Rematch for regional up next vs. Robbinsville
Elkin – In the playoffs, it doesn’t have to be pretty. All that matters is survive and advance. And that’s what Murphy did Friday night, outlasting the Elks 29-24.
“It’s exciting to win these games,” head coach David Gentry said. “Our kids played hard.”
The Bulldogs (8-1) will travel to Robbinsville (9-0) next week for the N.C. High School Athletic Association 1A West Regional. The winner will play in the state 1A championship Saturday, May 8. The Black Knights handed Murphy its only loss of the season, a 17-7 defeat on April 9. Tickets for the game will be on sale for $10 at the Murphy coaches office until 10 a.m. Friday.
After both teams went back and forth all night, Ray Rathburn’s touchdown and two-point conversion put the Bulldogs up 29-17 with 7:48 left in the fourth quarter. A few plays before the touchdown, a Murphy player screamed to the sideline that Elkin (6-2) was quitting.
But the Elks weren’t ready to fold yet. They drove 69 yards in just seven plays, with Boone Beaver scoring from two yards out to cut the Murphy lead to 29-24 with 4:47 remaining.
Boone along with quarterback Brett Beaver, gave the Bulldogs trouble all night. Boone ran for 70 yards and a touchdown on 13 carries, while Brett threw for 53 yards and a touchdown and ran for 74 more.
“They’re top-notch football players,” Gentry said of the duo. “They were just hard to stop.”
Murphy went three-and-out following Elkin’s touchdown, and just like last week against Thomas Jefferson, the Bulldogs defense came up with a key turnover with the game on the line. Facing a third-and-15 on their own 38-yard line with a little over two minutes remaining, Brett Beaver launched a pass downfield and junior
Juan Allen came down with the ball for a crucial interception. The Bulldogs got a first down and ran out the clock.
“As I was running back I saw that everyone was doing their job and covering everyone else.” Allen said. “The only person who was really open was in the middle, and once I saw the QB look and throw it, I thought I had to do it for the team.”
Both teams came ready to play, and that showed in the first quarter. After a Murphy three and out, Elkin ground out a touchdown, going 60 yards in 13 plays, and Beaver capped off the drive by hitting Ty Parson for a 10-yard score. The Bulldogs gave up size to Elkin in the trenches, and the Elks ran for 206 yards.
“We had to dig real deep,” Rathburn said. “I feel like the score from last week when they played Andrews, we kind of slept on them a little bit. But coming in after halftime, we knew this wasn’t a team to play with. They had some athletes, and we had to do what Murphy football does.”
But the Elks never figured out Murphy’s Wing-T offense, as the Bulldogs ran for 310 yards. After Elkin’s first touchdown, Allen returned the kickoff to the Elks’ 45-yard line, and
Rathburn’s 22-yard scamper tied the game three plays later. Following an Elks punt, Murphy went 81 yards in eight plays, with John Ledford scoring on a six-yard run to give the Bulldogs 14-7.
Like most of the night, Elkin had an answer, going 80 yards in 11 plays to tie the game. The Elks converted two key third downs on the drive, including a seven-yard run by Joe Snow on third and goal to tie the game.
Kellen Rumfelt was picked off on Murphy’s next play from scrimmage, and a 37-yard field goal by Thomas McComb gave Elkin a 17-14 with 40 seconds to go in the second quarter. The Bulldogs were able to get the ball down to the Elks’ five-yard line, but Ty Laney came up just one yard short of the end zone.
Laney would score a touchdown on Murphy’s first drive of the third quarter to give the Bulldogs a 21-17 lead. Laney shouldered more of the load in the second half, as Ledford and Rathburn both went out with injuries. Rathburn returned to the game in the fourth quarter, but Ledford did not, and his status for next week is uncertain.