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Murphys' John Ledford lays a hit on the Swain County quarterback.
Murphy – As the Bulldogs trotted out of the locker room ahead of the start of the second half against Swain County on Friday night, a steady blanket of rain began falling in Bob Hendrix Stadium.
The Bulldogs, who went into the half with just a one touchdown lead over the Maroon Devils, then proceeded to rain down on Swain County, outscoring them 25-0 in the second half to come away with a 39-7 victory and move onto 4-0 midway thorough the shortened 2020-21 season.
“It was a grinder,” Murphy quarterback Kellen Rumfelt said of the win. “The rain was killing us a little but we just had to look past that. There was some stuff said at halftime that fired us up and it worked.”
Murphy’s defensive line took over the game in the second half, continually breaking through the Swain line and putting pressure on the Maroon Devils quarterback Damian Lossiah and forcing into tough situations that the Bulldogs were able to capitalize on.
“We just had to smarter and harder and our coaches let us know that at halftime,” senior lineman Yousef Mugharbil said.
“We just had to focus on our keys and we got it done. Our defensive line, we’ve got some big boys on there, and when we get that pass rush down, pressure that quarterback, our backs will take care of the rest. I think we did a good job of doing that tonight.”
The Murphy defense finished with five takeaways in the victory, snagging two interceptions at the hands of Juan Allen and Payton McCracken and coming away with three fumble recoveries on the night.
“We just had to clean up the little mistakes and we know we can do that,” McCracken said.
“Coach Nelson is one of the best so we just come out and do what he says and we’re good to go. The pressure on the quarterback definitely helps us defensive backs, it puts pressure on them (opposing quarterbacks) and allows us to sit back and play our game and let it come to us.”
Senior Ray Rathburn finished with a team-high nine total tackles in the victory, while Kyle Willard, Ty Laney and Will Johnson finished with seven total tackles a piece.
The Bulldogs’ offensive once again chewed apart the opposing defense with a balanced attack as Rumfelt continued his hot streak, tossing two touchdowns in the victory.
“The first week wasn’t good, but I heard the talk and it just made me work harder,” Rumfelt said. “Every week you just have to keep working harder and our motto has been ‘the next play,’ so you’ve got to look past the first game and keep trying your hardest.”
Murphy’s arsenal of weapons in the backfield continued to detonate on opposing defenses as the Bulldogs rushed for 344 yards in the victory on just 43 carries.
Rathburn led the way for Murphy with 93 yards in the win, while John Ledford and Ty Laney tallied 68 and 63 yards, respectively, and punched in a touchdown a piece.
“Football is a team game and everyone knows that,” Mugharbil said. “Lineman get the blocks down and then the backs take care of what needs to be done and I think that combo really worked out tonight. We opened up some real nice holes and they hit them.”
Rumfelt showed off his legs on a few big scrambles, finishing with 53 yards on just three carries, while Juan Allen tallied 48 yards on two carries and Cole Laney rushed in for a 16-yard score in the fourth quarter.
McCracken led the Bulldogs’ in receiving yards with a game-high 60 yards and a score, while Ty Laney grabbed a short score in the second quarter.
“When we mix it up it keeps the other team on their toes,” McCracken said of the Bulldogs’ balanced offensive attack.
“You can’t just pack everyone in there on us. Between me and Aggie (Isaac Aguilar), it helps spread the ball out and we have some real good athletes in the backfield too. It’s all coming together. We just got to get better this week, forget this game and move onto the next one.”
Murphy (4-0, 3-0 SMC) now looks ahead to a showdown on the road with Rosman (0-4, 0-3 SMC) aiming to continue the momentum from its hot start into the second half of the schedule.
“Just keep working, stay motivated and really focus on the end goal, which is making it to state this year,” Mugharbil said of the Bulldogs’ mentality heading into the second half of the season. “That’s all we want, and I think we have a really good shot at it.”