SCOTT CITY SMOTHERS RED DEVILS

SCOTT CITY -- Smothering and suffocating. Stifling like your car's interior after hours in southeast Missouri midsummer, midday broil -- with the windows rolled up and the air conditioner off.

That was Scott City High's defense during Friday night's homecoming football game against Chaffee.

The Rams (4-1) shackled Chaffee to minus-8 yards of total offense and sailed to a 41-0 victory.

"We tried to step up and take on Goliath," said Chaffee coach Brian Horrell, "but we just didn't get it done."

The numbers paint the picture. After handcuffing the Red Devils to 13 yards of total offense in the first half, Chaffee's output waned from there. Chaffee advanced no farther that its own 47 and produced no play from scrimmage of more than eight yards.

"The defense did great," said Scott City junior linebacker Matt Underwood, who scored three touchdowns on the other side of the ball.

"If I was grading, I'd say ... defensively about an A-minus," said Scott City coach Terry Flannigan. "I'm glad our defense stayed heads-up and swarmed the football and did a pretty decent job."

Meanwhile, Flannigan said Scott City's offense merited a C-plus -- despite yielding 306 yards of total offense.

"We need to dominate just a little more," Flannigan said. "We didn't control that line of scrimmage like I like. So we're going to go to work real hard this week -- real, real hard."

Taking over on its own 48 on its first possession, Scott City promptly proceeded 52 yards in five plays, capped by Terry Enderle's 10-yard blast. Four possessions later, after Josh Braun's interception, Underwood burst 15 yards up the gut 9:26 before halftime.

A minute later, Enderle's 30-yard dash set up another touchdown run from Underwood, this one of seven yards, and Scott City led 21-0 at the intermission.

Underwood wasn't finished. He snatched the second-half opening kick and weaved 85 yards for a score. Then, after Chaffee's ensuing possession, in which a bad punt snap rolled within two yards of the Red Devils' end zone, quarterback Lance Amick's keeper pushed the score to 28-0 after the successful point after.

The final score came on a 1-yard push from reserve Josh Heisserer and culminated a 74-yard drive with 6:02 remaining.

Amick, a senior, completed 3 of 7 passes for 49 yards, all to Brandon Amick.

Scott City's terrific twosome of Underwood and Enderle hammered out a combined 267 yards rushing. Underwood amassed 176 yards on 12 carries; Enderle 91 on 10 tries.

The Rams, who are ranked No. 8 in Class 2A, have now beaten Chaffee 12 times in succession.