CHERRY TWP — Cody Deal lifts his right hand and bends his fingers.

Well, all but one.

One, the ring finger, doesn't bend like the rest. A torn tendon in the top knuckle prevents its movement.

The only solution is surgery, a procedure that would mean the end to the Karns City football season for Deal, a senior quarterback, running back, linebacker and one of the leaders for the Gremlins.

Deal chose to wait to have surgery, even though that meant he may never get full use of the finger again.

“I actually didn't have to think about it that hard,” Deal said. “Going in, I knew that was what they were going to tell me. I thought about it going in and I thought, 'I can't miss this season. I waited my whole life for this.'”

Deal was on the field for Karns City Friday at rival Moniteau and rushed for 97 yards and three touchdowns and also had a sack on defense in the Gremlins' 48-6 road win over the Warriors.

Deal, who made the appointment to have surgery Thursday, but decided quickly to cancel it.

He said he will have no regrets should he not be able to use his finger again.

His father, Mark Deal, left the decision up to him.

“My dad was like, 'I know how much this season means to you and it's up to you,'” Cody Deal said.

Karns City coach Ed Conto didn't offer an opinion either way to Deal.

“I knew what type of kid he was,” Conto said. “Again, it's his decision to do that. It's not an easy decision.

“He's a warrior. The kid's a warrior,” Conto added.

Deal said his teammates weren't surprised he made the decision to play.

“I think they expected me to play the whole time. They know me, right,” Deal said. “I mean, it's a team thing. I know they'd do it for me. It comes down to that really.”

Deal and Karns City (5-0, 3-0) took care of business against Moniteau.

Deal got things going with a 16-yard run in the first quarter for a 7-0 lead and then the Gremlins tacked on three more TDs in the second quarter for a 29-0 lead at the half.

Tristan Rhoades scored one of those touchdowns on an 85-yard pass from Caleb King, breaking several tackles on the way to the end zone.

Deal's final score of the game, a 13-yard run in which he juked and sliced his way through the Warrior defense, made it 35-0 after three quarters.

Rhoades added a 91-yard kickoff return and Colton Hawk a 39-yard scoring run for Karns City.

Moniteau senior quarterback Cody Skiver scored the only Warriors' touchdown on a 6-yard run early in the fourth quarter.

Skiver rushed for 74 yards on 30 carries — 81 of those yards coming in the second half.

“They did everything we knew they were going to do,” said Moniteau coach Wade Vogan. “And they did it great.”

Skiver and Josh McBride came into the game with a combined 1,430 yards rushing for Moniteau this season.

They combined for minus-2 yards on the ground in the first half.

McBride didn't play the second half with a stinger in his shoulder.

“They flocked to the ball,” Vogan said. “Their staff, Coach Conto, hats off to them. They brought the wood.”

Moniteau (4-1, 1-1) was held to 140 yards rushing on 49 carries.

Karns City also picked off three Skiver passes in the game.

“That's what we wanted to do, shut down their one-two punch,” Conto said. “That was our goal in the first half to keep them under 30, 40 yards. That was the ultimate goal, and we did that.”

For Deal, having the opportunity to play and beat a rival reaffirmed his tough decision.

“It feels great,” Deal said. “It always feels great to come here, get out on this field and get a win here.”