Murphy Bulldogs Are In the Elite Eight of the 1-A Football Teams with a 34-to-21 Win over SMC Rival Robbinsville Black Knights

On-Side Kick Opening the Second Half and Bulldog Defensive Performance Seals the Deal to Meet Mountain Heritage on the Road

 

By Brandon Stephens

 

(Murphy) – – The Murphy Bulldogs (12-and-1, 5-0) are among the Elite 8 of the 1-A State football teams in the North Carolina High School Athletic Association (NCHSAA) playoffs.  The Bulldogs defeated the Robbinsville Black Knights (7-and-7, 4-and-1)  34-to-21 Friday night (11/29/2024).

Robbinsville held the momentum and advantage through the first half to gain a 13-to-6 lead over Murphy.  The Black Knights won the opening coin toss and elected to receive the ball to begin the second half.  Murphy’s Junior kicker Jerry Bui placed the ball in good position in the second half opening kick for the Bulldogs to pick up his on-side kick.  

Balanced offensive attack and tenacious defense is the winning combination the Bulldogs utilized to post 21 unanswered points to gain the lead and win the game.  After gaining the ball from Robbinsville, Murphy ran Senior running back Kadence Leatherwood to Touchdown Town after using only 2:09 of clock time, which tied the score 13-to-13.  Leatherwood carried for a 2-yard touchdown with 2:11 left in the game.  A few seconds later after regaining the ball from the Black Knights, Sophomore running back Cameron Clem scrambled to the end zone on one of trademarked carries for 63 yards.  The third quarter ended with Murphy in the lead 27-to-13.  

Leatherwood says meeting Robbinsville in the third round of the state playoffs is a tough match up.  He credits solid play and good execution as keys to winning the game.

The game is in a more comfortable rest to the Murphy Bulldogs after Junior Quarterback Brady Grant tucked the ball for a 65 yard carry for Murphy’s final touchdown.  

Kicker Jerry Bui almost spent as much time on the field as some of the starting offensive players.  More than once, Bui had to kick, re-kick, and kick again the point-after-touchdown field goal due to penalties.  

The second half Bulldog defensive effort is too much for the Robbinsville Black Knights.  Leading the tackling, hurried quarterback, or sack efforts are Senior Lineman Charlie Graves, Juniors Landon Lape, and Brody Orton.  When the Black Knights attempted passes, they were received mostly by veteran receiver Darion Ledbetter.  The Bulldogs defensive secondary Aayden Williams, Grayson Hall, and Kenyon Nichols either picked the ball off or broke up the passes.  

Murphy’s win is credited to its rushing game.  Clem led the team with 250 yards on 22 carries and a touchdown.  Grant finished up with 61 yards on 5 carries and a 65-yard touchdown.  Leatherwood had 6 carries for 25 yards and two touchdowns.  Senior running back Will Shore carried twice for 20 yards and a touchdown.  Grant finished the night with 48 yards passing by completing 2 of 6 passes.  

This game is always one where you expect both teams to put forth the best effort, which is sometimes tough to wade through, says Cameron Clem.

Robbinsville’s passing game yielded more yardage with Bryce Adams completing 9 of 16 passes for 146 yards and a touchdown.  Rushing for the Black Knights was 112 yards on 39 carries and two touchdowns.

The Murphy Bulldogs are enjoying the win over Robbinsville, but also maintaining focused attention to preparing for an undefeated Mountain Heritage says Head Coach Joseph Watson.

The undefeated Mountain Heritage Cougars is the next opponent for the Murphy Bulldogs.  Friday’s game will be the fifth meeting between the Bulldogs and Cougars.  Murphy leads the series 4-to-0 (1998: 33-21; 1989: 40-12; 1990: 46-20; and 2021: 22-10).  The historical wins may not mean as much this season.  Mountain Heritage has maintained an undefeated 11-and-0 record, even after being sidelined for the effects of Hurricane Helene.  The Cougars have averaged 46 points on their opponents.  The Cougar defense has allowed an average of 10 points per game.  

Senior quarterback Brandon Quinn is leading the Mountain Heritage rushing game, which is the salient feature of the Cougar offense.  During recent games, Senior running back Caleb Roy has been the favored receiver.  When this downhill running team is not rushing, the passing game has been accurate, but seldom seen.  Published stats show Quinn has attempted around 60 passes this season with a 60 percent completion rate.  

More details on this game shortly.  Stay connected with Team FYN Sports for more details on this game. 

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