Monessen cruises past Mon Valley rival Charleroi in ‘Battle of the Bridge’

By: Adam Brewer
Friday, August 22, 2025 | 11:47 PM

Previous Next

Monessen flexed its defensive muscle Friday night and was opportunistic on offense in a 44-0 rout of Mon Valley rival Charleroi in the “Battle of the Bridge” at Myron Pottios Stadium.

The Greyhounds (1-0) scored on their opening two drives and never looked back. The defensive front seven was stout all night, holding the Cougars (0-1) to less than 100 yards of offense.

“We had to stop the run tonight and get them behind the sticks,” Monessen coach Wade Brown said. “We did that, and we forced their young quarterback in a lot of third-and-longs. They missed some deep throws, but then we were able to cover up those deep passes.

“I love winning these rivalry games. This is my first time coaching here, and it feels good to get a win and to start the season at 1-0.”

Monessen now has won three straight in the series and six of the last 10. The last time the Cougars defeated the Greyhounds was in 2017. The rivalry is one of the oldest in the WPIAL, dating to 1907.

Tavian Taylor made an impact every time he touched the ball, amassing a game-high 111 yards on only six carries with three touchdowns. The 5-foot-8 senior also had two huge punt returns that shifted field position and tallied an interception at the goal line.

“Tavian had a great game, and he is capable of being a playmaker for us,” Brown said. “He took it upon his shoulders to prepare a lot for this season, no matter who we had. He and his brother were in the weight room early in the mornings this summer. That work showed off tonight.”

Charleroi missed on some early pass plays but was out of sorts throughout the night after not being able to establish its running game.

“We are nowhere near where we need to be,” Charleroi coach Scott DeUnger said. “We were sloppy. We had no push on the line. We are not doing the little things well, and when you don’t do that, you are going to struggle. We need to be better on a lot of stuff and improve quickly.”

After a three-and-out by the home team, the visitors got great field position on their opening possession when Taylor returned a punt 34 yards. A subsequent 15-yard facemask penalty gave them the ball at the 16-yard line.

Two plays later, Monessen took an 8-0 lead after a 4-yard touchdown run and 2-point run by Kayden Kolbeck.

The Cougars found a spark on their third play of their second drive when Jaxson Klinger hooked up with Brayden Todaro for a 43-yard gain that brought the ball to the 31-yard line.

Despite the big pass play, Charleroi turned the ball over on downs four players later and gave Monessen the ball back at the 28-yard line.

The Greyhounds doubled their lead to 16-0 on the next drive when Taylor punctuated a five-play, 77-yard drive with a 44-yard scoring run. Kolbeck again added the 2-point run.

After the teams traded empty drives in the second quarter, Monessen found its offensive flow and went on a seven-play, 70-yard drive that was capped by a 22-yard touchdown run by Taylor.

“We got a lot of speed and talent on offense that not a lot of people know about,” Brown said. “We want to spread the wealth this season and get a lot of guys the ball. The coaching staff has lot of confidence in all of our skilled guys. I like what I saw tonight.”

Kaier Payne, who had two big pass plays to Jay’veyon Jeffries that totaled 47 yards on the drive, added a 2-point run that gave the visitors a 24-0 lead.

Monessen carried the 24-0 lead into halftime and outgained Charleroi, 185-70, in a penalty-riddled first half.

On their first drive of the second half, the Greyhounds extended their advantage to 32-0 when Jeffries caught a 41-yard scoring strike from Payne. Payne added a 2-point run with 6:50 left in the third quarter.

The lone points in the fourth quarter were tallied by Monessen, as Taylor finished off the scoring with a 26-yard touchdown run.

Payne finished with 111 yards on 6-of-10 passing, and Jeffries hauled in three balls for 88 yards. Rodney Johnson, TJ Taylor and Roodly Destyl were dominant up front on defense, each registering double-digit tackles.

“Those three guys attacked the trenches and made things tough for Charleroi tonight,” Brown said. “We won the game in the trenches. Hats off to our guys for being aggressive and not letting anything go outside. I also liked how our linebackers played.”

Nate Rock (12 carries for 28 yards) and Brody DeUnger (10 carries for 24 yards) were the leading rushers for the Cougars. Klinger finished with just 66 passing yards.

Both teams have nonsection games next Friday: Monessen travels to West Greene and Charleroi ventures to Yough.

Tags: Charleroi, Monessen