Dogs rout Braves
to remain perfect

55-12 victory sets up Friday showdown with undefeated Robbinsville By MARK TOWNSEND
mtownsend@cherokeescout.com Tuesday, October 7, 2008 8:05 PM CDT Murphy – The Bulldogs’ matchup Friday night with Cherokee was billed as a battle of unbeaten Smoky Mountain Conference heavyweights. Had it really been a boxing match, the referee would have called a halt to the contest midway through the fight.

    A Murphy blitz that capitalized on three Braves fumbles led to four scores in the final five minutes of the first half, turning a tight 14-6 battle into a 42-6 rout. The Dogs (7-0, 2-0) added two more scores in the third quarter on the way to a 55-12 victory. It is the first time in 12 years that Murphy has started the season 7-0.

    The Dogs finished with a season-high 509 yards of offense, averaging more than nine yards every time they touched the ball.     On Friday night, almost everything worked just right for the Dogs. The offense picked apart the Cherokee defense at will and the defense bent but didn’t break, creating turnovers that slowed down a hard-running Braves attack. Special teams also was a plus for Murphy as Brandon Nichols pinned Cherokee deep in its own end, booming four kickoffs into the end zone, dropping two more at the 1-yard line and two others inside the 10.

    Coming into the game, much of the outside attention was on the arm of senior quarterback Luke Charles and his favorite target, Georgie Kerber. The pair didn’t disappoint anyone, but it was another Bulldog – Anthony Brown – who turned in one of the best performances of his career.

    Charles, who has the highest passer rating in the state, carved apart the Braves secondary, completing 12-of-15 passes for 225 yards and three touchdowns. Kerber had what is becoming a normal night for him – five catches, 97 yards receiving, one touchdown – but it was Brown who really tortured the Braves’ defensive backs.

       The junior had a career-high six catches for 114 yards, while making a pair of spectacular back-to-back touchdown grabs, including one over-the-shoulder effort in the corner of the end zone that saw him find another gear to separate himself from the defensive back.

    “We expect Luke to be the best quarterback in the state,” Murphy assistant head coach Caesar Campana said. “This far this season, he been just that. We put a lot on him because we believe he can handle every last bit of it. He was fantastic against Cherokee and will have to be again this week.”

    Kerber’s credentials (11 touchdowns in 2008) were obviously on the minds of the Cherokee defensive staff, and he often found himself double-teamed while running routes, while Brown took advantage of man coverage.

    “Anthony has (almost quietly) had a great season catching the ball,” Campana said. “It’s just that Georgie’s stats cast a mighty shadow. Anthony proved Friday night that double covering Georgie is really not a legitimate answer stopping our offense.”

    Campana said one of the keys to the Murphy passing game is that the reads have little to do with personnel. It is more about throwing to spots, not people.

    “It just happened that the wingback’s routes were the ones open and Anthony made some great plays to capitalize,” Campana said.

    Assistant coach Joseph Watson said one of Kerber’s best assets is what he does when he isn’t catching the ball.

    “Georgie is a special athlete, and he probably had the best blocking game of his career,” he said. “You don’t hear many coaches mention how well a wide receiver blocks. He isn’t like some NFL receivers who are there just catch touchdowns, he does it all. We always talk about making the block that allows a back to score a long touchdown. It’s something we take a lot of pride in.”

    Watson said the two wideouts really complement each other.

    ‘They are a great tandem, with Anthony’s speed and agility, and Georgie’s precision and toughness,” he said. “And to cap it off, they both have great hands. Both can go the distance every time they touch the ball, and you can look to either one to make a critical catch on third down.”

    Watson said the tactic of taking a safety out of the box to help cover Kerber also helps Murphy’s running game, which racked up 284 yards on Friday.

    Senior Patrick Canizio led the way with 114 yards on nine carries, including a 62-yard scoring dash on the first play of the second half. Fullback Rickey Edwards had 53 yards and a pair of scores on 11 carries, while younger brother Chris also found the end zone on a five-yard run in the second half.   

    Defensively, the Dogs found themselves having to adjust on the Braves’ first possession. Expecting Cherokee to come out in its normal double wing, double split formation, the Dogs instead found themselves facing a wishbone and tight end attack that was a first for the visitors.

