Scott City bowls over rival Red Devils

CHAFFEE, Mo. -- Wade Keesee set the tone early for the Scott City football team against archrival Chaffee.

Keesee recovered a pair of first-quarter fumbles to help jumpstart the Rams in their 27-6 victory Friday night.

"I went in there trying to assist with the tackles," he said. "I kind of backed off because I knew the guy already was down. I saw the ball go out of his hands so I jumped on it -- natural instinct.

"It's great. You take it and stand up and you show the ball and it's the best feeling I've ever had."

The victory snapped Chaffee's two-game winning streak in the annual showdown between the schools. Scott City had won 21 consecutive meetings before Chaffee won the last two entering Friday.

The Chaffee Red Devils take the field for their homecoming game Friday.

"It's the best feeling I've had in a long time," Keesee said. "Personally, I think they deserved it. They've been talking a lot of smack. They've been making shirts about us."

The Rams attacked the Red Devils with time-munching drives in the opening half. Scott City held the ball for 15 minutes, 10 seconds to just 8:50 for Chaffee.

"They didn't do anything different than we worked on in practice," Chaffee senior Daniel Lawson said. "We just couldn't execute on defense and they were running it well."

The Rams gained 216 yards to 68 for the Red Devils in the opening half.

"We're notoriously slow starters and came out and got the big play early," Scott City coach Jim May said. "They turned the ball over twice and almost let us settle in and get going. That was a big help for us. To get those two turnovers was key in the game because it allowed us to settle into what we were going to do."

The Chaffee homecoming game against Scott City gets under way as the Red Devils kick off Friday in Chaffee, Mo. Scott City won the game 27-6. (Kit Doyle)

Scott City junior running back Garett Schaefer stole the offensive show for the Rams. He rushed for 169 yards on 23 carries and a pair of touchdowns.

"Garett is fast and he's tough," May said. "For 130 pounds, he's a fire plug, that I guarantee you. I'm real happy with what he's doing and how he's played."

Schaefer darted for the majority of yards on the Rams' second-quarter scoring drive that covered 96 yards and lasted 7:12. He carried four times for 55 yards, including a 31-yarder on fourth-and-2 to keep the drive going.

"For a small guy, he runs hard," Chaffee coach Charlie Vickery said. "The main thing we had trouble dealing with was his speed. We don't have a lot of speed ourselves. We knew once he got through the line of scrimmage we would be in trouble if we didn't get him before he got started."

Schaefer used his speed and quick moves to bolt around Chaffee defenders. When he'd go one-on-one against a defender, his jukes and stutter steps proved the difference.

Chaffee senior Nathan Cicardi tries to push away from Scott City senior defender Brandon Deprow during Friday's game.

"If I was small and slow, I don't think I'd be out here playing football," he said. "Speed is really important. It's what makes the running back I am."

Lawson said that the Red Devils tried to prepare for Schaefer's speed all week, even though it didn't show at times on the field.

"He's really shifty," Lawson said. "It's pretty hard to bring him down."

Scott City relied heavily on its running game. It rushed 49 times for 293 yards and four touchdowns. Alex Eichhorn provided a nice balance to Schaefer with 93 yards on seven carries and two touchdowns.

"We hoped to demolish them," Rams offensive lineman Zach Estes said. "It was a new coach and we wanted to get our first win for him on their homecoming on their home field."

Scott City's Wyatt Martin throws down Chaffee's Tyson Estes Friday in Chaffee. (Kit Doyle)

Keesee, who also plays on the offensive line, said Schaefer did a great job of making the line look good Friday.

"Our offensive line did the best they've done all year," Keesee said. "They were just making good blocks. We were chop blocking. We were focused. We were staying low, did what our coach told us all week."

Schaefer deflected the praise, instead choosing to credit the line for his success.

"The linemen really executed our run game well tonight," he said. "They opened up the holes for me."

The Red Devils started moving the ball better in the second half, mainly by attacking through the air. Quarterback Jordan Yahn threw 22 times and completed 13 of them after intermission. His big pass came after a pump fake when he heaved it to Mike Rutherford for a 23-yard touchdown.

Chaffee's Zach Dannenmueller is pulled down after a catch Friday. He finished with six receptions for 29 yards.

"What we don't want to get into is when we've been behind and have to throw the ball so much," Vickery said. "We need to rely more on the play-action and that sort of thing."

It was May's first win at his alma mater, but the second time in three years that he's been part of the Scott City vs. Chaffee game. He was an assistant at Chaffee before coaching at Perryville last season.

"When I was over there a couple years ago, it was a completely different emotion, but it was no less," May said about his time at Chaffee. "I wanted to win. I want to win no matter where I'm at. Playing in it, it was a big rivalry then and it's always going to be a big rivalry. It's a good rivlary, though. It's fun."

The Red Devils dropped to 1-3 with the loss, but perhaps the toughest part was who the loss came against.

"It's so hard," Lawson said. "It's one of the worst things to do around here, to lose to Scott City."

Chaffee quarterback Jordan Yahn fakes a handoff Friday, September 25, 2009, during the homecoming game against Scott City in Chaffee. (Kit Doyle)

Scott City 8 7 12 0 -- 27

Chaffee 0 0 0 6 -- 6

First Quarter

SC -- Garett Schaefer 22 run (Schaefer run), :34

Second Quarter

Scott City junior running back Alex Eichhorn tries to drag several Chaffee defenders during a run Friday.

SC -- Brandon Deprow 5 run (Alex Eichhorn kick), 3:43

Third Quarter

SC -- Deprow 2 run (kick failed), 2:19

SC -- Schaefer 26 run (kick failed), :32

Fourth Quarter

C -- Mike Rutherford 23 pass from Jordan Yahn (pass failed), 3:49

SC C

First downs 15 18

Rushes-yards 49-293 29-114

Passing yards 25 131

Passes 2-5-0 16-28-1

Punts 2-91 1-48

Fumbles-lost 2-0 2-2

Penalties-yards 9-87 5-39

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

RUSHING -- Scott City, Alex Eichhorn 7-93, Garett Schaefer 23-169, Brandon Deprow 13-33, Jamie Scholz 1-(minus 1), Jacob Underwood 1-1, Forest Copeland 1-(minus 1), A.J. Lawerence 1-0, Team 2-(minus 1). Chaffee, Nathan Cicardi 11-41, Daniel Lawson 4-28, Jordan Yahn 8-10, Tyson Estes 6-35.

PASSING -- Scott City, Jamie Scholz 2-5-25-0. Chaffee, Jordan Yahn 16-27-131-1.

RECEIVING -- Scott City, Corey Rogers 1-11, Alex Eichhorn 1-14. Chaffee, Mike Rutherford 9-91, Zach Dannenmueller 6-29, Nathan Cicardi 1-11.