What We Saw: Chapman 38, Broome 35

Jed Blackwell October 27, 2023 @ 11:48 PM

INMAN | [player_tooltip player_id='998700' first='Coleman' last='Gray'] knew he'd made a big play. And he knew his reaction could spark his team.   Gray's 24-yard touchdown run - punctuated by an emphatic spike - put the Panthers up 35-21 over Broome and gave them some breathing room in a 38-35 victory in a game that clinched the Panthers' seventh straight region championship. It marked Chapman's 32nd straight region victory, and 19th straight at home.   "We had some momentum, but that just flipped the switch again," Gray said of his touchdown and accompanying celebration. "We just kept that gas pedal down and kept on pushing. That wasn't for anybody but me, that's just how I am. But once I knew my guys watched me do that, I knew they were gonna have my back."   Gray was nearly perfect through the air, completing his first nine passes and finishing 12-of-13 for 112 yards on the night.   Where he did the bulk of his damage, though, was on the ground. Gray rushed for 135 yards and scores of 14 and 24 yards. A lot of it was straight up the gut, where he broke tackles, churned for extra yardage, and ran angry.   "When I get the ball in my hands, obviously I trust my guys in front of me," Gray said. "I know I can count on them. And when I run, I AM running angry. I want to break out and get a touchdown or a big run. I have two older brothers, and they made me run angry because I want to be better than them. I want to run harder than them and faster than them. They brought me up that way."   He was far from the only standout rusher for the Panthers. Mathai Scott had 154 yards and three TDs in the first half alone, finishing with 161. Keanu Na added 115 yards on 13 carries for Chapman.   Scott said all the credit goes to the guys up front.   "It was the O-line," he said. "That's what was working. They did what they do every day at practice - they worked their tails off. It's a lot of fun to run behind them."   Big Night For Broome The Centurions were a force on the ground as well. [player_tooltip player_id='473001' first='Jaylen' last='McGill'] had 260 all-purpose yards, including 160 on the ground. He scored three rushing TDs and returned a kick 83 yards for a score. Kamajay Brackett-Brannon added 13 rushes for 112 yards and a score. A lot of Broome's success came behind North All-Star Steven O'Dell, who played particularly well.   Just Enough Defense   Chapman made a couple more stops than Broome, coming up with the difference in the game. One was early on, when [player_tooltip player_id='1041795' first='Chanson' last='Mickles'] snuffed out a screen pass for a two-yard loss on third down to get the Panthers off the field and give them the ball back and led to a 14-7 advantage. Another stop one drive later resulted in a quick kick, and Gray's long completion to Hudson Moss, followed by Scott's second TD of the game, put Chapman up two scores and provided a cushion that never went away. [player_tooltip player_id='1253999' first='Shamon' last='Black'] contributed a big pass deflection in the second half to turn away another drive.

INMAN | Coleman Gray Coleman Gray 6'2" | 205 lbs | QB Chapman | 2024 State SC knew he'd made a big play. And he knew his reaction could spark his team.