Monroe fends off Kamiak

Published 11:24 pm Friday, September 16, 2011

EVERETT — Offensively, Monroe Bearcats running back Jordan Moore was all over the football field Friday night.

But when the Bearcats needed it most, it was Moore who made the play on defense that sealed their 25-15 nonconference victory over the Kamiak Knights.

With the Bearcats up 19-15 late in the fourth quarter, Kamiak got the ball looking to drive for the go-ahead score. Moore had other ideas, intercepting Brett Ludeman’s second pass attempt of the drive and returning it 18 yards to the Kamiak 10-yard-line. Two plays later, Tory James put the game away with a 10-yard touchdown run.

“I was dropping into my read,” Moore said. “I saw the guy motion over and then start going out. I knew he was going to be in my zone and it just kind of clicked.”

It certainly clicked for Moore offensively. He rushed for 227 yards and two touchdowns on 26 carries.

“He is an amazing guy,” Monroe head coach Dick Abrams said. “He is our hardest worker in practice. He works harder than anybody else on the field. And he loves the game. He’s so excited when he gets out here, sometimes I think it’s almost a detriment to him because he is so excited, he is so happy to play the game. But he loves football, he loves the game. And I will tell you, that second half when he was running, that’s what he can be. He’s a horse.”

After the game, an excited yet humble Moore credited his offensive-line.

“I didn’t get any of my yards without my line and I owe it all to them,” Moore said.

Moore broke a 32-yard touchdown in the first quarter to give the Bearcats a 6-0 lead after a failed extra-point. The Bearcats extended their advantage to a 12-0 lead before halftime when Mitchell Price found Austin Mulholland, who hauled in a nearly unbelievable one-handed catch for a 26-yard touchdown.

But the Knights didn’t go down without a fight. After failing to move the ball for most of the first half, Kamiak got its passing game going in the third quarter. The Knights finally got on the scoreboard in the final minute of the third quarter when Ludeman found Mason Chalfant for an 12-yard touchdown.

Minutes into the fourth quarter, the Knights claimed their first lead on a Tyler Self 1-yard touchdown run.

The hero of the night for the Bearcats answered. Moore broke a 60-yard touchdown run with just under 10 minutes to play in the fourth quarter to put the Bearcats up for good.

“I just saw wide open,” Moore said. “My line made a beautiful hole and I just ran.”

After James added Monroe’s final touchdown, Kamiak quickly moved the ball down the field to try to trim the deficit, but the drive stalled when the Knights failed to convert on fourth down from the 21-yard line. Fittingly, Moore and James broke up the game’s final pass.

Abrams had praise for his team’s defensive effort.

“It wasn’t just the score, but the way we hit,” Abrams said. “We hit hard, guys played hard. And that’s what really made it happen.

“… Our defense played outstanding all night, I thought. They really did a good job and defensed a good offense well.”

Moore said it feels like things are clicking for the Bearcats heading into Wesco North play.

“I’m feeling ecstatic,” Moore said. “Going into (league) season everything is clicking. Our defense is clicking. Our offense is clicking.

“… We’re coming, we’re coming and we’re going to be a force to be reckoned with.”

Aaron Lommers covers prep sports for The Herald. Contact him at aaronlommers@gmail.com and follow him on twitter @aaronlommers.