EAST PRAIRIE, Mo. -- Led by senior running back Garett Schaefer, Scott City had rumbled for nearly 700 yards rushing in its first two games of the season.

The Rams' running game found a new gear -- reverse -- against East Prairie on Friday night.

Scott City rushers were held to negative yardage in the first quarter and mounted just 80 yards on the night as East Prairie won 37-23.

The Rams moved backward on their first possession, and it didn't get much better the remainder of the half, which ended with East Prairie leading 23-7.

Schaefer, who had eclipsed 200 yards in each of his two previous games, was tackled for a 3-yard loss on his first carry and did not get into positive net yardage until his seventh carry of the game in the second quarter.

Scott City running back Alex Eichhorn tries to get around East Prairie's Aaron Miller during the first quarter Friday in East Prairie, Mo. (CHRIS POBST ~ Sikeston Standard Democrat)

"We came out flat and they came out fired up," Schaefer said. "They rolled over us pretty good in the first half. We just couldn't recuperate from it. We came out better the second half, but it just wasn't enough."

Four of the Rams' first seven running plays lost yardage on their first three possessions, which ended in two punts and a safety.

"It was ugly from the beginning," Schaefer said.

Scott City lost 7 yards on nine rushing plays in the first quarter, while East Prairie grinded out 106 yards behind the running of seniors Zach Shipman and Aaron Miller. Shipman had 71 yards rushing and two touchdowns while Miller added 35 yards in the first quarter.

Shipman sandwiched scoring runs of 1 and 3 yards around a sack of Rams quarterback Jamie Scholz in the end zone for a 15-0 lead by the end of the first quarter.

Scott City's Heath Pobst tries to tackle East Prairie running back Zach Shipman during Friday's game.

"I don't know what happened to us," said Scott City coach Jim May, who saw his team fall to 1-2. "We came out and we weren't as ready to play as they were, and they just whooped our butts up front. That's the first time I've said that all year.

"I really thought we were ready to play. I thought we were ready to play until we arrived here. I don't know if it was the moment or the intensity of it, but we shrunk from the challenge."

East Prairie's worst starting point on its six first-half possessions was its own 47. It started inside Rams territory four times. In addition to the first-half field position, the Eagles mounted 206 yards of offense to Scott City's 33. East Prairie had 15 first downs to just three for Scott City.

"The first half they came out to battle and we didn't," Scott City senior linebacker Hunter Griffith said. "That's all it was. From the first snap we looked like a bunch of deer in the headlights.

"This whole week we've been getting pumped up and practicing hard. We really wanted it, but we played like we didn't. Next week we're going to come back where we need to be."

Schaefer, who ran for a career-high 261 yards a week earlier against St. Vincent, had 11 yards at halftime and finished with 39 yards on 14 carries.

"We focused on him all night long," East Prairie coach Jason Aycock said. "We said if we could hold him to under 100 yards that we could win the game. We didn't care how much they passed the ball. We wanted to hold him to under 100 yards. Our defense came up huge."

Schaefer did find a way to spark Scott City to its only points of the first half, returning the kickoff after Shipman's second touchdown to East Prairie's 15. Alex Eichhorn scored from the 1 five plays later. Schaefer added the kick as Scott City trailed 15-7 with 10 minutes, 50 seconds left in the second quarter.

East Prairie's next two possessions ended on downs at the Scott City 4 as the Rams, despite their problems, remained just eight points off the lead as they took possession with 2:56 left in the half. The possession lasted four plays, ending in an interception by East Prairie's Shawn King at the Rams' 24.

The Eagles scored with 37 seconds remaining on a 5-yard run by Miller. Shipman ran in the conversion for a 23-7 halftime lead.

"Our O-line, I felt like they controlled most of the game, and our defense was getting a push," said Miller, who finished with a team-high 116 yards on 16 carries.

East Prairie (2-1) increased the lead to 30-7 midway through the third quarter on a 39-yard play-action pass from Connor Scott to Phillip Latomondeer.

Scott City countered with a 9-yard scoring pass from Scholz to Austin Atchley on its next possession. The Rams turned to the air with success in the fourth quarter, scoring 10 points to cut the gap to 30-23. Schaefer hauled in a 49-yard scoring pass with 8:01 left, then kicked a 22-yard field goal with 1:24 remaining.

However, after the field goal, Latomondeer fielded an onside kick on one hop near midfield and returned it for a touchdown to seal the win for East Prairie.

Eichhorn led the Rams with 43 yards rushing on 15 carries. The Rams averaged less than three yards per carry. Scholz completed 10 of 17 passes for 137 yards. Atchley finished with six catches for 98 yards.

Scott City 0 7 6 10 -- 23

East Prairie 15 8 7 7 -- 37

First Quarter

EP -- Zach Shipman 1 run, J.T. Aycock kick, 7:47

EP -- Safety (Michael Russell tackle in end zone), 4:07

EP -- Shipman 3 run, run fails, 1:17

Second Quarter

SC -- Alex Eichhorn 1 run, Garett Schaefer kick, 10:50

EP -- Aaron Miller 5 run, Miller run, :37

Third Quarter

EP -- Phillip Latomondeer 39 pass from Connor Scott, Aycock kick, 7:50

SC -- Austin Atchley 9 pass from Jamie Scholz, kick fails, 3:06

Fourth Quarter

SC -- Schaefer 49 pass from Scholz, Schaefer kick, 8:01

SC -- Schaefer 22 FG, 1:24

EP -- Latomondeer 50 return, Aycock kick, 1:18

SC EP

First downs 13 20

Rushes-yards 28-80 39-214

Passing yards 137 116

Passes 10-17-1 5-7-0

Punts 4-23.5 1-24

Fumbles-Lost 2-1 3-2

Penalties-Yards 4-21 4-40

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

RUSHING -- Scott City, Eichhorn 15-43, Schaefer 14-39, Scholz 5-(-21), Travis Phillips 4-19; East Prairie, Dalton Golightly 4-9, Shipman 13-80, Miller 16-116, Aycock 4-9, Scott 2-0

PASSING -- Scott City, Scholz 10-17-137-1; East Prairie, Scott 5-7-116--0

RECEIVING -- Scott City, Corey Rogers 2-16, Atchley 6-98, Eichhorn 1-0, Schaefer 1-49; East Prairie, Shipman 1-12, Aycock 3-65, Latomondeer 1-39.