Right where they left off

The cast of characters is completely different, but the results were just the same.

Monticello, which lost virtually all of its starters from last year’s team, picked up right where it left off anyway, cruising past cross-county rival Albemarle in its season opener Friday night.

The Mustangs got big performances from running back C.J. Page and quarterback Tyler Moneymaker, and the defense did the rest in a 38-7 win over the Patriots.

However, Monticello fumbled on its opening drive and Albemarle scored first, as quarterback Joey Varaksa found Jordan Hill for a 7-yard touchdown.

But Page led the Mustangs right back, as he ran into the end zone untouched to tie the game on a 10-yard run. Page was the workhorse, as he ran for 42 yards on five carries on the drive.

“We were a little anxious going into the game to see how they would respond in a real game. We had a bunch of guys who hadn’t played before and it’s just different from practice and even from scrimmages,” Monticello coach Brud Bicknell said. “We hadn’t responded well to adversity in our two scrimmages. So when they scored it was nice that we came right back down the field and scored right away. I think that set the tone for the rest of the game.”

Monticello’s defense stepped up, forcing the Patriots to go three-and-out on the following series.

On their next drive, the Mustangs took a lead it wouldn’t relinquish, as Moneymaker threw a perfect pass to Thomas Estepp for a 33-yard touchdown.