Andrews – Feb. 1 was a day of celebration in the Ken Solesbee Athletic Center, as Wildcats senior Isaac Weaver signed a National Letter of Intent to play football at Mars Hill University.
“It’s always been a dream, so it feels good,” Weaver said. “I’m just ready to get out there, work, see how it goes out there.”
Mars Hill was Weaver’s first offer in November. He also had offers from NAIA school Union College in Barboursville, Ky., and a preferred walk-on offer from East Carolina University in Greenville. In talking with head football coach James Phillips throughout the process, Phillips said he could see how much Weaver’s face lit up when he talked about Mars Hill.
Weaver connected with coaches and players on his official visit, and he liked the program’s football facilities, too. It’s an added bonus that the school is less than three hours from home, making it easy for friends and family to come to games.
Phillips said he was selfishly hoping Weaver would sign with Mars Hill – not just because he was confident about the fit, but because he can drive to his games. Andrews athletic director Frank Maennle graduated from the university, and his son, Matt, who serves as an assistant football coach and head boys basketball coach, played football for the Lions from 2013-16.
“I like that,” Weaver said about the proximity of the school. “Everybody can come and watch if they want to. It’s not that bad of a drive, and if I wanted to come on the weekend I can come home.”
Last fall, Weaver was the catalyst for the and Johnson buried a three on the next possession to put Murphy up 46-41.
The Lady Bulldogs finished off the week with two more wins, taking down Highlands 41-34 and Andrews. The win over the Lady Highlanders avenged a 38-24 loss from Dec. 2. A third-quarter surge turned a 19-18 halftime lead into a 33-22 lead heading into the final frame. Johnson led the way with 16 points.
Against the Lady Wildcats, Murphy led the whole way, but Andrews hung tough and trailed just 37-34 in the third quarter. The Lady Bulldogs answered with a 19-5 run to put the game away. Holloway had 15 points to lead Murphy, while Laney had 14 and Johnson had 10.
Entering last night’s game against Cherokee, the Lady Bulldogs were No. 26 in the 1A West RPI. A likely loss to the Lady Braves probably won’t hurt a lot due to their 19-3 record, but Murphy will probably need to win at least one game in the conference tournament to clinch a berth in the state playoffs.
“We needed to finish against Robbinsville, and we didn’t,” Thompson said. “We needed to finish tonight, and we did. I think that’s going to help us.”