Anyone who knows anything about Big 8 Conference football knows that when you throw two rivals together like Aurora and Monett, you can throw state rankings and records out the window. Tonight was no different, as Aurora took its 2-2 record into the number 8 ranked Class 4 home of the Monett Cubs. A packed house saw a wild finish that ended up letting the host Cubs breathe a sigh of relief, as they edged the Houn' Dawgs 26-21.
The Monett defense, which has been nicknamed the "Purple Haze", got a taste of its own medicine, as Aurora led in every offensive category but one, the final score. The Houn's totaled 288 total yards of offense, 153 of that on the ground and 105 of it belonging to junior running back Dylan Cullers.
"We gave it all we had," said the emotional running back after the game. "The seniors wanted this one so bad and we almost gave it to them."
The Monett Cubs offense finished the night with 207 total yards of offense, but it was a 75-yard punt return for a touchdown by the Cubs' senior Chase Brennan with 7 minutes left in the game that was the difference maker.
"That was huge," said Monett head coach Chad Depee after his postgame huddle with his players. "That kid plays like he's the biggest kid on the field all the time and never takes a play off." (Brennan stands just 5'3" and weighs 135 pounds.)
Monett got the scoring started on a 17-yard run around the left end by quarterback Zack Hammond at the 1:35 mark.
The Houn' Dawgs answered in the second stanza on a 12-yard run by Aurora quarterback Josh Fronabarger. Monett made sure to have the halftime lead, however, as they scored 8 minutes later on a Hammond to Aaron Aldridge touchdown pass.
The Cubs then extended its lead to 13 points on their first possession of the second half, a drive that lasted almost 8 minutes, and culminated with a 4-yard touchdown run by junior running back Wesley Abramovitz to make it 20-7 Cubs.
It was the fourth quarter that got crazy, as the Houn' Dawgs outscored the Cubs 14-6. Aurora scored at the 11 minute mark on a 33-yard scoring play from Fronabarger to Skylar Cahill.
It was then that Brennan returned a punt at the 7 minute mark 75 yards, giving Monett its final points of the night and a 26-14 edge.
The Houn' Dawgs refused to give up, however, scoring less than a minute later on a 58-yard touchdown pass from Fronabarger to Cahill once again, cutting the lead to just 5, 26-21.
Aurora would have two more chances to win the Big 8 Conference game, but would stall both times, the final time coming on Monett's 17 yard line.
"I could not be any more proud of these guys than I am right now," said an emotional Aurora head coach Rick Scholten. "That's what I just finished telling them. They need to understand that if they can play the number 8 team in the state this way, they can play with the rest of our conference. It was their greatest effort yet."
Besides Cullers 105 yards rushing, Aurora's offensive stars were Fronabarger and Cahill. Fronabarger finished with 135 yards passing and two touchdowns. Cahill was the recipient of those two touchdown throws and finished with 102 total yards receiving.
For the victorious Cubs, Abramovitz was the workhorse, rushing for 64 yards of 19 carries, while Hammond rushed for 100 yards on 11 carries and threw for 39 yards.
Monett improves to 5-0 on the season, while Aurora drops to 2-3.
