Gridiron: Seniors Mark Panagos, Tyson Underwood lead the Rams' offensive charge

The rushing duo of Mark Panagos and Tyson Underwood powered the Scott City rushing attack on its way to a 9-2 record.

Now as seniors, expect them to lead the Rams' attack this season.

"It's gonna be fun," Panagos said. "They got to respect both of us."

"That connection is different," Underwood said. "Some of the things we do is just unbelievable, just because we're on the same level."

Underwood earned first-team All-Conference, first-team All-District, and first-team All-Region honors while rushing for over 1,200 yards on a torn labrum.

"I love running the ball," Underwood said. "I can impose my will and I can control what's going on."

"He's a very hardworking person," Pa-nagos said. "Now that he's fully healed, that's going to be tough to stop."

Underwood was a finalist for Comeback Player of the Year at the Semoball Awards.

"It taught me that anything can be taken away in a moment," Underwood said, "even by accident. It also taught me that with enough work and enough perseverance, you can still achieve success, even if it's not the most pleasant."

For Underwood, one decision the other way could've changed everything last year.

"I could have easily gone down with a doctor and had surgery, been out for the whole year," Underwood said.

Underwood's main motivation behind pushing through rehab during the season and playing through pain is wanting to enjoy the full experience of being a high school football player. Because once it's done, there is no going back.

"You only get four years of this," Underwood said. "Maybe I injured my body for the rest of my life but I will never have a regret playing that full year."

Panagos was the recipient of the E.E. “Bus” Carr Trophy after rushing for 1,100 yards and 23 touchdowns while also throwing for over 1,000 yards and nine touchdowns. He was also among the finalists for Football Offensive Player of the Year at the Semoball Awards.

Panagos has been a key weapon in the Rams' offense since his freshman year. He is used to keeping to himself in the locker room, but now he is among the handful of seniors that will be relied on to fill the leadership void.

"I want to make sure the underclassmen see what you got to do," Panagos said. "I'm not a talkative person, so I don't talk. That's my challenge. I got to talk.

"We need a lot of leaders," he added. "We're low on leaders. I just hope that everybody plays together because if we play together we'll be good."

Underwood and Panagos are continuing the cycle of high school football players accumulating varsity minutes and then passing down experiences to their younger teammates.

"Football is so much more than a physical game," Underwood said. "It's a mental game. All the little stuff like your vision and how you read defenses play so much into your success in this game. There's just so much little stuff that you learn throughout the four years of high school that you don't really realize until you play the game."