HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL: RAMS' DISTRICT REIGN ENDS IN CHARLESTON

CHARLESTON, Mo. -- The Scott City Rams, seeking a three-peat as Class 2A, District 2 football champion, were denied by the Charleston Bluejays 34-21 on Friday night.

Charleston (4-6) advances to the sectional round where it will face Malden while Scott City concludes its season at 7-3.

Scott City, unable to stop a Charleston ground attack led by tailback Jordy Mixon, fell to an early 6-0 deficit on a 13-yard blast up the middle by Mixon on Charleston's first possession, on a fourth-and-10 play.

Early in the second quarter, with the Bluejay line beating the Rams at the line of scrimmage, Mixon broke another run for a 21-yard touchdown. Once again a big fourth-down run for 10 yards by Mixon kept the Charleston drive alive. A two-point conversion gave the Jays a 14-0 lead.

On the other side of the ball, Charleston's defense was getting the job done, also.

Scott City, on limited chances, could not get its offense untracked. The Rams failed to record a play for positive yardage until the five-minute mark of the second quarter on a 7-yard run by Brad Glenn.

With the clock winding down in the second quarter, Charleston quarterback Dante Clark dropped back to pass, pulled the ball down and rambled for a 41-yard touchdown to extend the lead to 21-0.

The third quarter saw Scott City get it going with a 68-yard touchdown pass from Michael O'Brien to Jacob Ressel. Andrew Estes' extra point narrowed the margin to 21-7.

But, almost before the fans could get back in their seats, Mixon took a handoff and raced into the end zone on a 71-yard gallop to put the Bluejays up 28-7.

The Rams tried to stage a comeback in the fourth quarter, pulling to 28-21. A 32-yard tackle-breaking touchdown run by Marcus Klund and an O'Brien sneak from the 1-yard line with about 5:30 to go put Scott City in position to make a final run at Charleston.

The Bluejays, coached by former Scott City player Brent Anderson, were not about to fold, however. They converted another big fourth-and-1 situation and culminated their final scoring drive on a 5-yard scamper into the corner of the end zone by Clark with about two minutes left to ensure the victory.