Rams' big pass plays beat rival Red Devils

Scott City beat Chaffee at their own game Friday night.

The passing game, that is.

On the strength of two big passing plays -- a 50-yard strike and a 20-yard touchdown pass, both to 6-foot-6 senior Chad Weatherspoon -- host Scott City squeaked out a 14-6 win over its Scott County rival.

Despite having three times as many runs as passes, it was the passing game that made the difference for Scott City (2-3). The Rams were limited to 112 yards rushing on 34 carries.

"Our passing game pulled us out tonight," Scott City coach Jason Burkman said. "We're gonna have to mix it up more this year."

For Chaffee (0-5) the passing game put up one big play, a 53-yard hook-and-ladder touchdown play from Sam Burnett to Nick Powderly to Brandon Davis. Overall, Burnett was 6-for-23 with 147 yards passing and two interceptions.

"We just weren't connecting tonight," Chaffee coach Allan Horrell said. "We just need to put it all together."

Chaffee was held to 54 yards rushing, and racked up 13 penalties, including three personal fouls.

Burkman said he was happy with the win, but said his team still has room to improve.

"To be 2-3 at this point is nice, but I feel we could be better," he said.

Playing against an undersized defensive backfield, Scott City quarterback Luke McClellan was able to put up several lofted passes to the much taller Weatherspoon.

"We're just having a really hard time getting it up the middle," Weatherspoon said. "So we tried a couple of passes and luckily I caught them."

Going into halftime the game was still up for grabs at 7-6. The momentum shifted to the Rams midway through the third quarter when a Chaffee touchdown was called back on a holding penalty.

Even after Scott City grabbed the lead on a 20-yard touchdown pass, Chaffee still had several chances to score. Both teams found a way to keep the other in the game, with each team penalized 12 or more times, and a total of six turnovers in the game.

Horrell said the play of his defense was a real bright spot, despite the loss.

"The defense stepped up, and we played hard all night long," he said. "We left it all on the field tonight."

Scott City will use the win to try to gain momentum for district games, which begin later this month.

Burkman said he has confidence his team can compete for the district title.

"I feel our district is wide open," he said. "We just got to get better."

With the loss, Chaffee has now dropped 18 straight games to Scott City.

Horrell said with homecoming next week against East Prairie, the players and coaches will both be excited to get back on the field and try to put up their first win of the season.

"We hope we can get us a 'W,'" he said.

jjoffray@semissourian.com

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