Skiver

CHERRY TWP — Nestled in a valley near Moniteau High School and surrounded by state game lands and the Glade Dam Lake, the sound of smacking shoulder pads echoes.

On the practice field, the Warriors' football team runs through its offensive game plan for Friday night's game.

It's uncomplicated.

“We're coming at you,” says Moniteau senior quarterback Cody Skiver. “Stop us, or we're going to keep coming at you.”

Few have been able to stop the Warriors and their smash-mouth, I-formation, run-dominated attack this season.

Senior halfback Josh McBride leads the Butler County area in rushing with 632 yards on 50 carries in three games.

Skiver, a senior who wears uniform No. 21 — certainly a number more befitting of a running back than a quarterback — is second in the area in rushing with 399 yards on 47 attempts.

The 1-2 punch has been nearly impossible to stop, even when the opponent knows what is coming.

“I'm a firm believer that you can know what I'm running, but if we execute it right, you can't stop it,” said first-year Moniteau coach Wade Vogan, who brought his smash-mouth mentality with him from Sharon this season.

It's working. The players are buying into it and loving the feeling they get when they churn out yardage against a defense that is, well, defenseless.

“It beats them down, that's the good part,” said McBride, who had just 14 carries last season. “When you run the same play 10 times in one drive and they can't stop it, it's very tiring emotionally for the defense.”

Skiver said there have been times already this season when the opposing defense has called out the play and the hole in which the play is going before the snap.

Moniteau runs it anyway.

And gets good yardage.“We're still coming,” Skiver said.Moniteau is 3-0 in large part because of its ball-control offense.When Vogan was hired, the first thing he did was watch film of the Warriors from last season.Then he received a phone call from friend and West Middlesex football coach Ed Roberson.West Middlesex beat the Warriors 48-28 last season.“He said, 'Hey, listen. Your two boys right here, Josh McBride and Cody Skiver, get them the ball. They're athletes,'” Vogan said.That's exactly what Vogan has done.It's helped that a big and athletic offensive line has opened up gaping holes for McBride and Skiver to scamper through.“They are the unsung heroes,” Vogan said. “Cody and Josh give those kids credit. It's a team effort and it starts with those guys.”Skiver took it a step further when lauding his line.“We love them. I give all my linemen hugs,” Skiver said. “We thank them after every play. When you can run through a hole and see secondary before you're even touched, that's a big plus.”Size is a plus, too.Sean Hall (6-foot-4, 215 pounds), Brandon Stamm (6-2, 265), Shonn Kline (6-2, 225), Brantlee Alexander (6-4, 230), Vance Noah (5-8, 225) and tight end Derek Boben (6-0, 180) have formed quit a stout unit.“It's a great feeling because you look up at the line, and I don't think there's a bigger five- or six-man front in the league,” McBride said. “It's very encouraging. We have a lot of big bodies and a lot of skilled linemen. The 'Jumbos' we call them.”Then there's junior fullback Wyatt Ifft, who is one of the smaller blocking backs around at 5-9, 170.“He's 170 pounds wet, soaking wet,” Skiver said. “He'll throw his body at them, pancake kids, take the biggest guy on the field and put his body on the line for us. He's tough as nails.”The Warriors quite like that designation: tough as nails.It has led them to a perfect start and has created a palpable buzz in that clearing in a valley surrounded by tranquility, which is only broken by the smacking of shoulder pads.“We're a team,” Skiver said. “We're a family.”

McBride