Red Bud nips Scott City football team with late TD

Quarterback Brandyn Fadler scored on a 10-yard touchdown run with 55 seconds remaining to lead the Red Bud, Illinois, Musketeers to a 36-34 win over the Scott City Rams in a football game Friday at Scott City High School.

Red Bud running back Dustin Sauer finished with a game-high 226 rushing yards and four touchdowns on 28 carries.

His first score came early in the first quarter on a 2-yard run that gave Red Bud (3-4) a 6-0 lead less than a minute into the game.

Scott City (3-5) responded later in the quarter with a 7-yard touchdown run by Caleb Sykes. Quarterback Braden Cox connected with Drew Short on the two-point conversion to give the Rams an 8-6 lead at the 4:22 mark of the quarter.

An 89-yard run by Sauer quickly reclaimed the lead for Red Bud less than a minute later, but Sykes capped off the Rams' ensuing drive with a 1-yard touchdown run to put Scott City back on top 14-12 heading into the second quarter.

Sykes finished with 17 carries for 116 yards and a pair of scores.

Cox ran for a team-high 194 yards on 36 carries and scored the first of his two touchdowns on an 11-yard run with 1:53 remaining in the first half to give the Rams a 20-12 advantage.

Scott City added another score just before halftime as Cox hooked up with wide receiver Austin Spriggs on a 3-yard pass. Cox and Short connected again on the two-point conversion, giving the Rams a 28-12 lead at the break.

"We had a nice lead at halftime. We came out flat in the second half and gave up three scores before we even answered the bell," Scott City coach Jim May said. "The kids played hard all night."

The Rams turned the ball over twice in the second half, and Red Bud took advantage.

Sauer scored on runs of 1 and 53 yards in the third quarter, cutting the Musketeers' lead to 28-24 heading into the fourth quarter.

Fadler ran in from 11 yards out with 11:43 remaining in the game, but Scott City responded to regain the lead on a 12-yard touchdown run by Cox. The two-point conversion pass failed, but the Rams led 34-30 with 4:22 left in the game.

Despite the loss, May said he was pleased with the way his team was able to run the ball.

"They're a little bit bigger of a school. We didn't know much about them and didn't know what to expect," said May, who also noted that penalties plagued his team throughout the game. "It took us a little while to get adjusted."

Cox finished 5 of 21 passing for 52 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions. Drew Short led the Rams in receiving with three receptions for 33 yards.

Jake Elders led Scott City's defense with 17 total tackles.

The Rams return to action Saturday against host Perryville.

Jefferson 19, Chaffee 0

Despite a six-point deficit at halftime, the Jefferson Blue Jays added 13 points in the second half and came away with a 19-0 victory over the visiting Chaffee Red Devils, who remain winless on the season.

Jefferson (4-4) finished with 349 total yards of offense and scored on a 24-yard pass in the second quarter, a 5-yard pass in the third quarter and a 5-yard run in the fourth quarter.

Chaffee (0-7) amassed 138 yards of offense, led by 86 rushing yards on 10 carries from Jake Perkins.

Perkins also led the Red Devils on defense with 10 tackles, while Kendall Eads added eight.

Chaffee closes out its regular season next week at home against Kelly.

Windsor 38, Perryville 21

The Pirates dropped to 2-6 on the season with their road loss to Windsor (3-5).