CLARION 20, MONITEAU 19

Oct. 26, 2007

By Chris Rossetti

WEST SUNBURY – Clarion is very much alive and kicking in the District 9 Class A playoff race thanks to a 20-19 win at Moniteau Friday night and Otto-Eldred’s victory over Ridgway.

The Bobcats (4-5 overall, 4-3 KSAC) need to win at Brookville Friday night to qualify for their fourth straight playoff berth.

“I am not even thinking about the playoffs,” Clarion head coach Larry Wiser said. “I’m just happy we are playing better football. I thought coming out of Karns City (a 31-7 loss) this team could have folded. These are great kids. I’m very proud of them.”

Clarion built a 20-0 halftime lead and then had to hang on for dear life to get the victory.

The game wasn’t decided until the final minute when Clarion’s defense had to come up with two big plays to win the game.

The first game with 36 seconds left when Ryan Smith intercepted a Tyler Armagost pass at the 3-yard line after Moniteau had driven from its own 28 to the Clarion 17. Kevin Grejda helped make the play with his pressure on Armagost.

Then, after Moniteau forced a Clarion punt with 19 seconds left – the Warriors had all three time-outs remaining following the interception – it got the ball back at the Clarion 43 and time for one play.

That play was a pass to James Shope around the 28-yard line, and Shope was able to dash and dart his way to the 11-yard before Clarion tackled him at the horn.

For Moniteau it was another case of a slow start, fast finish, and more the third week in a row the finish wasn’t quite good enough for a win.

“I don’t have any explanation as to why we have the slow starts and fast finishes, none what so ever,” Moniteau head coach Jeff Campbell said. “I have no idea, and if anybody who watched the game has an idea, tell them to phone it in. The last four games have been like this.”

Clarion led 14-0 at the end of the first quarter thanks to two big plays.

Jarrod Carpin opened the scoring when he picked up a loose ball after a bad punt snap at the Moniteau 35 and returned it for a touchdown.

Then, on the last play of the first quarter, Adam Bevevino hit Ryan Smith with a perfectly placed bomb that went 51 yards for a touchdown.

The Bobcats, which lost two fumbles inside the Moniteau 20 in the first half, made it 20-0 at halftime on a 2-yard boot leg run by Bevevino with 28 seconds left in the first half.

But Moniteau roared back in the second half scoring on 1-yard scoring pass from Armagost to Loos and a 34-yard touchdown run by Shope closed the gap to 20-13 before the end of the third quarter.

Clarion actually looked like it had answered Moniteau’s first score when Smith returned the ensuing kickoff 89 yards for a touchdown. But the score was called back because of a late holding flag.

Early in the fourth quarter Loos brought the unusually small crowd to its feet when he returned a Jon Kemmer punt 83 yards for a touchdown with 10:04 left in the game. Dakota Campbell’s extra point, however, skidded into the mud leaving Clarion with the 1-point lead.

Moniteau had two great chances to take the lead after Clarion miscues.

First, Bevevino was intercepted by Loos at the Moniteau 38-yard line, and then, after the Bobcats defense held on three straight plays, Cody Renninger muffed an Armagost punt at the Clarion 34-yard line. Moniteau’s Justin Ellenberger recovered right there giving the Warriors a golden opportunity.

Moniteau was able to move the ball to the Clarion 6-yard line, but the drive went no farther thanks to three incomplete passes. Warrior head coach Jeff Campbell then decided to send Loos out for a 21-yard field goal attempt that turned into a 27-yard try after Moniteau was called for a false start. Loos got the kick off put it landed in the middle of the end zone.

“I watched him boot field goal after field goal in warm-ups,” Campbell said. “From 25 yards out, he was just nailing them.”

The Warriors had one last real chance when they took over at their own 28 with 2:17 to play.

Facing a third-and-10 from there, Armagost got loose on a scramble for 21 yards to about midfield. Three completed passes later, and the Warriors had first-and-10 from the Clarion 17 before Smith’s interception.

Kemmer led Clarion with 33 carries for 143 yards, while Armagost was 13-for-36 passing for 182 yards, a touchdown and an interception for Moniteau. He was 11-for-21 for 174 yards in the second half after going 2-for-15 for eight yards in the first half.

CLARION 20, MONITEAU 19

Score by Quarter

Clarion 14 6 0 0 – 20

Moniteau 0 0 13 6 – 19

Scoring Summary

First Quarter

C – Jarrod Carpin 35 fumble return (Jon Kemmer kick), 10:21

C – Ryan Smith 51 pass from Adam Bevevino (Kemmer kick), 0:00

Second Quarter

C – Bevevino 2 run (Kick blocked), 0:28

Third Quarter

M – Josh Loos 1 pass from Tyler Armagost (Dakota Campbell kick), 3:31

M – James Shope 34 run (Kick failed), 0:52

Fourth Quarter

M – Loos 83 punt return (Kick failed), 10:04

       C         M

First Downs            10        12

Rushes-Yards         47-162 21-87

Passing Yards         61        182

Passing: Comp-Att-Int       2-5-1    13-36-1

Total Yardages       223      269

Fumbles-Lost         5-3       1-1

Penalties-Yards      5-30     7-41

Punts-Avg. 5-33.2  5-27.8

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

Rushing – Clarion: Jon Kemmer 33-143, Kevin Grejda 7-20, Bubba Rue 2-1, Adam Bevevino 4-0, Team 1-minus 2. Moniteau: James Shope 6-59, Dakota Campbell 11-29, Tyler Armagost 3-9, Team 1-minus 10.

Passing – Clarion: Bevevino 2-for-5, 61 yards, 1 touchdown, 1 interception. Moniteau: Armagost 13-for-36, 182 yards, 1 touchdown, 1 interception.

Receiving – Clarion: Ryan Smith 1-51, Kevin Grejda 1-10. Moniteau: Campbell 4-44, Loos 4-43, Clayton Casper 2-37, John McFadden 1-21, Mitch Czech 1-5, James Shope 1-32.

Interceptions – Clarion: Ryan Smith. Moniteau: Josh Loos.