Hickory – Prior to the state 2A championship game, Murphy’s Brody Orton was honored with the Sportsmanship Award.
Two other Bulldogs were also given awards. Camden Breazeale won the West Defensive MVP, while Cameron Clem won the West Offensive MVP.
In the state championship game, Breazeale led the team with 11 total tackles, one for a loss. He had seven solo tackles and four assists.
Clem led the Dogs with 64 rushing and 31 receiving yards. He had 23 carries, averaging 2.8 yards per carry, plus had three receptions on four targets. His longest was 17 yards, and he led the team in all-purpose yards with 95.
Blake Davis had the second-most yards for the Dogs with 72. He had 37 receiving yards, 21 rushing yards and 14 kick return yards Saturday night.
Ryan Payne had the third most all-purpose yards with 45 receiving yards, one rushing yard, six kick return yards and five punt return yards.
Their longest rush of the game was a 16-yard rush by Davis.
Grant was 12/19 in the air for 125 yards. His longest pass was 21 yards to Davis.
On defense, Orton had the second-most tackles with seven total. Three of the seven were solo, while four were assists. He also had one tackle for a loss.
Payne had five tackles in the game, with three being solo. Aayden Williams and Grayson Hall also had one tackle for loss each.
Overall, the Dogs led Tarboro in possession time by over five minutes. The Dogs controlled possession in the first half, but Tarboro led in possession time in the second.
See the Dec. 24 edition of the Cherokee Scout for more coverage of the 2025 state 2A championship game, including a season review wrap-up and more photos.