    “Our defense had a great scheme coming in, but Cherokee showed up in a totally different offense,” Campana said. “Coach [Thomas] Nelson had to make some adjustments to the game plan, and we missed some plays and made some plays. Again, though they had great rushing numbers, the only real number that ended up mattering was the 12 on their side of the scoreboard.”

    The Dogs were able to slow down the Braves one-dimensional attack as the game wore on, and when Cherokee did try to get off a pass, quarterback Josh Queen found himself running for his life from Murphy’s front seven. The Braves attempted only two passes – one in each half – completing one.

    Sophomore Brooklyn McKeon and senior Gene Taylor led the defense with 12 tackles each. Taylor also added with a sack, a forced fumble and fumble recovery.

    Murphy’s road to a Smoky Mountain Conference title might have its biggest hurdle Friday when the Dogs travel to 6-0 Robbinsville.

    The Black Knights are at their best when home run threat Kurt Odom (85 rushes, 812 yards, 17 TD) has the ball in his hands. However,  the team has shown a better passing attack with Luke Perkins (26-of-48, 418 yards, 5 TD). Defensively, the Knights have a reputation for playing hard, lining up in a multiple 4-3 look.

    “We’ll work [this week] on attempting to match or improve on the tempo we practiced and played with last week,” Campana said.

    “Robbinsville will not make the same mistakes Cherokee did. They appear to be a more sound football team. Their offensive line blocks very well. We’ll focus hard on knowing our defensive responsibilities and tackling well. [Head coach] Dee Walsh has them believing in their program, and they have lots of momentum coming in.”

Individual

Rushing – attempts-yards 

Murphy – Canizio 9-134, TD; R. Edwards 11-53-2 TD; Reese 6-40; Bernier 4-9; Brown 3-20; C. Edwards 3-16-TD; Cook 1-7; Devine 1-5; Charles 1-1, TD. Cherokee – Archer 15-124, TD; Craig 13-127; J. Queen 11-42, TD.

Passing - comp-att-yards-TD

Murphy – Charles 12-15-225, 3 TD. Cherokee – Queen 1-2-17.

Receiving – Number-yards-TD

Murphy - Brown 6-114, 2TD; Kerber 5-97, TD; Edwards 1-14. Cherokee - Taylor 1-17. 

Returns – Kickoffs - Killian 1-14; Curtis 1-1. Punts –

    Defense - ta - tackles, tfl - tackles for loss, sa - sacks, ff - forced fumbles, rf - recovered fumbles, int - interceptions, pb - pass broken up.

    McKeon 12 ta, tfl,; Taylor 12 ta, 3 tfl, sa, ff, rf; Rose 11 ta, 2 tfl; Mulligan 8 ta; Lovingood 8 ta, tfl; Curtis 8 ta, 2 tfl, rf; Kernea 6 ta, 2 tfl; Lockett 3 ta, tfl, sa; Canizio 3 ta, sa; Robertson 3 ta, tfl; Hurlburt 3 ta; Killian 2 ta; Johnson 2 ta; Reese 2 ta, rf; Surrett 2 ta, ff; Major ta; Beaver ta; Amos ta; Moore ta; Brown ta; Anderson ta; Bernier rf; Williams rf.

Game Log

First quarter

4:59 - Murphy - Luke Charles runs middle for 1 yard and touchdown. Cliff Owl kick good. 7-0.

Second quarter

10:10 - Murphy - Rickey Edwards runs left for 1 yard and touchdown. 14-0

5:46 - Cherokee - Josh Queen runs middle for 19 yards and touchdown. Don Craig pass no good. 14-6.

4:50 - Murphy - Charles passes left to Anthony Brown for 23 yards and touchdown. Charles pass no good. 20-6

3:50 - Murphy - Charles passes right to Brown for 27 yards and touchdown. Owl kick good. 27-6.

2:33 - Murphy - Edwards runs middle for 3 yards and touchdown. Owl kick good. 34-6.

0:01 - Murphy - Charles passes middle to Georgie Kerber for 6 yards and touchdown. Owl kick good. 41-6.

Third quarter

11:42 - Murphy - Patrick Canizio runs middle for 62 yards and touchdown. Owl kick good. 48-6.

9:28 - Cherokee - Steven Archer runs middle for 11 yards and touchdown. Archer run no good. 48-12.

0:09 - Murphy - Chris Edwards runs middle for 5 yards and touchdown. Owl kick good. 55-12.

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