Stopping long runs can play a big role in Central Valley’s offense, especially with a 200-pound running back who has a reputation for being difficult to tackle.

But the most important plays on the night belonged to the Montour defense, which had been preparing for this matchup for some time. Central Valley running back Jance Henry Jr. scored twice more on Friday night, but Montour earned a 24-14 victory in Week Zero by controlling the Warriors’ normally tough running game.

Central Valley gained 154 yards, but needed 39 carries to do so.

“We just knew we had to stop the run,” Montour senior safety Daniel Batch said. “We hit a lot during practice and prepared to battle Jance because we knew he was a power back. He can really run the ball.”

Henry rushed for 104 yards on 22 attempts, but his two longest runs were just 16 and 11 yards. The 5-foot-8, 200-pound sophomore has a double-digit list of college offers, including Pitt and West Virginia.

But Central Valley struggled to create running space against a Montour defense that returned its top four tacklers from last season.

“It takes more than one man to take him down,” Montour middle linebacker Cole Midili said. “We were really good at taking him down in huddles. … We knew they had a strong running game. We prepared for that in practice. We knew they were going to try to take that from us.”

Montour’s quarterback Trey Hopper threw for 231 yards and scored two touchdowns, including a 42-yard pass to receiver Marcus Battles early in the fourth quarter that extended the lead from three points to ten.

Hopper, a starter in his first year, completed 12 of 20 passes.

The senior played a solid second half, completing 5 of 7 passes for 125 yards and scoring both of his touchdowns. Hopper found AJ Alston for a 26-yard pass in the third quarter.

“He has found his rhythm,” said Montour coach Lou Cerro. “He is very ambitious. He wants to do well.”

Montour kicker Brayden Davin scored the game’s first points with a 28-yard field goal in the first quarter, and Batch scored the first touchdown with a 2-yard run in the second quarter to give the team a 10-0 lead.

Henry was responsible for both of Central Valley’s touchdowns, reaching the end zone on a 16-yard run in the second quarter and a 1-yard run in the third. But Montour held up well against Henry in some short-yardage situations.

In the first half alone, Central Valley completed 1 of 6 third-down conversions and 3 of 5 fourth-down conversions. On a second-quarter drive, Henry picked up a first down on fourth-and-three at CV’s 38-yard line, but four plays later he was stopped near the halfway line on fourth-and-four without gaining any ground.

“We put a lot of emphasis on stopping the running game this week,” Cerro said. “We were lucky to be able to stop Henry on some key third downs. Mark (Lyons) is a good coach. Last year he played on a Power I team and he beat us up at the end of the game. Obviously we prepared for that.”

Montour went 21-20 last season when both teams were in the Class 4A Parkway Conference. Central Valley has since dropped to 3A in the latest realignment this fall.

Montour took the lead in the overall standings with 6:5.

Central Valley (0-1) had expected more from its offense, which returned starters in the backfield, at quarterback and along the offensive line. Montour intercepted a pass from quarterback Steven Rutherford twice. The senior completed 7 of 19 passes for 205 yards, with Batch intercepting him in the first quarter and Nino DiMichael in the second quarter.

“We should be better there,” Central Valley coach Mark Lyons said of the offense. “We have to be better there.”

Montour scored on the game’s first possession to take an early 3-0 lead. The Spartans relied on running back Caden Halajcio to run 68 yards in 11 plays to set up Davin’s field goal.

Halajcio finished the game with 87 yards on 18 carries.

Montour reached the end zone on its second possession, a 14-play, 76-yard drive that ended with a 2-yard touchdown run by Batch to give it a 10-0 lead.

Central Valley’s first three possessions resulted in two interceptions and a failed fourth down. But the Warriors got on the offensive just before halftime, driving 80 yards in nine plays and finishing with a 16-yard touchdown run by Henry – his longest run of the day. Henry scored with 34 seconds left to cut Montour’s lead to 10-7 at halftime.

In the third period each team scored a goal.

Montour extended its lead to 17-7 when Alston scored on a 26-yard touchdown from Hopper that capped a 66-yard run. Central Valley answered late in the third quarter with an 80-yard run that ended with a 1-yard touchdown run from Henry.

Montour entered the fourth inning with a narrow 17-14 lead. In a defensive-focused game, two of the longest plays of the night – Battles’ 33- and 42-yard catches in the fourth inning – helped secure the win for Montour.

Such big plays were largely missing that evening in Central Valley.

“Ultimately, we didn’t execute enough of those plays in open space,” Lyons said. “It seemed like we couldn’t find space to make those plays.”

Chris Harlan is a sports reporter for TribLive. He joined the Trib in 2009 after spending seven years as a reporter at the Beaver County Times. Reach him at [email protected].

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