Asheville – Murphy’s varsity football team hit the road to face 6A A.C. Reynolds Friday night. After a strong first half from the Bulldogs (2-2), the Rockets (2-2) took off in the second half to win 34-14.
The Rockets started the game with possession, but had to punt. Despite punting, they quickly got the ball back after recovering a fumble.
On the Rockets’ next drive, Murphy got an interception to get the ball back. A few plays later, Murphy threw an interception.
Murphy was first on the scoreboard after the Rockets turned the ball over on down. On a 15-yard rushing play, Blake Davis found the end zone. Jerry Bui made the extra point to give the Dogs a 7-0 lead.
On A.C. Reynolds’ next drive, Murphy got another interception to get the ball back.
The Dogs took advantage and Cameron Clem rushed it in from one-yard out. Bui made the extra point, and the Dogs led 14-0.
A.C. Reynolds got the ball back and were able to run a few plays before time expired in the first quarter.
Turnovers continued in the second quarter, as Murphy shut down the Rockets’ drive with an interception. However, as Murphy worked its way downfield, the Dogs fumbled and the Rockets recovered.
The Rockets had the first score of the quarter after 60-yard rushing touchdown. They missed the extra point, and Murphy led 14-6.
A.C. Reynolds had another interception and returned it for a 60-yard pick-six. They missed the extra point, and Murphy went to halftime leading 14-12.
Murphy got the ball to start the second half, but couldn’t convert on offense and A.C. Reynolds got the ball back. On its drive, the Rockets found the end zone on a 35-yard pass. They converted the two-point attempt to take the a 20-14 lead.
The Dogs’ next drive was stopped when the Rockets intercepted the ball. They failed to convert and punted back to the Rockets as the third quarter came to an end.
A.C. Reynolds started the fourth quarter by finding the end zone on a 40-yard passing play. They missed the extra point but still led 26-14.
Murphy got the ball, but had to punt to give the Rockets possession. On the Rockets’ next drive, Murphy intercepted to get the ball back.
As the Dogs were working their way down the field, the Rockets intercepted and returned it for their second pick-six of the game. They rushed in a two-point conversion to lead 34-14.
Neither team found the end zone again, despite late attempts, and Murphy lost 34-14.
Murphy head coach Joseph Watson said that the team played hard against A.C. Reynolds.
“Our kids play hard and they come to play. They had a really good first half despite all the mistakes and turnovers we had. I felt like we were still in the game and we had an opportunity to win that game, but cannot beat quality opponents like that and make that many mistakes. We have to take care of the football,” he said.
“Overall, I feel like our defense played really well until late, gave up a couple deep balls. It’s a learning process, so we hope we can learn from it and continue to get better.”
Watson said that Cameron Clem, Brody Orton, Camden Breazeale and Jude Pinkerton stood out to him Friday night.
“Cam [Clem] was on his way to a good game until the injury. I feel like our offensive line, especially our defensive line, had a really good night. Brody Orton, once again, had a really good game. Brody had 18 tackles. Kid doesn’t come off the field and works his butt off every play,” Watson said.
“Camden Breazeale had 13 tackles, three tackles for loss. He was chasing the quarterback all night. Jude Pinkerton inside does an outstanding job and he doesn’t get a lot of credit or show a lot of stats, but pretty much he helps with the double team all the time and makes some really good plays. When Brody is making tackles and has that many tackles, it’s because Jude is doing his job and keeping the offensive line off of him.”
Up next
The Dogs will have an open week this week before they face Cherokee on Sept. 26. Watson said they will need to make some adjustments to their running game as a result of Clem’s injury.
“It’s a good time for an open week, that’s for sure. We’ve had four really tough games, three of them on the road, so the kids are going to need some rest … We’re just going to continue to work, continue to get better,” he said.
“Don’t really have a timeline for Cameron [Clem] yet, but we’ll have to finagle some things in the backfield to make sure we’re putting our best person on the field we can. It’ll be some learning this coming week as well, but our kids are optimistic. They understand that it’s a long season and they’re going to continue to work hard and get better. That’s our goal throughout the year.”
After the open week, the Dogs will face Cherokee in their first conference game of the season.
Cherokee has started the season 1-3 with its lone win coming against North Buncombe in their season opener. The Braves’ losses have come against Tuscola, Choctaw Central and Enka.
The two teams met in the final regular-season game of 2024. Murphy defeated the Braves 35-6 to clinch the Smoky Mountain Conference championship.