Myers continues to rise at Chapman

When an opponent steps up to cover Chapman University wide receiver Sean Myers the opponent might think he has the advantage because Myers is usually the shorter one in the matchup.

That thinking would be foolish.

At 5-foot-9, 170 pounds it might be easy to compare Myers to a famous smallish receiver like Wes Welker. But Myers isn’t just a slot receiver for the Panthers. In fact, he plays mostly on the outside.

“I like just trying to show everyone what I can do, since I am a smaller guy,” said Myers, a former Fountain Valley High two-sport athlete who is entering his senior season at Chapman. “I like to come out on the field and surprise some people.”

Myers is also a leader for the Panthers, who are trying to build off a banner season from last year. He is a team captain and locked in as a starter.

He led Chapman with 35 catches for 446 yards and two touchdowns, a key contributor for the Panthers best season. They went 8-2 and had an undefeated run in the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, 7-0, en route to making their first playoff appearance. It was Chapman’s first SCIAC title.

The Panthers ended their season in that first playoff game at Linfield in McMinnville, Ore., where the Wildcats won, 55-24.

Chapman opens its season back at Linfield on Saturday.

Myers has lofty goals for the season and wants to be a part of a group that sets a new standard of winning at Chapman.

“We want to win the SCIAC again,” Myers said. “We would like to win the West and have our first home playoff game in school history and make a run at the national title [NCAA Division III]. We like to dream big.”

The goals seem a bit extreme considering the Panthers will have a new quarterback, as 2015 SCIAC Player of the Year Michael Lahey graduated. In his place is Andrew Chavez, who began at Chapman in the 2012 class with Myers.

Myers is one of 16 receivers who will try to help Chavez find his comfort zone and lead the Panthers to another great season. Myers worked out in the weight room and refined his technique during the offseason to make his final season count at Chapman.

“The guy is a certified player,” said Augustino Adams, the Panthers’ wide receivers coach. “He might be short but he doesn’t play that way at all. He’s always perfecting his craft. He keeps me on my toes. He wants to be perfect out there. He doesn’t want any flaws. It’s almost like he wants to be micromanaged. That’s what separates him from everybody else.”

Adams said what makes Myers a great leader is his ability to excel in all three of the wide receiver spots in Chapman’s offense. With 16 receivers, five of them seniors, on the roster, there is constant competition. Myers continually rises to the occasion amid the competition.

Adams grades each of the wide receivers on their ability to thrive in areas of assignment, technique and effort. Myers usually comes out on top.

Playing two sports at Fountain Valley helped Myers excel as a receiver at Chapman, Myers said. He calls basketball his first love and he enjoyed playing it for the Barons. He still likes to play pick-up basketball sometimes in Chapman’s gym.

The skills he used as a point guard and guard prepared him to be a threat as a receiver. He still uses quick feet and the need for constant hand-to-eye coordination also came from hours of passing and shooting in the basketball gym.

“I think it’s important for kids to play multiple sports,” said Myers, who was named offensive player of the game in the 2012 Brea Lions Orange County North-South Prep All-Star football game. “I know it’s getting competitive and young athletes want to concentrate on one sport, but I had coaches that allowed me to play other sports.”

Myers credits then-Barons football coach John Shipp with getting him prepared for college in his spread offense. Shipp also helped Myers catch on at Chapman.

“I never expected to play college football even late into my senior season,” Myers said. “I didn’t get the opportunities from basketball and Shipp started the ball rolling with Chapman. One of my other teammates at Fountain Valley played at Chapman. I fell in love with the place. I’m very happy I came here and flourished with the team. It’s been great.”

Myers, 21, has also enjoyed his time as a student at Chapman, majoring in business administration.

“One of the things I’ve been extremely happy about is the resources they give to the students,” Myers said. “They have a class, and you get to visit New York for a walk down Wall Street. You get to meet people at the top financial institutions. They don’t have that at other schools. The resources here are unmatched.”

Said Myers’ mother, Anne: “He’s gotten a lot out of the Chapman experience. The experience and the size of the school has allowed him to be involved. He also did study abroad in France during his sophomore year. That was a valuable experience for him. The ability to also be on the football team that has also been great for him. To be able to be a student-athlete basically his whole life has been awesome.”

Anne and her husband, Tim, have seen their son grow as a man, while at Fountain Valley and then at Chapman. Tim Myers remembers his son as a driven young man at Fountain Valley always determined to prove he could be great despite his small frame.

“It’s something he’s been up against since Day One,” Tim Myers said of his son. “But even as a child, he was very coordinated. From the beginning, even though he was undersized he always seemed to be playing up, playing against bigger and older kids. He’s never really seen his size as any shortcoming at all. He has an incredible competitive spirit. He doesn’t see it as a limit for him.

Sean Myers also wants no limits for the Panthers.