South Pittsburg, Tenn. – When the Bulldogs get a hard-fought win like their 34-28 victory over defending Tennessee Class A state champion South Pittsburg on Friday night, the postgame huddle is usually jubilant. But only one thing had been on their minds since the second quarter.
On a punt with 9:03 remaining in the quarter, senior Ty Laney was in position to block and was hit low by a Pirates player. He stayed down, banging his fist in agony. Laney was carted off the field and into an ambulance and transported to Children’s Hospital at Erlanger in Chattanooga, where he had surgery Saturday morning. His mom would later post on Facebook that he fractured both his tibia and fibula.
After a lengthy delay, the goal the rest of the night was simple. Play for No. 34, Laney’s number. It will remain that way all season.
“Play as hard as we can, every snap for 34,” senior Will Johnson told his team after the game, holding back tears.
Laney has been a starter for the Bulldogs since his sophomore year, led the team in rushing as a junior and also plays linebacker. His twin brother, Cole, is Murphy’s starting quarterback. Their dad, Erik, an assistant coach for Murphy, graduated the same year as Bulldogs head coach Joseph Watson. That made the moment hurt that much more.
“Erik’s been my best friend throughout high school,” Watson said. “I’ve been around his kids my entire life. It’s just like any of the kids, it’s tough and it’s very emotional to see him down there hurting.”
The injury put a damper on a game that was turning into a classic speed versus mountain football clash. Hunter Stalcup’s 24-yard touchdown drive capped off an 80-yard Murphy opening drive, then South Pittsburg’s (2-2 overall) Racash Kelly caught a short pass and did the rest on a 44-yard catch and run 80 seconds later for a 7-6 lead. Pirates quarterback Kamden Wellington was a dual threat option all night, able to make plays on his own and get it to receivers who could create in space.
Murphy (2-1) would respond, with Cole Laney punching it on a 2-yard quarterback sneak, then scrambling for a two-point conversion and a 14-7 lead. A 19-yard touchdown pass from Wellington to Sharkey tied the game, then Stalcup bursted free for a 56-yard touchdown run and 21-14 Murphy lead on the next play from scrimmage.
After Ty Laney’s injury, the game got chippy. Both teams were chirping at each other the rest of the night, and South Pittsburg’s Logan Hargis was ejected in the fourth quarter.
Murphy got called for holding twice in the drive after Laney’s injury, and Watson had to remind his team they were still winning and to stay composed. With 51 seconds left before halftime, Cole Laney found Stalcup for a 20-yard touchdown and 28-14 lead. After the touchdown, Stalcup pointed to the sky in honor of his injured teammate.
“As soon as Ty went down, I knew I had to do this game for him,” Stalcup said.
Following a Murphy fumble on its first drive of the third quarter, Wellington scored on a 9-yard scramble, setting the back-and forth scoring back into action. Stalcup scored his fourth touchdown of the night on the Bulldogs’ next drive, pushing the lead to 34-21. Then Wellington responded with a 5-yard run to cut the lead to 34-28 with 8:41 to go.
It would be the final score of the night. Following a Bulldogs punt, Murphy came up with a key sack on third down before Wellington threw incomplete on fourth down. The Bulldogs would pick up two first downs to seal the win.
Replacing Ty Laney will be just another obstacle for Murphy early in the season, as the Bulldogs were without center Jonathan Hamby on Friday. Other key players are persevering through nagging injuries. But the Bulldogs have shown grit early on, which is something they can take for the rest of the year.
“Our kids will play hard,” Watson said. “I’d like to win a good one where we don’t have to worry about it, (but) I’ll take it by 1, I’ll take it by 41, it doesn’t matter to me.”