CLARION — It was not the start Moniteau football coach Wade Vogan was looking for.

Less than five minutes into the game, his team was down 15-0 to Clarion — a score not conducive to his plan: run the ball, churn out yardage and, perhaps most importantly, keep the football away from Bobcat star Ian Corbett.

Instead, the opposite happened.

Corbett used his sprinter's speed to score five touchdowns as Clarion rolled to a 56-21 win over Moniteau Friday night.

While Vogan's plan has to be scrapped, Clarion coach Larry Wiser's plan unfolded perfectly.

“I really felt the key tonight was us getting up on them quick,” Wiser said. “I think we got them out of their game plan. I think they wanted to run the ball.”

Corbett was very much the game plan for Clarion. He had 133 yards rushing, 92 yards receiving and also picked off two passes on defense, nearly returning one for another score.

The senior's first trips to the end zone gave Clarion that quick 15-0 cushion.

“When we get down like that,” Vogan said, “it's hard for us to catch back up.”

Moniteau (4-2) did respond to the fast Clarion start with a drive that culminated with a 26-yard touchdown run by Josh McBride to cut the gap to 15-6.

“The kids kept fighting, and that's all I can ask for,” Vogan said. “Can you get better each week? You play good teams for a reason. They make you a better football program. You have to crawl before you can walk.”

Clarion tacked on two more touchdowns in the first quarter on a 62-yard pass from Taylor Smith to Corbett and a 13-yard score from Smith to Thomas Plummer for a 29-6 lead after 12 minutes.

Smith, who was starting in the place of injured Brendan Miller, was 5-of-9 for 132 yards and four touchdowns.

Jake McBride, though, made Smith pay for a errant throw, returning an interception 25 yards for a touchdown that narrowed the lead to 29-13.

But Clarion (5-1) got a 71-yard run from Corbett on the first offensive play after the pick-6 and Smith's third TD pass of the half, a 27-yard strike to Plummer, for a 42-13 halftime lead.

It was the second lopsided loss in two weeks for Moniteau, who fell behind to Karns City, 29-0, at halftime last week.

“They handed it to us, both, steadily,” Vogan said. “I 100-percent agree with that. We have to continue to play our game, continue to get better.”

It was a tough night for Moniteau quarterback Cody Skiver, who rushed for just three yards on 16 carries. He was sacked five times and was picked off three times.

He did cap the scoring with a 3-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter after Clarion had extended its lead to 56-13 on a Plummer run and the fourth TD pass of the game from Smith, this one to Corbett.

“We have to take care of our quarterback a little bit better,” Vogan said.

Josh McBride rushed for 82 yards on 10 carries to lead the Warriors, who will try to regroup next week when they host Brookville.

“This has been a reality check to see where we're at,” Vogan said. “When you play great programs like Karns City and Clarion, they will expose you. They showed us what we need to work on.”