Robbinsville – The No. 4 seeded Murphy Bulldogs were unable to overcome a sluggish start Friday night, falling 24-13 to the undefeated No. 1 seeded Robbinsville Black Knights at Big Oaks Stadium.
The Black Knights shut out the Bulldogs in the first half, leading 10-0 going into the break.
Murphy ended its scoring drought on its opening drive of the second half, finding the end zone on a Justice Dorsey scoring run.
Momentum seemed to be swaying in the Bulldogs’ favor, however the Black Knights marched right back down the field and extended their lead to 17-7 with 4:55 remaining in the third quarter.
Murphy nearly closed the gap at the end of the third quarter, as running back Devonte Murray broke off a 73-yard run to the end zone, but a costly holding penalty negated the score.
The drive stalled out and the Dogs punted the ball back to the Black Knights, who scored early in the fourth quarter to take a 24-7 lead.
Murphy refused to go without a fight, driving back down the field for a touchdown from quarterback Kellen Rumfelt to Dorsey.
But with just 3:11 remaining, there just was not enough time left on the clock for a Bulldog comeback and Robbinsville held on for the 24-13 victory.