Murphy – Despite returning only three full-time starters from last season’s undefeated conference champions, Murphy junior varsity football coach Tyler Edwards thought the Bulldogs had enough talent to win it again.
The team proved Edwards right, as Murphy finished 5-2 overall and 4-1 in the Smoky Mountain Conference to share this year’s title along with Robbinsville and Swain County.
“The kids were talented,” Edwards said. “They were willing to buy into what we were teaching them. You had kids step up when they needed to step up in the right time at the right positions.”
Before getting into the conference slate, the Bulldogs played two non-conference games against Western Highlands Conference teams Mountain Heritage and Mitchell, falling to the Cougars 48-32 while beating the Mountaineers 36-8. In conference play, Murphy opened with a 24-6 win over
Cherokee and 36-34 win over Hayesville before falling 22-16 to Robbinsville, then finished with a 22-0 win over Swain County and 40-16 win over Andrews.
“They bought in, they started to really understand what it took to win,” Edwards said. “They got after it. The last two weeks, they played the best football they played all year, and that’s kind of what you want.”
Edwards said freshmen Ryan Payne and Robert Turner had standout years, and both were pulled up to the varsity team before the final game of the JV season. Freshman Brody Orton, who had already been on the varsity team since day one, has started on the offensive line since the second game of the season.
Fellow freshman Brady Grant had another strong year at quarterback, and Edwards sees good things in the future for eighth-graders Cameron Clem and Jude Pinkerton. Pinkerton was nearly unblockable on the line, and the team improved a lot up front during the season.
“We kind of spent the summer and early part of the season just trying to teach very, very basic offensive schemes and plays,” Edwards said. “And it got to the point at the end of the season, I mean, they just had it. It finally started clicking for them the last two weeks of the season.”
After another championship season, Edwards sees the future remaining bright for Murphy football. There will be plenty of opportunities to step up next fall, as the Bulldogs graduate 15 seniors.
“There’s going to be some pieces there,” Edwards said. “You had a good group last year, the group of juniors and seniors before them were good, and now you’ve got this group now. Numbers are starting to get back there, so that helps, and then they just gotta work in the offseason.”