Murphy – After wrapping up the regular season with a win over Swain County, the Murphy varsity football team got the No. 1 seed in the West of the N.C. High School Athletic Association state 2A playoffs.
Coming with the No. 1 seed was a first-round bye, sending the Smoky Mountain Conference-winning Bulldogs straight to the second round with home field advantage.
During their open week, the Dogs had three good practices, head coach Joseph Watson said. They followed their usual routine and corrected some mistakes.
“It’s hard to scout for teams when you don’t know who you’re playing yet. We did preparations for both teams. We’re ready to get after it this week and take care of Albemarle,” he said.
No. 16 seed Albemarle defeated No. 17 seed Cherokee 21-15 to set up Albemarle’s trip to Murphy in the second round.
Since they know they will be hosting Albemarle, Watson said the Dogs are a little bit ahead compared to other weeks. They don’t have to review last week’s game film, so they can jump right in to preparing for Friday night.
Albemarle finished the regular season with a 4-6 overall record, going 2-5 in the 2A/3A Yadkin Valley Conference.
The team’s four regular-season wins were split between conference and non-conference opponents. It started the season with two non-conference wins over College Prep & Leadership Academy and North Wake.
Albemarle then lost four straight games before defeating Bonnie Cone Leadership Academy and Union Academy in back-to-back weeks. The team’s regular season ended with two straight losses before the other Bulldogs defeated Cherokee in the first round of the playoffs.
Albemarle will run the ball, and Murphy’s heavy-hitting defenders will be ready for that come Friday night.
Albemarle’s leading running back, Shoddy Pergee, has rushed for 825 yards on 92 carries, with nine touchdowns in six games. Another threat on the ground is AJ Butler, who has 769 rushing yards on 123 carries with eight touchdowns.
Sophomore Jaymi Campbell is a threat in the air, with 216 receiving yards on 15 catches. He is their only receiver with more than one touchdown, as Campbell has scored two.
The biggest threat on defense will be senior Jonpierre Browne, who has 39 total tackles and two sacks.
Their defense has also been responsible for nine interceptions and 11 fumble recoveries.
Through the 10-game regular season, Murphy went 2-2 in non-conference games and undefeated 6-0 in the SMC. In their four non-conference games, the Dogs defeated Franklin (5A) in the season opener and East Surry (3A) in their only non-conference game at home.
Murphy fell to Heard County, Ga., which went on to finish their regular season 10-0 and is the No. 1 seed in the Georgia High School Association Class A Division I bracket. The Dogs’ also fell to A.C. Reynolds (6A) in their final non-conference matchup.
After the bye week, Murphy went on to start their six-game SMC schedule with a game on the road at Cherokee. The Dogs defeated Cherokee, then Rosman the following week in two consecutive shutout wins.
The Dogs then hosted Robbinsville in another classic matchup with the Black Knights, winning 17-10 in their lowest-scoring conference game of the season. They then faced Cherokee County rivals in Andrews and got their third shutout of the season.
Murphy final regular-season home game was against Hayesville. The Dogs dropped 50 points on the Yellow Jackets as they celebrated senior night.
The Dogs wrapped up the regular season in a hard-hitting game against Swain. After a slow first half, Murphy did what it do and dropped the hammer to win 28-0.
With the win over Swain, the Dogs were crowned back-to-back SMC champions after their second straight season of going undefeated in the conference.
Despite missing a few mid-season games, running back Cameron Clem led the team on the ground in the regular season with 685 yards and 16 touchdowns in eight games.
Also on the ground, Blake Davis rushed for 561 yards with three touchdowns, while Michael Brown rushed for 352 yards and six touchdowns. Brody McFaddin also rushed for six touchdowns.
In 10 games, quarterback Brady Grant has thrown for 954 yards and nine touchdowns. Ryan Payne led Bulldog receivers in the regular season with 405 receiving yards and three touchdowns. Grayson Hall led the team in receiving touchdowns with four.
On defense, Brody Orton led the team in the regular season with 101 total tackles, as he surpassed the 100-tackle mark for the first time in his high school career.
Landon Lape led the team in sacks with four, while Jude Pinkerton led the team in hurries with 18. Aayden Williams led the team with three interceptions. Also in turnovers, Lape and Anthony Catuto had two fumble recoveries each.
Friday night’s game is set to kick off at 7:30 p.m. with Albemarle at Murphy in the second round of the 2A West bracket.