Murphy Bulldog Football Team is Ready for 2024 Season

Murphy will host the Franklin Panthers Friday Night

 

By Brandon Stephens

 

(Murphy) – – “What’s Murphy got this season?” is a common question I hear in the weeks leading up to the start of the 2024 season.  The real question many of the armchair quarterbacks and professional postulating prediction personnel want to know is can they win football games; take the conference title; and maybe win the state championship.  Murphy does not appear to have a stand-alone star that has all the offensive and defensive tools.  This team comprises lots of different people with specific talents to make a true team.  There is good team chemistry which should make the Bulldogs successful and may make a few of the coffee shop coaches happy with the game Murphy will play this season.

Murphy will return a good nucleus of experienced players that were good contributors last season as underclassmen or juniors.  The obvious for Murphy is Sophomore running back Cameron Clem.  Clem had an exciting 2023 season as a freshman and will light up the field this fall.  A new twist to the back field may be the addition of Kadence Leatherwood from guard to fullback.  Leatherwood was a runner earlier in his career and performed well in the latest scrimmage with A-C Reynolds last week.  The team will also be highlighted with Junior quarterback Brady Grant.  Grant will have good targets for passing with Senior Will Shore, Senior tight end Kenyon Nichols, and Junior receiver Ryan Payne.  The line will feature conference honored players like Brody Orton, Carson Phillips, Jude Pinkerton, Charlie Graves, and Camden Breazeale.  The defense will be a force in the conference as well.

Murphy is working on a slim preseason preparation.  Most teams have had up to a half dozen seven-on-seven competitions or two scrimmage games.  Murphy had a couple of seven-on-seven meetings and a modified scrimmage Friday night (August 16^th) at A-C Reynolds against the Rockets.  Like most scrimmage meetings, the weather made an impact on the game.  The Rockets played first string talent through 50 minutes of the meeting, while the Bulldogs played their substitute players through half of the game.  Murphy trailed the Rockets at the end of the game, but the Bulldogs matched each touchdown in the initial moments of the game.  Coach Joseph Watson is pleased with the Bulldogs performance.

The 2024 football season is here, and the Murphy Bulldogs are ready.  Most teams at this time of the year are fidgeting with players not in shape; players that arrived late to team practices and still have not practiced in pads; or injuries.  Based on the roster released this week, Murphy has 43 varsity football players.  The Bulldogs have good substitutes and have confidence in the next man up if a starter gets injured.  Key is experience from the younger players last year that has produced a mature and focused atmosphere for getting the work for a good start to the season.  Coach Watson says there may be additional work to get everything set 100 percent to his coaching staff’s vision, but the team is ready.

Franklin is one of the staple teams Murphy has faced early in the season to build strength and conditioning.  For nine seasons (2009 through 2018) the Bulldogs suffered losses to the Panthers. During the last 15 years Murphy has been 4-and-11 against Franklin.  Veteran Panther Head Football Coach Josh Brooks says the 2023 season was just “Terrible.” Compared to previous seasons, he would be correct after finishing 2-and-8 and 2-and-4 in the Mountain 7 Conference.

The Franklin Panthers will be better than last season.  The Panthers have several seniors but will have youth at big positions.  The quarterback should be Sophomore Anderson Terrell.  The go-to running back is likely to be Senior Braydon Hervey with Junior fullback Addix Sutton.  The line will average 250 pounds and has a cast of seniors on defense and a few juniors on offense.  Maveric Waldroop and Bryson Gibbs will be the team leaders in the trenches.

Some weight has been lifted off Coach Brooks and the staff.  The 2023 coaching staff had to coach both JV and Varsity teams, which stressed the coaching staff.  This season Brooks has a full staff to coach both teams.  Brooks says the Panthers are ready for the 2024 season.

The Murphy Franklin football game will be played in Murphy at Bob Hendrix Stadium/David Gentry Field on Friday night (August 23^rd) at 7:30. For more details on the game, Team FYN Sports will stream the game live.  Check out the website FYNTV.com or the Team FYN Sports Facebook page to connect for the streaming of the Murphy versus Franklin.

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