Murphy – It was the Cameron Clem show Friday night, as he rushed for eight of the Bulldogs’ nine touchdowns in a 62-20 victory over Community School of Davidson.
His eight TDs etches his name in both the school and state record books.
Clem broke Willie Brown’s previous Murphy High School record of seven touchdowns in one game. Clem also tied the state record of eight rushing touchdowns in a single game, becoming the eighth player in history to do so.
He came up one touchdown short of tying the state record of nine touchdowns in a game. It is worth noting that the state record-holder, Savone Tutt of Pamlico County, had eight rushing touchdowns and one kickoff return touchdown in a single game.
After the game, Clem said, “Obviously, it’s good company. I’m super excited.”
Head coach Joseph Watson said, “He had a great night. I’m proud of his effort. … It’s a historic night.”
It was a close first half, but the Dogs exploded for a dominant second half to advance another week in the playoffs.
Both teams punted on their opening drives. The Crusaders’ second offensive drive came to an end when Grayson Hall got an interception to give the Dogs the ball back.
With the first bit of momentum, the Dogs drove the ball downfield, and Clem rushed it in for the first score of the game. Kicker Jerry Bui missed the extra point, but the Dogs led 6-0 with 4:10 left in the opening quarter.
Just over a minute later, the Crusaders drove down the field and found the end zone with a big pass. Murphy’s Ryan Payne blocked the extra point to keep the game tied at 6.
On the first play of Murphy’s ensuing drive, Clem broke free for a big gain. He then broke free again, breaking tackles en route to the end zone for his second touchdown of the night. Bui drilled the ball through the uprights, and Murphy took a 13-6 lead with 2:05 left in the quarter.
On the next two drives, both teams exchanged turnovers. Aayden Williams got intercepted a Crusaders’ pass, but the Dogs fumbled on the first play of their next drive.
Once the Crusaders got the ball back, they rushed it into the end zone on the first play. They made the extra point and tied the game 13-13 in the final seconds of the first quarter.
However, the Dogs cut through the Crusaders’ defense, as Clem found the end zone for a third time. Bui made the extra point, and the Dogs led 19-13 just one minute into the second quarter.
Murphy took advantage of the Crusaders’ punting on the next drive. Clem found the end zone for a fourth time to extend the. Dogs’ lead to 25-13 after a failed two-point conversion attempt.
The Crusaders closed the gap with a touchdown of their own to make it 25-20.
With less than two minutes remaining in the first half, Clem found the end zone a fifth time. Quarterback Brady Grant rushed in a two-point conversion on a quarterback keeper to extend the Murphy’s lead to 33-20 heading into halftime.
The Dogs kept barking in the second half to make a statement against the Crusaders. On their first drive, Clem found the end zone for his sixth touchdown of the night. Murphy converted the two-point attempt and led 41-20.
The Crusaders began to fall apart after turning it over on downs in their first offensive drive of the half. Murphy worked their way down the field, already starting to take their time running plays.
From the 1 yard line, Clem rushed in his seventh touchdown of the night to tie Brown’s school record. Bui made the extra point, and the Dogs led 48-20 in the final seconds of the third quarter.
The Crusaders turned the ball over on downs yet again. The players’ body language looked like they could tell their season was coming to an end at the hands of the Bulldogs.
On Murphy’s first offensive drive of the fourth quarter, Clem rushed in for his eighth touchdown of the night. With 9:42 remaining in the fourth quarter, Clem broke Brown’s record and etched his name into the Murphy High record book.
Clem also joined an elite group of players in the state, as no player has ever scored more than eight rushing touchdowns in a single game.
The Crusaders got the ball back, but their drive was ended as Williams got his second interception of the night. The Dogs worked their way downfield, working the clock as well. During the drive, multiple backup players took over, as the starters had done their job.
Elijah Crawford found the end zone for Murphy’s final touchdown of the night. Crawford also rushed in the two-point conversion to give the Dogs a 62-20 lead.
As the Dogs extended their lead past 40 points, the remaining 4:32 of the game was played with a running clock.
On their final drive, with the clock under one minute, the Crusaders broke free for a big rush and found the end zone. For one final nail in the coffin, the Crusaders had a block in the back penalty that negated the touchdown.
As they walked back up the field, time expired.
Watson said each position group played hard and physical, which was the goal coming into the game. He was happy they could execute that game plan.
The Dogs will spend the week of Thanksgiving preparing for their fourth-round matchup. Watson said it’s special to be practicing on Thanksgiving morning, a goal they set each season.
“You practice on Thanksgiving, you had a pretty dang good season,” Watson said.
After the game, Clem said, “All glory to God. Without Him, I am nothing. This team worked hard all week. That was our best week of practice, no doubt. We just came together and fought – blood, sweat and tears like we always do.”
Murphy will return home Friday to face the No. 5-seeded Corvian Community, which competed in the state 1A championship last season. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. on David Gentry Field.