MOUNDSVILLE — It wasn’t just a passing fancy Friday when the John Marshall Monarchs whipped Brooke 35-14 in Moundsville. It was a whole new way of looking at things.

With third-year QB Kayden Knapp unleashing a 252-yard, three-touchdown aerial assault, the host Monarchs stayed in the West Virginia Class AAA playoff hunt by besting their long-time rival Bruins before a bountiful crowd on a brisk, clear Homecoming Night.

JM moves to 5-2 on the season and looks to move up from this week’s No. 17 standing in the SSAC playoff hunt. The top 16 teams make the field. Brooke (3-5) came into the bout ranked 20th.

Normally a run-oriented team behind sophomore sensation Dalton Cooper, the Monarchs took to the air Friday as Cooper nurses a hip-pointer and is relegated to mostly defensive duties. JM raced out to a 21-7 halftime lead as Knapp threw 23 passes (completing 17) for 184 yards, while running just five plays on the ground. Knapp was simply dazzling.

“We threw everything,” Coach Mark Cisar said. “We threw screens to get them out of there at the beginning; we threw some bombs; we threw some square-ins; we threw the ball to the flat. And our receivers were just outstanding — running great routes, thinking they’re getting the ball every time, running their routes hard. That’s the difference when you throw it every time, is when you go full tilt.”

Coached by former Bruin standout Frank Sisinni, Brooke grabbed the early momentum with a stunning on-side kick to begin the game.

“That’s what we needed,” Sisinni said. “We’re a group that needs some energy to start it off, and that was the premise — to get some emotion going, get some momentum.”

“Everything could’ve gone sour from there,” Cisar admitted. “But our kids were resilient.”

With the aid of a personal foul penalty on Brooke, JM thwarted the ensuing drive at their 31 and promptly answered with a 13-play scoring drive, capped by the 11th pass of the possession, a 25-yard strike from Knapp to Xavier Wells on a slick crossing pattern.

“I said, ‘We might throw it 60 times!'” Cisar chuckled later. Wells, Cain Martin and Landon Snyder were all fantastic on the receiving end of Knapp’s explosion, and Martin flashed his versatility in the second half, marking his maiden voyage at tailback with 63 hard-earned yards on 11 carries, all after Gracie Harmon was crowned Homecoming Queen at the half.

Cisar was especially worried about his banged-up defense coming into the game, but was ecstatic afterwards.

“Our defense was unbelievable,” he said. “In the beginning they were going right through us. Griff (defensive coach Griffin Yocum) made some changes, some little adjustments, and we stepped up and made some plays. Obviously, we played pretty well.”

Cooper was great off the edge, but JM received some big games from linebackers Mason Markonich, Landon McCabe and Hayden Fordyce, along with sophomore DB Brody Thomas.

Brooke was led by senior QB/DB Ty Sperringer, along with juniors Cory Maynard and Michael Gibson.

“The kids played hard,” Sisinni stated. “They always do. We’re still having some fundamental breakdowns, and that falls on me. There’s some things that we’ll correct. We’ve got our backs against the wall again and we’ll see if we respond.”

Brooke visits Elkins next week before finishing the season at rival Weir. JM visits Fairfield Union (OH) next week before returning home to host Point Pleasant, and then Wheeling Park.