Scott City's Schaefer brothers: The little running backs that could

Garett Schaefer had big shoes to fill when it came to being Scott City's next small running back.

At 5 foot 7 and 122 pounds, the senior is about 100 pounds and several inches shy of the protypical model of a high school running back.

His size is at the extreme end of the spectrum and at one point hindered his playing time.

"I never got much playing time in middle school," Schaefer said. "I mean, I'm still tiny, but I was even tinier back then. I'm glad our coaches finally gave me a chance to show them what I can do."

At Scott City High School, small stature and the accompanying surname of Schaefer was more a selling point than a hindrance. In fact, it increased the expectations since Garett's older brother, Matt, had assembled an all-state senior season in 2004.

Scott City's Garett Schaefer outruns St. Vincent's Derek Joggerst, bottom, and Justin Breig for a touchdown during their game earlier this month in Perryville, Mo. Schaefer ran for a career-high 261 yards in the game. (Kristin Eberts)

Matt seemingly had defied the laws of football physics when he dashed for 1,577 yards and 18 touchdowns as a 5-5, 145-pound senior, topping 100 yards in all 10 games. That followed a junior year where he rushed for 1,244 yards.

"I grew up and I watched him," Garett said. "He was pretty good at it, and I guess people were expecting me to be good at it when I grew up."

Meeting expectations has not been a problem for Garett. While carrying less weight than his older brother, he's been blessed with more speed. He finished third in the 200 meters at the Class 2 track championships as a junior, and he's combined that speed with balance, vision and instinctive cutting ability.

In Schaefer's 205-yard performance in this year's season opener, a 47-41 overtime loss to Malden, senior receiver Corey Rogers had a first-row seat as he sat out the game with an injury. One play stood out to Rogers, and it wasn't even one of Schaefer's three touchdowns.

"He made a spin move off the first kid and then juked the second kid and about took it to the house," Rogers said. "It was just so quick how he transitioned from one move to the next. It was amazing."

Schaefer ran for a career-high 261 yards a week later in a win against St. Vincent, leaving Indians coach Paul Sauer shaking his head.

"He puts on a show," Sauer said at the time. "He made some of them look pretty foolish, grabbing for air."

Scott City coach Jim May has seen Schaefer repeatedly humble would-be tacklers in his two years with the Rams.

"He has the ability to cut at full speed," May said. "He gets to full speed in just a couple steps. When he makes some moves and accelerates, well the defender has to make that same move and he can't accelerate as fast, and he gets away from him."

East Prairie held Schaefer to less than 40 yards in a Rams loss, but he ran for 117 yards against Dexter last week, another loss that dropped the Rams to 1-3.

He has 622 yards rushing and averages 6.9 yards per attempt entering tonight's game against rival Chaffee (1-3).

May said Schaefer's small frame sometimes is an advantage, noting that the running back is hard to locate behind the line.

"Most kids his size don't even play football," May said. "You hear all the time, 'I'm too little. I'll get hurt.' And he exemplifies what a small guy can do.

"He plays hard every down and gives you everything he's got. He throws around his body like he's a 220-pound running back, and he's a 120-pound running back. He's not afraid to hit you. He just plays with a passion that more kids need."

Running back gene

Matt Schaefer possessed the same feistiness, and it's apparently a family trait.

Matt said his father, Ron, was about his size in high school and played nose guard for the Rams.

Matt went on to play Division III football at Illinois College, where he started at running back for two seasons before tearing a rotator cuff and missing his senior season. He graduated in May and has been able to catch his younger brother's games on a regular basis for the first time.

"People come up and say he looks just like you when you were out there running," Matt said. "It's nice to see him running out there like that."

Garett hears similar comparisons.

"People say that I'm a lot like him," he said. "I'm a little bit faster, but he had the ability to run a few more people over. I'm a little more elusive than he was."

While Matt tended to lower a shoulder more often, he quite often spots shared genes.

"Especially when he's cutting back and going across the field," Matt said. "I can definitely see the similarities. I was bigger than he was in high school, but I wasn't huge by any standard. He's probably faster than me, but I had a bit more weight on me."

Garett enjoys a bit of trash talking with his older brother.

"I'm a lot faster," Garett said with a grin.

And Matt is more than a target for some good-natured ribbing. He has a few family records that Garett would like to get his hands on.

"He has a lot of influence," Garett said. "I really want to go beat his record, like over 1,500 yards and 149 points. So that gives me something to strive for other than districts and wanting to go to state. It's a little more personal.

"It's a friendly rivalry. He's one of my best friends. But I'd just really like to beat him just to rub his nose in it here and there."

In regard to his family bragging rights, Matt generally gives his brother the same stiff-arm treatment he gave to would-be tacklers on the field. He often returns the grief.

He's quick to note his brother weighs nowhere near the 140 pounds listed in the program.

"He's 122 soaking wet," Matt said.

And he took a jab at his younger brother's new commitment to weights this year.

"You wouldn't be able to tell because he hasn't gained a pound," Matt said. "He's tried. He's stronger than what he was and what he looks. He could eat a Big Mac and fries three times a day and he wouldn't gain a pound."

But Matt is just as quick to put away the chiding.

"I hope he has a really good senior season," Matt said. "I know he gives me grief here and there, how he's going do this and this. I'm like, 'We'll see. You got a long season.' But he's doing really good. But yeah, I'd like to see him do good."

And to that end, he tries to impart a few words of wisdom or reminders about a previous encounter before a game.

"I just try to help him out, maybe try to help him stay calm or something like that so he doesn't get so frustrated, but whatever he takes in I don't know because he's still in high school," Matt said.

The Chaffee game

Garett got his first taste of varsity as a sophomore with most of the experience coming on defense. However, he did score his first varsity touchdown against rival Chaffee in mop-up duty in the 2008 season. It helped the Rams avoid a shutout in a 28-6 loss on their home field.

Scott City made amends last season with a 27-6 victory in Chaffee. Garett rushed for 169 yards and scored two touchdowns. It was one of only two wins in a season in which Garett ran for 1,052 yards.

In a heated rivalry, that can make a success of an otherwise dismal season. Or vice-versa, as Ron Schaefer has found out.

"We give him a lot of crap because he lost to Chaffee his senior year," Matt said of his father.

Their mother, Patty, is a Chaffee graduate, whom Matt said stays true to her school on any week the Red Devils are not playing Scott City.

Matt said he will be pulling hard for his brother this week, knowing that a lifetime of grief is at stake.

"I hope he does really good against Chaffee," Matt said. "It's a rivalry game, that no matter what they do, they will always remember."

Matt remembers his senior game against Chaffee, one that he refers to as the best game of his high school career. He rushed for 189 yards and scored five touchdowns in a 47-20 victory.

"I can have 40 yards this game, as long as we win," Garett said. "That's what I'd be happy about. Because I don't want to have a 200-yard game and lose to Chaffee my senior year. I'd rather just get the W."