Panthers bring Clarence Cannon Conference championship home

EWING, Mo. — The Monroe City football team is bringing another title back to titletown.

The Panthers raced out to a 32-0 lead and dispatched Highland 54-20 to win the Clarence Cannon Conference championship and lock up a No. 1 district seed. For all the explosive offensive plays on display, it was a defensive stop that set the tone.

The Cougars faced fourth and 10 from the Panthers’ 21-yard line on the first possession of the game when quarterback Drew Mallett scrambled and was run out of bounds at the 12-yard line — 1 yard short of the first down. The Panthers responded by driving 88 yards and getting an 8-yard touchdown run from quarterback Kyle Hays for an 8-0 edge.

Cade Chapman caught a Hays touchdown pass on the next possession, and Waylon DeGrave hauled in a 53-yard touchdown pass for a 24-0 lead. Joshua Talton’s 67-yard scoring jaunt made it 32-0, and Monroe City took a 40-7 lead into halftime.

The Panthers are 8-1 overall and finish with a 6-1 CCC record. They likely will be the top seed in Class 1 District 2 and draw either winless Principia or winless Van-Far in the first round.

Highland wraps up its first winning regular season in 31 years at 6-3 with a 4-3 CCC record. The Cougars likely will be the No. 2 seed in the seven-team Class 1 District 6.