Murphy – With the final minutes of the game ticking away Thursday night, Bulldogs quarterback Coley Laney flung a pass toward the end zone as pressure closed in around him.
The ball appeared headed straight into the hands of a defensive back for an interception that figured to end Murphy’s season. Instead, the Bulldogs either got lucky, or got the benefit of a wet and slippery football – or maybe got a little something more.
The ball batted off the fingers of East Wilkes’ defensive back and toppled behind him into the waiting hands of Murphy’s Trenton Russell, who snagged it just outside the goal line and spun into the end zone for a go-ahead touchdown. Murphy (9-3 overall) then stopped East Wilkes on fourth down with 5 yards to go at the Bulldogs’ 12-yard-line to secure a hard-fought 38-34 win in the second round of the N.C. High School Athletics Association 1A playoffs at David Gentry Field.
Bulldogs coach Joseph Watson, whose mother, Joy Watson, passed away unexpectedly on Nov. 2, had his own ideas about his team’s game-winning score.
“It absolutely did look like (an interception),” Watson said. “I think my mom might have been smiling down on that one and helped us out a little bit.
“The kid was in position to make the play and just didn’t make it – and we made it – and that’s kind of how the game went. We were in position to make plays and we made them, and a lot of times in these games in the playoffs they come down to one or two plays.”
Murphy advances to the third round and draws a rematch with Cherokee County rival Andrews on Friday at Hugh Hamilton Stadium. Andrews defeated the Bulldogs 42-12 for the Smoky Mountain Conference title in the final game of the regular season.
Murphy’s win over No. 10 seed East Wilkes played out like a heavyweight fight, with the two teams trading punches all night en route to seven lead changes. Light rain fell on and off throughout the game, creating some footing issues for players, but that didn’t stop the two teams from combining for 72 points.
Running back Hunter Stalcup powered the Bulldogs with 287 rushing yards and three touchdowns on 30 carries.
Watson pointed to three key plays that influenced the Bulldogs’ win over East Wilkes – Russell’s game-winning catch, the Bulldogs’ defensive stop on the Cardinals’ final play and the final play before halftime.
The Bulldogs looked as if they would go into halftime at a 21-16 deficit, facing fourth down at their own 49 and the final seconds ticking off the clock. Instead, Laney snapped the ball only a couple seconds before time expired and handed it to Stalcup. Murphy’s junior running back ran left, then cut back right and soon found nothing but open field in front of him for a 51-yard touchdown. Laney then kept it himself for a two-point conversion that gave the Bulldogs a 24-21 lead at the break.
“The previous play, they were in a defense that was really deep,” Watson said. “The kids blocked it up pretty well, and it was kind of like a punt return or kickoff return where he was just really patient and was able to cut it back.”
East Wilkes (9-3) climbed back on top after halftime with the help of a 44-yard run by Martin down to Murphy’s 2 yard line. Brennan Arnder ran into the end zone on the next play to give the Cardinals a 28-24 advantage with four minutes left in the third quarter.
Murphy responded with a 69-yard scoring drive, helped out by a 29-yard run by Russell and two key fourth-down conversions. Laney capped the drive with a 1-yard touchdown plunge to give Murphy a 30-28 lead with 9:18 left in the fourth quarter.
The Cardinals’ final score came when Martin took a short dump-off pass 41 yards for a touchdown on second-and-18, putting East Wilkes back on top 34-30. East Wilkes senior Will Martin was injured on the play and laid on the field for about 20 minutes before an ambulance arrived. He was eventually taken off the field by stretcher.
Once play resumed, Stalcup set up Murphy’s final score with a 47-yard run down to the Cardinals’ 31-yard line. The Bulldogs advanced the ball to the 21 before Laney’s pass tipped off the defender’s hands and right to Russell with 4:43 on the clock. Stalcup converted the two-point conversion, making the score 38-34.
“It deflected off of his hands, and I saw it up in the air for a bit,” Russell said. “I was like, ‘Holy crap, I’ve got to catch that!’ I caught it, and it was a touchdown from there.”
Murphy tried to catch East Wilkes off guard with a short squib kick on the ensuing kickoff, but the Cardinals recovered the ball and took possession just 1 yard short of midfield. An unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on the Bulldogs then moved the Cardinals down to the Murphy 34.
The Cardinals advanced the ball to the 12 before the quarterback’s final pass over the middle fell short of his intended receiver on fourth down with just under two minutes to play. The Cardinals used their final timeout prior to that fateful play, leaving them unable to stop the clock. Laney kneeled down three times to end the game and set up the rematch with Andrews.
“You don’t always get second chances,” Watson said.
“We’re happy to have another chance, and really happy to play again next week.”
Murphy opened the scoring with a 9-yard touchdown run by Stalcup less than four minutes into the opening quarter. East Wilkes answered when Eric Adams caught a 26-yard touchdown pass on a dramatic 4th-and-16 conversion with 4:22 left in the first quarter.
The Bulldogs’ next points came on defense as defensive tackle Ricky Queen sacked the quarterback in the end zone for a safety.
“My heart started pumping really fast, and you gain a little speed when you see an opportunity like that,” Queen said. “I just took (advantage of) it, and went and got him.”
The Bulldogs looked as if they might be pulling away after another Stalcup touchdown put them ahead 16-7 in the second quarter. East Wilkes responded with a pair of scores by Martin to pull ahead 21-16, before Stalcup’s key touchdown run swung momentum back to Murphy’s side as the first half expired.