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SHADYSIDE - With plenty of playoff implications on the line for both teams, Monroe Central rolled into Shadyside Friday night and put on a dominating performance against the Tigers in a regular season finale for each.
Senior quarterback Cooper Howell rushed for 151 yards, including 145 in the first half, while accounting for four touchdowns and sophomore Jett Kaiser added 101 on the ground and a touchdown as the Seminoles picked up their fourth straight victory over Shadyside, third by shutout, rolling to a 34-0 victory on the turf at Fleming Field.
Coach Jonathan Calder's Monroe Central squad finishes the season 7-3 and will likely host a playoff game in two weeks after taking next Friday off with a bye. Meanwhile, Mike Kernik's squad capped a huge comeback season with an 8-2 mark and will also host a playoff contest but will have to wait and see if that game will be next week or the week after.
The Seminoles dominated play of both sides of the football all night long, outgaining the Tigers by a 387-143 margin and taking control with a 27-0 advantage at the break.
"We knew Shadyside has a good offense and we challenged our defense coming into this game," Calder admitted. "And they went out and shut down a good football team. When we were able to get things going we took control and never slowed down."
Monroe Central scored the only points of the first quarter, moving 61 yards on seven plays, with Howell busting up the middle for a 14-yard touchdown run on second-and 13. Kaiser booted the first of four PATs to make it 7-0.
The tide truly changed in the second frame as the visitors put their foot on the gas and took off. The Seminoles scored on three consecutive possessions, taking just 4:32 off the clock in doing so. Kaiser managed to maneuver his way through traffic, cutting all the way across the field for 57-yard scoring run at 11:33 before Howell sprinted in from 12 yards away less than two minutes later with a missed point-after making it 20-0.
At the 7:01 mark of the half Howell went straight up-the-middle, nearly untouched, for a 62-yard score to push the margin to 27-0 at the break. The final score of the night was a five-yard strike from Howell to classmate Corbin Farnsworth at 7:03 of the third.
"Cooper (Howell) and Jett (Kaiser) just ran so hard all night long," Calder said. "And thanks to the offensive line they had some real big holes to run through.
"So now we just wait to see what happens, I know there is a very good chance we will have a bye and I've never experienced that before so I'm not real sure how to handle it. I know we have injuries that we will hope to get better and we will rest and get ready for what's ahead."
For Kernik and his team it was a disappointing way to finish a sparkling 8-2 regular season, but the Tigers also know that the road has not come to an end just yet.
"Their lines dominated the entire game, and we just had no answers (Friday)," Kernik commented. "They were very well prepared, and they deserve all the credit in the world for this, they played a great game.
"But we just need to put this one behind us and get back to the aggression we played with for the first nine game. We have some things to fix, but it isn't over yet."
Shadyside finished with 96 yards through the air and 47 on the ground.