolve and effort."

The Bobcats got the scoring started in the first quarter when Cathcart scored his first touchdown on a 17-yard run. Jon Byers’ extra point gave the Bobcats a 7-0 lead with 5:26 left in the quarter.

The game remained at 7-0 Clarion until the 9:44 mark of the second quarter when Bevevino intercepted a Heath Schreffler pass and returned it 19 yards for a touchdown. It was his second interception return for a score this season. The extra point was no good, but Clarion led 13-0.

"Moving Ben to cornerback was one of the better moves I have made this season," Wiser said. "He has performed outstanding. He has really come up well on run support as well as covering well. He not only has created turnovers, but several times he has made some big tackles."

The Bobcats struck again a few minutes later when Bevevino hit B.J. Roth with a 35-yard scoring strike. Bevevino then hit Caleb Kifer with the two-point conversion pass giving the Bobcats a 21-0 lead with 3:56 left in the half.

Clarion held the 21-0 lead until just less than five minutes were left in the third quarter.

At that point Cathcart scored his second touchdown of the game on a 4-yard run. The extra point was no good but Clarion lead 27-0.

The Bobcats upped the lead to 33-0 on a fluky play with 9:36 left in the game. Bevevino attempted a play-action pass but the pass was deflected by a Moniteau defender. Bevevino, though, alertly caught the deflection and ran it 15 yards to pay dirt giving himself a rare touchdown pass and catch on the same play.

"We were trying to come out with a play-action pass, and Ben got chased out of the pocket and tried to push the ball into (a receiver)," Wiser said. "The ball was batted back into his hands and he caught the ball and took it into the end zone."

Following the strange play, Moniteau got its lone touchdown of the game on the ensuing kickoff when Pat Rumbaugh took the kick 84 yards for a touchdown. The run attempt failed and Clarion had the 33-6 win.

Cathcart led the Clarion offense with 21 carries for 146 yards and two touchdowns with many of the yards coming off option tosses from Bevevino. The Warriors shut down Bevevino running the ball on the option, but he was able to get it out to his backs for a lot of big plays.

"We ran the ball well on the option," Wiser said. "They took the ball out of Ben’s hands, but he made some very good decision on the pitches."

Wiser was also pleased with the way Cathcart has played the past two weeks after he was bothered by an ankle injury during the middle of the season.

"Kyle has been very physical the last two ball games," Wiser said. "He is really back in his form. You can see it on both offense and defense."

First quarter

C – Kyle Cathcart 17 run (Jon Byers kick) 5:26

Second quarter

C – Ben Bevevino 19 interception return (Kick failed) 9:44

C – B.J. Roth 35 pass from Bevevino (Caleb Kifer pass from Bevevino) 3:56

Third quarter

C – Cathcart 4 run (kick failed) 4:12

Fourth quarter

C – Bevevino 15 pass from Bevevino (Byers kick) 9:36

M – Pat Rumbaugh 84 kickoff return (Run failed) 9:23

Individual Stats

Rushing: Clarion – Kyle Cathcart 21-146, 2 TD, Matt Watterson 4-52, Dave Larson 3-12, Caleb Kifer 6-33, Dustin Shaffer 1-0, Ryan Finotti 1-(-10), Ben Bevevino 3-(-30). Moniteau – Ryan Jackson 13-40, Greg Keppel 1-10, Josh Warburton 3-(-3), Ryan Rumbaugh 6-(-6), Heath Schreffler 9-(-13), Vittorio DeBacco 1-(-13).

Passing: Clarion – Ben Bevevino 7-for-13, 129 yds, 2 TD, Andy Craig 0-for-2. Moniteau: Heath Schreffler 3-for-6, 35 yds, 1 INT, Clay Kohlmeyer 1-for-2, 23 yds.

Receiving: Clarion – B.J. Roth 4-92, 1 TD, Ben Bevevino 1-15, 1 TD, Nate Cyphert 1-14, Joel McNeil 1-8. Moniteau – Pat Rumbaugh 2-41, Ryan Rumbaugh 2-17.

Interception: Clarion – Ben Bevevino 1, 1 TD.