Rams ground Eagles 70-28 to reach C2D1 title game

An overwhelming matchup was correctly predicted but in the opposite direction.

The Scott City Rams came to New Madrid County Central and grounded the Eagles 70-28 in the Class 2 District 1 semifinal game on Friday, Nov. 3, in New Madrid, Missouri. It is the first time all season that the Rams have scored 70 points.

“It feels really good because at the beginning of the season, everyone thought we were gonna be bad, we were gonna do nothing because we lost all of our seniors,” said Scott City senior linebacker Blake Wilburn.

With the win, the Rams will take on Valle Catholic for a chance to win their first district title since 2019. The Rams went from 11-2 in 2019 to 5-5 in 2020. After losing a big senior class that won nine games in 2021 and 2022, a similar drop-off was expected.

Instead, the current class of seniors banded together and formed an identity of their own.

“I think it was a challenge of stepping up,” Scott City senior running back Tyson, “Roamer” Underwood said. “Who wants to fill that role? If you don’t want to fill that role you’re gonna be replaced by an underclassman. There’s so many guys that have a chip on their shoulder because they haven’t played in high school.”

That couldn’t be truer for the defense. The Rams spent the summer and early weeks trying to piece a defense together with a linebacker trio of Blake Wilburn, Ian Weber, and Lawson Graff, and piecing together a secondary with Nathan Ham and Torrin Johnson. It paid off this season, and this week especially, for the group head coach Jim May once described as “pluggers”. Ham picked off the Eagles quarterback twice and Wilburn took his interception to the end zone for a touchdown in the fourth quarter.

“We’re really experienced as a team,” Wilburn said. “We have a lot of chemistry together so we’re clicking on all cylinders.”

Senior quarterback Mark Panagos led the Rams with 155 rushing yards and 109 passing yards, totaling nine touchdowns. Underwood also rushed for 138 yards and a touchdown, which brought his season total to 20.

“We just pounded up the middle and chipped away each time,” Underwood said. “We broke one free every once in a while and we scored a lot.”

After a full season of Panagos and Underwood putting up video game numbers, it was finally time for the offensive line to get their due.

“The offensive line was big tonight,” Underwood said. “Pass protection was fantastic. The holes were fantastic. Credit to them, they won this game for us.”

The Eagles were led by running back Ty Williams, who rushed for 197 yards and scored two touchdowns. One of his scores came on the first drive of the game. Scott City instantly responded with a 12-yard TD by Panagos.

NMCC freshman quarterback Nolan Mungle threw a 62-yard touchdown pass to AJ Ruff to retake the lead for the Eagles. Ruff finished with 101 receiving yards.

The Rams came back with a trick pass from Panagos to Jackson Gloth and then back to Panagos for a 28-yard touchdown to keep the game tied at 14-14 in the first quarter.

“We knew they would go with me in motion,” Gloth said. “We faked it, got as far as I could out, tossed it back to Mark and he ran for a touchdown.”

The Rams created some separation later in the first half as Panagos ran for a quick score and threw a 12-yard touchdown pass to Lane Miller to put Scott City up 28-14.

Charlie Ressano got the Eagles back in the game momentarily with a five-yard touchdown run in the second quarter.

The Rams closed the first half with a 30-yard touchdown pass from Panagos to Gloth and then opened the second half with a scoring drive that started with an onside kick recovery and ended with a one-yard score by the senior single-caller. Panagos found the end zone two times before the Eagles broke the scoring streak with a 19-yard touchdown run by Williams.

Wilbrun’s pick-six and Underwood’s benchmark clearing score iced the game for the Rams.

With the win, the Rams have now won nine games for the third year in a row, but it’s the first time since 2021 that they will play for a district championship. They will challenge Valle Catholic, a team that has won nine games in a row and recently dispatched Caruthersville 56-14 on Friday.

With the loss, NMCC’s season ends at 9-2 for the second consecutive season. Senior quarterback BJ Williamson was kept off the field for disciplinary reasons. Mungle finished the game with 189 yards, one touchdown, and three interceptions.

Senior receiver Jadis Jones, who committed to playing at Coastal Carolina at the start of the season, saw minimal targets and only gained 43 yards on five receptions in his last game.