Watts leads Charleston to victory

SCOTT CITY -- For the second time this season, Scott City's football team was victimized by a freshman running back.

First it was Paris Tipler of East Prairie in the third week of the season. Friday night at Scott City it was Charleston's Joseph Watts who got the best of the Rams.

Watts rushed for 252 yards on 27 carries to lead the Blue Jays to a 37-14 win in the season finale for both teams.

"I don't think he played his best game, but he did what he had to do tonight," said Charleston head coach Brent Anderson. "He gave us a couple big plays that got us out of some tough spots."

Watts finished the season with 1,156 on 168 carries with 11 touchdowns this season.

A remarkable feat considering Watts was as low as third on the depth chart entering the season and he didn't receive any carries in the first game.

"He's just a special kid," said Anderson. "He stepped up to the plate and had a phenomenal year. It goes to show you that hard work pays off. He had to work his way up the depth chart to get there. For a freshman to get almost 1,200 yards in only nine games is pretty amazing."

Scott City (3-7) could not convert on a fourth down in its own territory on its first drive and gave the Blue Jays (5-5) good field position. Watts covered the 36 yards on six carries to give Charleston a 7-0 lead.

The Rams knotted the score at 7-7 with a 72-yard run by senior Joe Brunner on an inside hand-off on Scott City's next possession. That was about all the offense Scott City could manage in the first half, as the Rams failed to get another first down.

Charleston closed the half with two touchdowns and a field goal for a 24-7 halftime lead. Scott City's 1,000-yard rusher Matt Schaefer finally got something going in the second half after only rushing for seven yards in the first half.

With a couple of good runs Schaefer pushed the Rams down the field and quarterback Luke McClellan hit Jason Schenimann on a 31-yard pass play for Scott City's final score.

"We've got a good group coming back next year," said Johnson. "We're going to work hard this offseason and I've made a commitment that I'm going to be here for these kids. I don't want them to go through four coaches in four years, too."