What We Saw: Seneca 47, Blue Ridge 21
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<p><strong>GREER | </strong>In the middle of a brutal stretch of games, Seneca got physical.</p>
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<p>The Bobcats ground out 339 rushing yards in a Tuesday night game that came on the heels of their first loss of the season late last week, getting back in the win column by thumping Blue Ridge 47-21.</p>
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<p>"We weren't really doing anything different," RB <strong>Amari Verner</strong> said. "We were really just trying to keep it simple with a short week. Whoever has the hot hand, we just try to keep on going from there."</p>
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<p>Verner (pictured) was the beneficiary of a that simplicity. He carried 26 times for 192 yards, often in huge chunks right in the middle of the Tigers' defense. Seven of Verner's carries went for more than 10 yards and he was never tackled for a loss on the night, averaging more than seven yards per carry and scoring on runs of one and five yards.</p>
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<p>He was far from the only Bobcat to get in on the action. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1158147' first='Payson' last='Jones']</strong> had 16 carries for 109 yards, and scored on a one-yard run to start the game. Seneca QB <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1165153' first='Gavin' last='Thoma']</strong> ran five times for 36 yards, and even 6-foot-2, 294 pound DT <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1360008' first='Avery' last='Butler']</strong> got in on the action. Butler filled up the stat sheet, having one of a bunch of things including a sack, a pressure, and a tackle for loss. In the backfield, he looked right at home in the Bobcats' short-yardage package, with one rush for one yard and a TD. He also scored a two-point conversion for Seneca.</p>
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<p>Thoma was efficient through the air, finishing 11-for-19 with 137 yards. He tossed a pair of TDs to <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1615026' first='Jeremiah' last='Hunter']</strong> and another score to <strong>Coltyn Hawk</strong>. He said the Bobcats' success on the ground made his job even easier.</p>
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<p>"It's a blessing, honestly," he said. "It just opens up the gameplan for us so much more. Those guys up front do their jobs week in and week out, and tonight we were just a hard-working group determined to win."</p>
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<p>Thoma has developed a good rapport with Hunter, only a freshman, who was one of his main targets on Tuesday.</p>
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<p>"He's always where he needs to be," Thoma said. "He's smart, he's athletic, obviously, and he makes big plays."</p>
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<p>Blue Ridge got a good performance on the ground from QB <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1738823' first='Gavin' last='Forrester'],</strong> who rushed 13 times for 119 yards and added am 18-yard TD pass to <strong>Tyson Hicks</strong>. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='833941' first='KB' last='Henderson'] </strong>was a workhorse as always, with 21 carries for a tough 65 yards and a TD. And <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1819617' first='Jakorey' last='Dodd']</strong> did a lot of things well for the Tigers. He picked off a pass and returned it deep into Seneca territory, made a couple of other huge defensive stops, returned kicks, and came in as a change-of-pace back to pick up 43 yards and a 14-yard touchdown on just four carries.</p>
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GREER | In the middle of a brutal stretch of games, Seneca got physical.
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