Week 2 of the 2024 high school football season saw the Monmouth-Roseville Titans head up 40 minutes north to take on longtime rival, and fellow Three Rivers Conference West Division member Orion in a battle of two 1-0 teams in this early portion of the season.
Trying to build off the momentum of their incredible second half performance in week 1, the Titans elected to receive the opening kickoff, and they would make good on that decision as after setting the offense up with great field position with his kickoff return, senior running back Payton Thompson punched in the first score of the game on a 7 yard touchdown run. Quick to respond, the Chargers would score in kind, stitching together a touchdown drive of their own as senior Aiden Fisher ran in his fourth score of the season, however the Chargers PAT would sail no good, keeping Monmouth-Roseville ahead 7-6. Extending their lead further, Payton Thompson added another touchdown on his scoresheet, scoring from 31 yards out to push their lead to 13-6 (missed PAT). Winding down the first quarter, the Titans special teams forced the last score of the, as junior defensive back Elliott Rogers blocked a Chargers punt out of the endzone, forcing a safety for the Titans.
Opening the second quarter, the Titans and Chargers would exchange touchdowns, as senior quarterback Andy Myers crossed the plane on the drive ensuing the Titans safety, while Orion responded with a 50 yard touchdown run of their own to bring the game to 23-12 in favor of MR midway through the quarter. The Chargers long touchdown run wouldn’t be the only one of the period, as on the very next drive, junior back Andrew Way broke one off right up the middle for a 65 yard house call to once again extend the Monmouth-Roseville lead. Not content with their 31-12 lead , the Titans would get on another hot streak putting up back to back to back scores before heading into the locker room, Thompson was responsible for two of those, with break off runs of 67 and 83 yards, while Nick Huston added on a 30 yard score of his own to push the Titans lead to a commanding 53-12 entering the halftime break. As M-R held a lead over 40 points to enter the second half, the rest of the game would be played with a running clock that would shorten the contest. The Titans defense found a way to join the scoring party in the third quarter, as junior defensive lineman Landyn Angelo returned an interception for a touchdown to put the Titans past the 60 point mark. Orion would cut down the lead in the final quarter of play, on back to back scores from Aaron Mohr and Jake Bainbridge, as the Titans officially ended the game with a dominant 60-26 win.
In the statbook for the Titans, they once again had all of their offensive output on the ground. Payton Thompson led the way with 222 yards and 3 TDs with Andrew Way and Nick Huston adding rushing touchdowns as well. The Titans improve their record to 2-0 with the win, and return home next Friday to take on Kewanee at Coach Dobry Field in Monmouth. For the full replay of the WMOI broadcast, click here:
