What We Saw: Fyffe, Run Game Power Panthers Past Seneca
On a night when Chapman rushed for more than 450 yards, with a 250-yard rusher and another who went for 140, a lot of the action was in Seneca’s offensive backfield instead. That’s where Abraham Fyffe Abraham Fyffe 5'10" |…
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Continue ReadingOn a night when Chapman rushed for more than 450 yards, with a 250-yard rusher and another who went for 140, a lot of the action was in Seneca’s offensive backfield instead.
That’s where Abraham Fyffe Abraham Fyffe 5'10" | 230 lbs | DL Chapman | 2023 State SC spent most of his time.
Fyffe, Chapman’s outstanding DL, had a huge impact on the Panthers’ 57-29 second round playoff win. His strip-sack that forced a fumble set up a score that put Chapman ahead for good. On Seneca’s next drive, he got to Bobcats’ QB Jaxon Burnette, who tried to make something happen by throwing the ball away but saw it picked off instead. Alvin Lewis reeled off a 65 yard Chapman TD two plays later.
“At the beginning of the year, I was kind of hurt,” Fyffe said. “I came out slow. But I’m going to keep on working and keep on showing what I can do.”
The play that resulted in an interception showed Fyffe’s blend of power and athleticism.
“I was coming around on a twist, and I saw him rolling out, and I knew I had him,” Fyffe said. “I kind of slung him down, and he threw it up, and Dawson came down with it.”
The two turnover-causing plays were huge, but Fyffe did plenty of other things. A sack ended one drive. A tackle for loss ended another. He drew multiple holding calls. And when Seneca desperately tried to devise a way to slow Fyffe down, his teammates exploded for big play after big play. Reece Lynch had more than a dozen tackles at MLB. Dawson Walters had a pick, and Kaden Thompson made a diving, full-layout grab for another.
All the while, Chapman was banging away on the ground. Chapman’s running back-by-committee approach could’ve been slowed by the absence of Keanu Na, out with an illness. Instead, Lewis rushed for 140 yards on 15 carries. While Lewis provided plenty of flash and break-away ability, Matthai Scott did most of the heavy lifting. He carried 20 times for 257 yards, ripping off big runs and driving for tough yards between the tackles as well.
“Keanu’s sick, and he can’t join us right now, but we knew Alvin would step up,” Scott said. “He worked hard Monday through Wednesday, and he showed out on Friday. And the offensive line was great. They gave us a push, and we made it work. “
Chapman coach Harry Cabaniss said the emphasis on the ground game is all about playoff football.
“When it gets cold, you have to run the ball and stop the run if you want to win,” he said. “We’re going to hang our hats on that.”