MONITEAU 34, REDBANK VALLEY 14

Oct. 24, 2008

WEST SUNBURY – James Shope's four touchdown runs paved the way for Moniteau's first-ever outright KSAC championship, as the Warriors took care of Redbank Valley 34-14 Friday night at Moniteau High School.

“I can't put this into words,” said Shope.  “I’ve never been part of an undefeated team in any sport. It's just an unbelievable feeling right now.”

Moniteau (9-0 overall, 9-0 KSAC) was swarming on defense forcing seven Bulldog turnovers while yielding just 144 yards of total offense.

“We felt to beat them that we had to stop the run, we had to stop Bladel,” said Moniteau head coach Jeff Campbell. “I think the defense played pretty well tonight.”

Trailing 14-0 at halftime, Redbank (7-2, 7-2) was quickly able to cut the deficit in half.  The Bulldogs needed just five plays to score, as quarterback Shiloh Buchleitner capped the drive with a 1-yard touchdown run to make it 14-7 early in the third quarter.

The momentum was short-lived, however.  After the teams exchanged three-and-outs, Shope and the Moniteau offense went back to work.  Starting at their own 46-yard line, the Warriors quickly moved the ball down the field, and Shope was able to find the end zone for the third time in the game from five yards out to make it 21-7.

“James has really hit his stride right now,” Campbell said.

After back-to-back punts, Redbank Valley got the ball at its own 20-yard line late in the third quarter. 

Shope, showing that he is more than just an offensive star, promptly intercepted Buchleitner on the first play of the drive to set up the Warriors with excellent field position at the Redbank 23-yard line.

Shope then proceeded to account for all 23 yards on the ensuing offensive possession scoring on a 9-yard run just three plays later giving him four touchdowns on the night and his team a 27-7 lead.

The Bulldogs tried to mount a comeback, as they followed with a 9-play, 68-yard drive that ended with running back Alex Bladel finding Jerrett Magagnotti on a 4-yard touchdown off the halfback pass to cut the lead to 27-14.

After forcing a punt, the Bulldogs got the ball back at their own 7-yard line with 3:37 left in the game.  The Moniteau defense snuffed out any hope Redbank had of coming back as Zach Wheeler intercepted Buchleitner's pass on the second play of the drive.

Justin Sanderson put the game away scoring on an 8-yard touchdown run two plays later to put Moniteau up 34-14.

“You hope as a coach that your team peaks at the right time, and I don't know that this team has peaked yet,” said Campbell.  “You want your team to peak in the playoffs and I think we're almost there.”

After the teams traded punts to start the game, Moniteau was able to get things going offensively.  Quarterback Tyler Armagost hit Tony Campbell for a 33-yard completion, and Shope was able to finish the drive two plays later, breaking loose on a 21-yard run to put the Warriors up 7-0 late in the first quarter.

Moniteau’s second scoring drive of the half was set up when Austin Hogsett intercepted Buchleitner, the first of four interceptions thrown on the night, giving Moniteau the ball at its own 48.  The Warriors quickly moved the ball down the field, and Shope finished off the drive with a 1-yard plunge to put the Warriors up 14-0.

Shope was clearly the star on this night carrying the ball 21 times for 200 yards and four touchdowns and also added an interception on defense.  Armagost was solid completing 7 of 14 passes for 123 yards.

A week after setting the school career touchdown record and running for 200 yards vs. A-C Valley, Bladel was limited to 31 yards on 12 carries. It was a night to forget for Buchleitner, as the junior quarterback completed just 5 of 15 passes for 83 yards and four interceptions.

“That's a good football team we just beat by 20 points,” Campbell said.  “I just told the kids that I really honestly believe that we can go as far as they want to play.”

Moniteau will travel to Riverside Thursday for a non-league game before heading into the playoffs, while Redbank will have a week off before it heads into the playoffs.

SCORE BY QUARTERS

MONITEAU                        7        7        7        13

REDBANK VALLEY         0        0        7        7

SCORING SUMMARY

First Quarter

M-  James Shope 21 run (Miller kick) 1:10

Second Quarter

M- Shope 1 run (Miller kick) 7:01

Third Quarter

RV-  Buchleitner 1 run (Bain kick) 10:11

M-  Shope 5 run (Miller kick), 3:35

Fourth Quarter

M- Shope 9 run (PAT failed), 11:49

RV- Magagnotti 4 pass from Bladel (Bain kick), 7:45

M-  Justin Sanderson 8 run (Miller kick), 2:38

TEAM STATISTICS

                                M                            RV

First Downs            17                            9

Rushes-Yards        45-214                    27-57

Passing Yards        123                         87

Comp-Att-Int        7-14-0                    7-19-4

Total Yards            337                        144

Penalties-Yards     7-66                        2-10

Fumbles-Lost        0-0                          5-3

Punts-Avg.            4-31.0                    5-32.0

Individual Statistics

Rushing: Moniteau:  James Shope 21-200, Justin Sanderson 9-54, Tyler Armagost 14-minus 40.  Redbank Valley:  Alex Bladel 12-31, Shiloh Buchleitner 11-6, Kasey Haines 3-21, Pat Goheen 1-minus 1.

Passing:  Moniteau:  Tyler Armagost 7 of 14, 123 yards.  Redbank Valley: Shiloh Buchleitner 5 of 15, 83 yards,  4 interceptions. Alex Bladel 1 of 1, 4 yards, 1 touchdown. Brandon Bain 1 of 3, 0 yards.

Receiving:  Moniteau:  Tony Campbell 3-58, Clayton Casper 2-52, James Shope 2-13.  Redbank Valley:  Bruce McDaniel 2-33, Kasey Haines 1-0, Pat Goheen 2-31, Jerrett Magagnotti 1-4.

Interceptions:  Moniteau: James Shope 1, Austin Hogsett 1, Victor Santoyo 1, Zach Wheeler 1.