Bryson City – Several men woke up Sunday morning with a few extra aches and pains – not because of the weather or old age, but because they chose to relive one of the greatest high school rivalries in western North Carolina history.
Murphy and Swain met in an alumni game Saturday night at Boyce Dietz Field. The Maroon Devils came out on top, 19-8.
With these players ostensibly older and wiser, fans might have expected a mild affair with no massive hits. However, this was Murphy vs. Swain. It doesn’t matter what level – pee-wee, mites, midgets, JV, varsity or alumni – when these two teams line it up, it gets serious fast.
Swain took Saturday’s game a lot more serious than their Bulldog counterparts, with 36 players. When asked how long they had been practicing, Devils head coach Sherman Holt said, “They have been going at it for a few weeks, but I didn’t have to do anything. They did it all on their own.”
Murphy had 18 players, and the Bulldogs’ practice included a walk-through on the Thursday before the game. Even with the disparity in preparation, they made it a game.
Things did not start out well for Murphy, even after executing a perfect onside kick to start the game, as the Dogs turned the ball over on downs after four plays. Swain lined up in their old staple – the veer – and proceed to march down the field and score. Swain added a two-point conversion to take an 8-0 lead.
The two teams exchanged possessions a couple of times before Swain picked off a pass deep in Murphy’s territory. But the Dogs’ defense held the Devils, and Swain had to settle for a field goal to take an 11-0 lead into halftime.
Neither team mounted a threat to score in the third quarter. Most folks on the Murphy sidelines thought they had stopped Swain on a fourth-down play at the end of the third period, but when the chains were used Swain had gained enough. The Devils went onto score to take a 19-0 lead.
Murphy finally got on the scoreboard in the fourth period after quarterback Joey Curry hit Hunter Stalcup on a bubble screen to move the ball inside Swain’s 5 yard line. Curry found Bradley Puccio in the end zone on the next play for the lone Murphy touchdown. The Dogs converted a two-point conversion, which netted the final score of 19-8.
The guys said it was a great game and Swain was a gracious host – except on the field – as they made sure there were plenty of medical personnel on hand in case there were any injuries, plus provided water and Gatorade for the Murphy players.
Swain went all-out for this game, even bringing back former announcer Gary Ayers, who the press box at Swain is named after. Ayers today is the voice of the Catamounts, doing the radio play by play for Western Carolina University.
This game was also a great way for Swain to raise money for its athletic department, and if it becomes an annual event it should help both schools.
However, coaches and players both said Bulldog Nation needs to get a little more serious about this game next year, when the Swain Maroon Devils come calling at “The Hill.”