Talk about fire and passion.
On Barnstable's fourth play from the line of scrimmage at the 50-yard line, senior running back Justus Chaffee (10 carries, 147 yards, 2 TDs) took off running for the end zone to put Barnstable ahead and ahead is where it would stay for the entirety of Friday night's (Nov. 1) MIAA Div. 2 South Sectional Quarterfinals, a 48-29 drubbing of the Marshfield High Rams.
Barnstable, now 7-1, and set to face the much ballyhooed Natick High next Friday night at W. Leo Shields Memorial Field in Hyannis, rode the backs of Chaffee and one Hayden Murphy, and then some.
Murphy, who finished the evening with 195 yards rushing on 20 carries, scored four touchdowns, including a 29-yard interception return on Marshfield's first offensive possession in the 1st quarter, less than 60 seconds after Chaffee's 50-yards ramble. Murphy's 195 yards is the most yards rushing in a single game of his high school career. His four touchdowns were also a personal best.
The two teams then exchanged three-and-out offensive sets before Marshfield's sophomore quarterback Jack Masterson drove his Rams 12 plays into the Red Zone before Barnstable defensive end Conor Walsh scooped up a fumble in the backfield to turn the tide in the home team's favor once more.
But Barnstable foundered on offense, slightly, when senior quarterback Kristian Lucashensky got picked off at the 27-yard line on second and 8 and it was Marshfield's turn once more to try and stem the ramped up tide of the Red & White. It did just that when Masterson bolted in from the 10-yard line and Aaron Skulsky followed with the PAT kick to make it 14-7.
But that only served to stoke the flames beneath Murphy's feet as he ripped off runs of 15, 4, 4, 12, 7 and 7 yards, the last one being a 7-yard jaunt into paydirt to make it 20-7.
Like an unchained beast, Murphy continued his torment of the visiting Rams when he sacked Masterson for a five-yard loss on Marshfield's ensuing possession.
Murphy sack eventually led to a Marshfield punt and then, yes, another Murphy touchdown, this time from the one-yard line on 4th and goal with 0:00 left in the half. At intermission, Barnstable waltzed into Building M with a staunch, 28-7 advantage.
Murphy ended with 164 yards rushing in the first half alone, the highest output he's had all season - all in just two quarters of play.
Had he retained the ball through the end of the game, he was on pace to set the all-time school rushing record for a single game. (303 yards, Clinton Brown).
In the second half, it was junior linebacker Clyde Perry Jr. who intercepted Masterson on Marshfield's second offensive play of the half and Perry ran it back 19 yards to the Marshfield seven-yard line. One snap and Lucashensky was in the end zone untouched to make it 34-7.
The Barnstable defense forced another three-and-out and Red Raider senior Derek Estes did not relent. On 4th and 7, Marshfield elected to punt and Estes took it 49 yards to the end zone but had his touchdown nullified when the line judge said his knee was down on the one-yard line.
It mattered little as Murphy took it in from the one and Dereck Pacheco's PAT kick was good to make it 41-7.
Barnstable then emptied its bench - by and large - and Chaffee wrapped things up with a brilliant, 48-yard touchdown run in the 4th quarter, his second of the game.
