Blairsville, Ga. – For nearly three quarters, Union County and Murphy followed a similar script.
Led by quarterback Logan Helcher, the Panthers kept making plays at the right time and got some help from Bulldogs penalties to put points on the board. Murphy countered with its strong running game. Either defense needed to make a play.
Enter Bulldogs junior Cole Laney. Juan Allen had just scored to give Murphy a 28-24 lead, and Union County had a first and 10 at its own 37-yard line.
Laney saw Helcher run a boot leg to his right side, and recognized the play as a pass to the flat. He jumped the pass, intercepted it and got some help from his fellow Bulldog defenders before diving into the end zone for a 40-yard touchdown.
“It was a very big adrenaline rush for me,” Laney said. “I don’t really remember a lot of it.”
The play ratcheted up the energy on the Murphy sideline, and the Bulldogs dominated from that point on, pulling away for a 54-24 win.
“It just just shifted all the momentum in our direction,” senior Juan Allen said of Laney’s play. “We just had to keep our foot on the gas pedal.”
After Helcher’s four-yard touchdown pass to Caiden Tanner gave Union County a 24-21 lead with 4:59 to go in the third quarter, Murphy scored the final 33 points. Following Laney’s touchdown, Helcher threw an interception on the Panthers’ next play, this time to defensive lineman Kyle Willard.
A penalty brought the Bulldogs back to their own 45-yard line, but Union County had no answer for Murphy’s running game at that point. Allen capped off a six-play drive with a 4-yard run, his third touchdown of the night. The Bulldogs dominated up front, running for 377 yards and 7.9 yards per carry.
Chandler Wood added a three-yard touchdown with 2:48 to go. Ty Laney put the cherry on top with a 70-yard scoop and score in the game’s final minute.
The first half was a different story. Both defenses got a stop on the first drive, which was the last either team would get before Cole Laney’s interception return for a touchdown. Union County’s second drive went 14 plays, ending with a two-yard run by Tanner. Helcher gave Murphy fits early, making plays through the air and picking up a few yards on the ground when needed.
“He’s a pretty elusive runner, and their best runner,” Murphy head coach Joseph Watson said. “He did a good job of finding lanes and making plays when things were breaking down.”
The Bulldogs answered back with a 14-play drive of their own, and a Kellen Rumfelt 1-yard run on fourth and goal cut the Panthers lead to 7-6 early in the second quarter. Union County started its next drive in Murphy territory and took advantage, with Helcher scoring on a two-yard run to extend the Panthers lead to 14-6.
The Bulldogs answered back with another methodical 14-play drive, and a Rumfelt 2-yard run and Cole Laney two-point conversion run tied the game. A 39-yard field goal gave the Panthers a 17-14 lead at halftime.
The two teams traded touchdowns again before Murphy ran away with the game.
The Bulldogs finish the non-conference portion of their schedule 3-2 and start Smoky Mountain Conference play at Cherokee next week. Murphy looks to have a strong offense, but more questions on defense and special teams, especially kickoff coverage, at this point in the season. However, Watson continues to like his team’s effort and the way they approach games.
“I like the way our kids play hard,” he said. “The way they come back in the second half, the way they finish games off. That shows a lot of character.”