Hornets win with new offense

They started a new QB as well in coming from behind to beat Spartans.

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By Skip Weaver, Staff Writer 1:44 AM Saturday, September 24, 2011

MONROE — The Monroe High School football team showed off a new offense Friday night and it worked like a charm.

The host Hornets switched to the “old school eye formation,” according to coach Brett Stubbs, and came from behind to defeat Southwestern Buckeye League Southwestern Division rival Valley View 18-14 on homecoming night.

Along with a new offensive scheme came a new starting quarterback for Monroe (2-3, 1-1 SWBL Southwestern). Senior Kevin Sloneker took the controls and combined for 118 yards in the air and on the ground, including a 1-yard rushing touchdown in the third quarter.

“This was amazing,” Sloneker said, adding that ever since he was a seventh-grader at Lakota Plains Junior School he has wanted to beat Valley View. “They ran all over us in the seventh grade and it has been in my mind ever since.

“I was nervous in the beginning,” he continued about his first career varsity start under center. “But I loved every minute of it. I feel like I’ve known the quarterback spot from the beginning. I feel more at ease now.”

Junior running back Chris Wilson atoned for two first-half fumbles by running for 182 yards on 24 carries, including the go-ahead score, an 8-yard touchdown, with 8:30 left in the game.

“He took over the game,” Valley View coach Jay Niswonger said of Wilson. “He’s a tough kid and has been that way his whole career. He put the game on his shoulders and went out there to win it.”

Valley View appeared to be in complete control of the game with a 14-3 halftime lead.

Trey Gulling and Tyler Schenck each had 1-yard rushing touchdowns to spot the Spartans (2-3, 1-1 SWBL Southwestern) an early lead.

But Valley View struggled offensively in the second half, collecting just two first downs and gaining just 12 yards.

“Obviously, we didn’t come out to play hard in the second half,” Niswonger said. “We tried to tell the kids not to rest on what they had done in the first half. We made a couple of good plays on that last drive, but then we have a bad quarterback-center exchange. That was huge. It’s basic fundamentals.

“But give Monroe credit,” he continued. “They had a lot of want-to and they made it happen. I’m very disappointed in our execution. Week 5 is done and we have to start next week like it’s Week 1, but that’s the way we’ll deal with it.”

Schenck was the Spartans top rusher with 60 yards and a touchdown.

Contact this reporter at (513) 705-2852, or sweaver@coxohio.com.

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