What We Saw: Gaffney Runs Past Spartanburg
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The matchup between two of the top quarterbacks in the state didn’t materialize. Instead, Friday’s rivalry matchup between Gaffney and Spartanburg turned into an old-fashioned slugfest. Gaffney rushed for 249 yards, including a pair of touchdowns in the game’s last…
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Continue ReadingThe matchup between two of the top quarterbacks in the state didn’t materialize.
Instead, Friday’s rivalry matchup between Gaffney and Spartanburg turned into an old-fashioned slugfest.
Gaffney rushed for 249 yards, including a pair of touchdowns in the game’s last seven minutes, to secure a 31-12 victory over the Vikings.
The Indians’ one-two punch of Tyler Smith Tyler Smith 5'11" | 180 lbs | RB Gaffney | 2022 State SC and Ken Littlejohn proved too much for the Vikings, as Smith rushed for 123 yards on 15 carries, and Littlejohn notched 129 on 15 attempts. Each had their game-best attempt in the fourth quarter, once Spartanburg had made it a game.
Leading just 17-12 with just under seven minutes left, Littlejohn ripped off a 47-yard touchdown to make it 24-12 and put Gaffney firmly back in command. Following an interception on Spartanburg’s next drive, Smith had a 41-yard dash to the Vikings’ 4-yard line, and scored on the next play for the final margin.
“He helps me with my game, and I help him with his game,” Smith said of his relationship with Littlejohn. “It’s a lot of film sessions behind the scenes that a lot of people don’t see. Just building that chemistry with each other is a good feeling. We came out with some juice tonight and just took over. They’re a good, sound football team but we prepared all week and we came out and showed it tonight.”
Controlling the line of scrimmage is something the Indians made a priority, OL Sawyer Whitman Sawyer Whitman 6'0" | 265 lbs | OL Gaffney | 2022 State SC said.
“We knew from watching film that the game was going to be on us, win or lose,” Whitman said. “If we can run the ball, we can win the game. That’s what we always say. We came out and ran the ball and did what we were supposed to do.”
They got some help from their backs’ physical running styles. Littlejohn wreaked havoc between the tackles, and Smith’s speed helped him outside, but he wasn’t shy about dishing out some punishment. On the game’s first drive, he hauled in a pass out of the backfield, headed to the Gaffney sideline, and laid out a defender as he headed out of bounds.
“Tyler does that all the time,” Whitman said. “He’s got speed and power. That gets you fired up when you see a running back doing that.”