Rams continue to run wild under new coach, enter ‘Green Game’ 1-0

No matter who is coaching the Scott City Rams.

No matter who starts at quarterback.

The one constant is the “Roamer” will take the handoff and go far.

After Tyson Underwood rushed for over 1,000 yards his senior year, his younger cousin, Rustyn Underwood, took the reigns and impressed in his first varsity start at running back.

Underwood rushed for 280 yards and two touchdowns as the Rams grounded the East Prairie Eagles 22-0 to start the 2024 season on Aug. 30 in East Prairie, Mo. As a team, the Rams rushed for a total of 364 yards. New head coach Brian Beaubien originally planned for a well-balanced attack, but once he realized the run game was working to near perfection, he left the Rams’ stampede on cruise control.

“We kind of had a pretty wide gameplan,” Beaubien said. “Early in the first quarter, a lot of that got put on the shelf when we figured out we could run it pretty well, so we just kept doing that. I’m one of those coaches that when something’s working well, I keep doing it.”

As impressed as he was at Underwood’s rushing performance, Beaubien prefers the running back by committee approach for the sake of spreading out the opportunities his players have of being tackled.

“Rustyn ran the ball pretty well,” Beaubien said. “We got to do some things to get some other guys some carries. I can’t remember how many times he carried, upper 20s, I think that’s too many times.”

New junior quarterback Jackson Gloth scampered quite a bit in his first start under center, including a 38-yard touchdown run. Having a duel-threat quarterback has now become vital to any offense’s success, but Beaubien has also expressed caution on the number of times Gloth scrambles out of the pocket.

“I didn’t really want to run Gloth a lot,” Beaubien said, “trying not to have taken too many hits when they’re not necessary.”

Gloth didn’t have many opportunities to throw the ball, totaling only 57 yards passing and a pair of interceptions. While the potential is there, the potency of the passing game remains a mystery at Scott City.

“Gloth is a great athlete,” Beaubien said. His upside is limitless as a quarterback, but he’s still learning how to be a quarterback.”

On the other side of the ball, the Ram's defense held the Eagles to a total of 127 yards. A lot of holes needed to be filled over the summer and the underclassmen who started last year have shown signs of improvement. Sophomore linebacker Lane Miller set the tone for the Scotty City shutout with a first-quarter interception.

“The kids have done a good job at adapting to the changes and I felt like we played really well,” Beaubien said. “I don’t know if it’s totally rebuilt yet. We’re going to face some more dynamic offenses than what that offense was. So we’re definitely going to get tested on that side of the ball pretty quick.”

As a tradition, Scott City holds its annual Green Out game in the home opener, honoring the late Dominic Hooper, a Scott City student who was tragically killed in an ATV accident in 2014. Hooper's parents, Chris and Sarah Snider, chose to donate his organs which went to five different recipients.

The game, entering its 11th installment, is held to raise awareness for organ donation. This season, the Rams welcome the Kelly Hawks on Friday, Sept. 6, at 7 p.m. Beaubien is still new to the community and its traditions but is aware of how important it is to win this specific game, which they have each time, and to not lose to their rivals.

“Kelly doesn't like Scott City and Scott City doesn't like Kelly is my understanding of it all,” Beaubien said. “Then you add the Green Game on top of that, there'll be a lot of emotions this week.”