Red Devils romp, remain undefeated

CHAFFEE, Mo. -- The Chaffee football team entered its game against arch rival Scott City as an overwhelming favorite for the first time in forever.

If the Red Devils felt any pressure because of that, it sure didn't show.

"Pretty normal," Chaffee senior running back/linebacker Jimmy Golden said of how the Red Devils approached the matchup. "We were just ready to play our game."

Chaffee's game was way too much for the visiting Rams, who were blistered 51-16 in front of an overflow crowd at Mark Whitaker Memorial Field.

"We dropped the hammer," Golden said with a smile.

The Red Devils have dropped the hammer on all five of their opponents so far this year as they are off to their first 5-0 start since the 1969 squad began the season 6-0.

"It's pretty awesome since we haven't done it since 1969," senior wide receiver/linebacker Devon Yahn said.

Chaffee has outscored the opposition 225-72 and its closest margin of victory is 17 points. The Red Devils are 3-0 in SEMO South Conference play.

"Our whole team played really well," junior quarterback Peyton Montgomery said. "We were focused all week. We knew Scott City was going to come out fired up."

The Red Devils broke a two-game losing streak to Scott City, but they have won four of the past seven meetings after ending a streak of 21 straight losses in the series.

"It feels very nice," Yahn said about beating the Rams.

Chaffee linebacker Tyler Bollinger drags Scott City running back Gordy Bradley down by his face mask during the Red Devils’ 51-16 win over the Rams Friday, Sept. 27, at Chaffee High School. Chaffee is 5-0 this season. (Adam Vogler)

Chaffee coach Charlie Vickery, the quarterback on that 1969 Red Devils team, said the game felt much closer than the 35-point margin. Part of that was probably because the Red Devils outgained the Rams in total yardage only slightly -- 300 to 285.

"We're just glad to get the win," said Vickery, who was honored on the field before the game for recently notching his 200th win in a career that has featured success at both Sikeston and Chaffee, his alma mater. "Scott City is young but they did some good things."

Scott City coach Jim May, whose inexperienced squad fell to 1-4 overall and 1-2 in SEMO South Conference play, said mistakes continue to haunt his team.

The Rams had two interceptions returned for touchdowns and allowed Chaffee to play on a short field most of the night.

Two of Chaffee's first-half touchdown drives covered only 34 and 39 yards after a pair of punts that totaled just 24 yards.

"It's been the story of our year," May said. "We're still making mistakes we can't make against a good team, and they're a good team."

May pointed out that mistakes were not the only thing to haunt the Rams. Chaffee's physical lines also took their toll.

"They just whipped us up front. That set the tone for the entire game," May said.

Chaffee, which scored the game's first 22 points and led 30-8 at halftime, got its usual strong performance from their offensive field general.

Montgomery threw three touchdown passes and three 2-point conversion passes. He also ran for a 1-yard score and kicked a PAT.

"He's an awesome quarterback," said Yahn, who caught first-half touchdown passes covering 51 and 34 yards as he finished with three receptions for 91 yards.

Montgomery, who completed 9 of 13 for 162 yards, said it's almost an unfair advantage for the Red Devils when an opponent presents them with consistently short fields like Scott City did.

"Fifty yards, with our offense, we score in a minute," said Montgomery, who added: "I thought our offensive line stepped up huge."

Senior wide receiver Layton Tenkhoff hauled in a 38-yard TD pass and caught all three of the conversions from Montgomery.

Golden scored two touchdowns, on a 10-yard run and a 62-yard interception return to complete the night's scoring late in the third quarter.

"Our defense has stepped up huge compared to last year," Montgomery said.

Chaffee's defense actually started the rout after Scott City stopped the Red Devils on downs inside the 25-yard line during their first possession.

Scott City took over on its 24-yard line. One rush went for no gain, then senior defensive back Storm Estes intercepted his third pass in the past two weeks.

Estes converted the pick into a 30-yard touchdown with 5 minutes, 18 seconds left in the opening period. A conversion pass to Tenkhoff made it 8-0.

