CHERRY TWP — The Moniteau team that showed up on the gridiron against Elk County Catholic last Thursday wasn’t the same group that made its way onto the field in its opener against Saint Marys.

Back home Friday night hosting Cameron County (2-0) in the rolling hills, the Warriors (1-1) will look to once again showcase the crew that defeated the Crusaders by 20 points, rushing for 208 yards in the process.

“Our guys are getting better every week,” Moniteau coach Bob Rottman said. “They’re getting more comfortable with the new offense. They’re getting more comfortable with what their responsibilities and their assignments are. … I think that’s the biggest key.”

The Raiders have begun this go-round with a pair of wins — a 20-19 triumph over Union/A-C Valley and a 14-0 shutout of Smethport. This will be a different sort of challenge for coach Ryan Neyman’s squad.

“The disadvantage for us is we haven’t been on the road yet,” Neyman said. “We’re going to be dealing with our first adversity, dealing with that. Going down, taking the long, two-and-a-half-hour bus ride down. … We’ve got to play our brand of football. We’ve got to be able to understand what Moniteau wants to do and successfully stop what they want to do.”

If the Warriors’ big guys have any say, that will be easier said than done. Junior Finley Thurner returned against the Crusaders, playing his first full game of football, and the front coalesced as a result.

“Week 1, we had a couple kids out on the offensive line,” Rottman said. “We had those kids come back last week, which really helped us. That kind of put other kids back to their normal position, where they are more comfortable.”

Cameron County has played how it would like on both sides of the ball to this point.

“Both games, we came out strong and we tackled pretty well,” Neyman said. “Offensively, we’ve been able to move people off the line of scrimmage, win the line of scrimmage, and been able to open up some run lanes for our guys.”

The defense slots junior Nicholas Streich as the fulcrum of the defensive line. Junior Landon Farren and senior Jesop Farabaugh man the ends, while seniors Lathan Reed and Maddox Baughman both play linebacker.

Baughman doubles as quarterback (13/30, 168 yards, and two touchdowns) and plays a sizable part in the ground game as well (24 carries, 127 yards, two touchdowns). Sophomore Malakai Zucal leads the team in rushing with 42 totes and 167 yards.

“The neat thing about our school is the same guys that are playing on the defense are playing on the offense and playing on all the special teams,” Neyman said. “We’ve got a solid 11 guys that are on the field at all times. We’re a little low in the numbers area.

“We have 24, but we’ve been dressing only between 18 and 20.”

Numbers aside, Neyman is aware of what goes a long way in determining the outcome. That much has been evident in the tale of two contests for Moniteau, as well.

“Our game is won in the trenches on both the offensive and defensive sides of the ball,” Neyman said. “If we can move them and control them while they’re on the offensive side, we’ll be alright.”

Senior Logan Campbell and sophomore Kole Scott figure to play important roles for the Warriors’ attack. The last time out, Campbell ran for 96 yards, including a 65-yard score. Scott added 124 yards on the ground and a receiving score.

“They were both running over kids and running around kids,” Rottman said. “They did everything we anticipated them doing coming into the season.”

Now it’s just about whether they can do it on a regular basis.

The Warriors defeated the Raiders, 20-12, on the road last season. With a win Friday night, Moniteau would match its win total from all of last year.