CRUSADERS EXPLODE ON RAMS; SCOTT CITY FALLS IN 2A QUARTERFINALS 24-17

ST. LOUIS -- The beginning was as auspicious as Scott City High's football team could have wished for in its Class 2A quarterfinal game Monday night against Lutheran North.

But the Rams' 10-0 first-quarter lead quickly melted as Lutheran North used its superior speed and the big plays it created to roll up 24 unanswered points. The Crusaders then held on for a 24-17 victory at Moss Field in Webster Groves.

"They had a little more speed than us," said Scott City coach Terry Flannigan. "They just had some good athletes and they had some big plays.

"We played in spurts and they played in spurts," he continued, "and their spurt just lasted a little longer than ours. You saw two good ballclubs and you saw them fight it out."

The game began about 40 minutes after the scheduled kickoff of 7 because of an electrical problem that forced the teams to play without a functioning scoreboard and under barely sufficient lighting.

But Scott City (10-2) began the game with a flourish. After forcing Lutheran North (10-2) to punt in its first possession, runs of 14 and 10 yards from Matt Underwood, who rushed for 93 yards in 22 attempts, and a 17-yard pass from quarterback Lance Amick to Underwood set up Lucas Ward's 30-yard field goal. After throwing the ball just three times in the first half, Amick for the game completed 13 of 25 passes for 106 yards.

On the Crusaders' ensuing possession, Brandon Amick intercepted an Aaron Mueller pass and raced 25 yards untouched down the left sideline for a score. Amick's eighth interception this season made the score 10-0 after the extra point.

But in its next possession, Lutheran North supplied a hint of the explosiveness that would doom the Rams. After a 20-yard run from Mike Irving, a bruising 185-pound tailback who rushed for 93 yards in 15 carries, Jon Purcell kicked a 37-yard field goal early in the second quarter. And quarterback Aaron Mueller shortly found his passing touch as he found Andy Gibson for a 23-yard gain that moved the Crusaders to the Scott City 7 before hitting a wide-open Lorenzo Scott to tie the game at 10-10 after the extra point.

Two big plays then put Lutheran North ahead 17-10 seconds before halftime. Taking over on the Scott City 49, Irving broke open a 25-yard gain on a draw play. Mueller then found Scott again in the endzone, this time on pass of 24 yards.

"We've been pretty explosive," said Lutheran North coach Jim Manion. "We don't score a bunch of points, but we can get some now and then.

"I think the big thing was we kind of settled down, and when we came back and scored, that said to them, 'Hey we're OK.'"

The Crusaders struck swiftly in the second half as Mueller connected with Gibson on an 81-yard touchdown that pushed them ahead 24-10.

After Scott City largely abandoned its running game, it answered with a score as Amick, playing with a broken thumb on his throwing hand, completed six passes in a 56-yard, 12-play drive that he capped with a 1-yard TD on a keeper.

Lutheran North threatened to score again but Mueller fumbled the ball on the Scott City 35 and the Rams recovered with about five minutes remaining. But faced with a fourth-and-five situation with the ball on their own 46 and less than three minutes to go, an attempted trick play failed as Brandon Amick, who moved to quarterback from wide receiver for the play, threw errantly on a pass behind the line of scrimmage to Lance Amick.

"We worked on it almost every few weeks except the last few weeks," Flannigan said. "We knew we didn't have a lot of time left and we put ourselves in a position there where you have to live with what happens."

Scott City had one last chance with seconds remaining but Lance Amick was intercepted on a desperation pass.