"That was a big play early in the game," Vickery said.

Montgomery's 1-yard sneak and conversion pass to Tenkhoff late in the quarter made it 16-0.

Montgomery found Yahn streaking down the right sideline for a 51-yard touchdown early in the second quarter as Chaffee opened up a 22-0 lead.

Scott City gave its fans something to cheer about on the ensuing possession when senior running back Gordy Bradley broke loose for a 44-yard touchdown. Freshman quarterback Braden Cox's conversion run cut Chaffee's deficit to 22-8.

Montgomery and Yahn hooked up again late in the half on a similar play down the right sideline from 34 yards out. A conversion pass to Tenkhoff made it 30-8 at the break.

Chaffee scored on the opening possession of the third quarter, Montgomery hitting Tenkhoff with a 38-yard strike down the left sideline and senior Charlie Montgomery running in the conversion for a 38-8 bulge.

The Rams answered on their next possession, Cox sneaking over from 1 yard out and throwing a conversion pass to sophomore wideout Isiah Berry.

"They played hard," Vickery said, complimenting Scott City's effort.

The Rams had a chance to make things semi-interesting when senior defensive back Skyler Bewley intercepted a pass seconds after Scott City scored.

But Chaffee senior linebacker Tyler Bollinger recovered a fumble and then the Red Devils put things out of reach.

Golden scored on a 10-yard run with three minutes left in the third quarter, then Golden produced his 62-yard interception return with just 48 seconds remaining in the period.

The entire fourth quarter was played with a running clock -- used when the margin is 35 points or more -- as both teams cleared their benches.

"We did some good things, but I still don't think we've played our best game," said Vickery, which might be a scary thought for future Chaffee opponents. "There are things we need to work on."

Both teams return to action Friday, Chaffee at East Prairie and Scott City at home against Portageville.

Scott City 0 8 8 0 -- 16

Chaffee 16 14 21 0 -- 51

First Quarter

C -- Storm Estes 30 interception return (Layton Tenkhoff pass from Peyton Montgomery), 5:18

C -- Peyton Montgomery 1 run (Tenkhoff pass from Peyton Montgomery), 1:14

Second Quarter

C -- Devon Yahn 51 pass from Peyton Montgomery (run failed), 10:13

SC -- Gordy Bradley 44 run (Braden Cox run), 7:52

C -- Yahn 34 pass from Peyton Montgomery (Tenkhoff pass from Peyton Montgomery), 2:58

Third Quarter

C -- Tenkhoff 38 pass from Peyton Montgomery (Charlie Montgomery run), 10:47

SC -- Cox 1 run (Isiah Berry pass from Cox), 5:51

C -- Jimmy Golden 10 run (kick blocked), 3:00

C -- Golden 62 interception return (Peyton Montgomery kick), :48

SC C

First downs 14 15

Rushes-yards 44-180 25-138

Passing yards 105 162

Passes 13-33-2 9-13-1

Punts 2-12 0

Fumbles-Lost 3-1 1-1

Penalties-Yards 5-45 5-25

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

RUSHING -- Scott City, Bradley 14-73, Zach Carlyle 13-55, Cox 14-49, Nick Bickings 2-3, Ty Wilthong 1-0. Chaffee, Golden 10-75, Peyton Montgomery 5-42, Charlie Montgomery 2-25, Logan Chapman 1-4, Brennen Miller 1-2, Thomas Robbins 1-1, Devon Nanny 2-minus 1, team 3-minus 10.

PASSING -- Scott City, Cox 12-24-2-95, Wilthong 1-7-0-10, Carlyle 0-2-0-0. Chaffee, Peyton Montgomery 9-13-1-162.

RECEIVING -- Scott City, Berry 5-45, Austin Spriggs 4-37, Skyler Bewley 3-19, Carlyle 1-4. Chaffee, Yahn 3-91, Tenkhoff 3-48, Charlie Montgomery 2-13, Golden 1-10.