Murphy Sets the Tone for the Season with a win over Franklin

By Brandon Stephens

(Franklin, GA) – – There is strong talk the Heard County (GA) Braves (2-and-0) by team leadership they will take a win in the game over Murphy in the long road trip the Bulldogs (1-and-0) will make to Franklin, Georgia Friday night.  The Braves should have a chip on their shoulders for the two-point loss suffered last year in Murphy.  The Bulldogs are looking strong after a 29-to-16 win over the well-coached Franklin Panthers.

Murphy utilizes more than one running back to move the ball and get into touchdown town.  All eyes have been on Junior running back Cameron Clem who carried 17 times for 95 yards and Sophomore running back Blake Davis 10 times for 116 yards.  Clem scored the first and last touchdowns for Murphy.  Brady Grant completed 8 of 13 passes for 86 yards with 6 of those receptions by Ryan Payne to move the ball effectively and efficiently against Franklin.  Complete stats and game notes are complied by Team FYN Sports and included here.

Murphy Senior quarterback Brady Grant is pleased with the performance by the Bulldogs.

The Bulldogs continue to work against Franklin’s Sophomore running back Garrett Young, who carries 27 times for 128 yards.  Brody Orton, Landen Lape, Janthony Gooden, Jude Pinkerton, and Dalton Farmer join forces to either lead the team in tackles.  Farmer makes a critical fumble recovery in the fourth quarter on a Franklin kick return to help set up Murphy for a game-winning score.

Junior running back Cameron Clem talks about the work to get past Franklin and a look to traveling to Heard County, Georgia.

Murphy’s overall effort is praised by Head Football Coach Joseph Watson.

Heard County comes to the game Friday after a 49-to-6 win over Clarkston and 55-to-6 win over South Atlanta.  These are two teams that are either rebuilding or may have been out-manned by Heard County.  While the Braves show up to eight receivers, Junior quarterback Ethan Tisdale is the game-maker for Heard County.  Tisdale completed 21 of 26 passes for 350 yards and 7 touchdowns for an average of 17 yards per pass and was more than half of the team’s 858 yards of offensive motion.  The Braves utilized 11 different runners to build 418 yards of offense, where either Junior running back Darience Coleman (12 carries 122 yards) or Tisdale (17 carries for 173 yards) made up 295 yards of offense.  The Bulldogs will have to be on their toes and read the keys well, watching or Tisdale to run a quarterback keeper.  Tisdale is excellent for reading plays.

The Braves are heavy on Senior players who are either big or fast.  Heard County will fly to ball and be a strong defensive force.  Senior defensive end Max Lasseter led the team with 10 solo tackles along with Junior Michael Lofton with 7 solo tackles.  The Braves like to utilize a four man front for its defense and shoot the gaps with Junior linebacker Jack Langley (3 Solo Tackles and 4 Assists).  The Bulldogs will need to present a strong front to protect its running backs and passing threat.

Heard County stats are reported from Maxpreps.

The game is set for a Friday night kick off at 7:30 in Franklin, Georgia.  Team FYN Sports will stream the game.  More details with words from Heard County Head Football Coach Shane Lasseter during the pre-game show.

Murphy at Franklin

August 22, 2025 7:30PM  73 Degrees Cloudy

Murphy

Rushing           267 Yards         37 Carries       7.2 Yards Per Carry

5 Cameron Clem        95 Yards           17 Carries       5.6 Yards Per Carry

8 Blake Davis                116 Yards         10 Carries       11.6 Yards Per Carry

10 Brady Grant             0 Yards              2 Carries          0 Yards Per Carry

23 Michael Brown       19 Yards           2 Carries          9.5 Yards Per Carry

28 Brody McFadden  56 Yards           8 Carries          7 Yards Per Carry

Passing            86 yards           10.8 Yards Per Pass   8-13-0               61.5%  (Brady Grant)

3 Ryan Payne                69 Yards           6 Receptions

5 Cameron Clem        7 Yards              1 Reception

12 Grayson Hall           10 Yards           1 Reception

Penalties         8 Penalties      -55 Yards

Franklin

              Rushing           163 Yards         39 Carries       4.2 Yards Per Carry

0 Paxton Sutton           2 Yards              1 Carry              2 Yards Per Carry

12 Anderson Terrell   21 Yards           5 Carries          4.2 Yards Per Carry

30 Addix Sutton           12 Yards           6 Carries          2 Yards Per Carry

36 Garrett Young         128 Yards         27 Carries       4.7 Yards Per Carry

Passing            21 Yards           5.3 Yards Per Pass      4-15-0     27% (Anderson Terrell)

11 Gabe Harrison       9 Yards              2 Receptions

24 ?                                   7 Yards              1 Reception

36 Garrett Young         5 Yards              1 Reception

Penalties         6 Penalties      -50 Yards

Box Score

1                          2                          3                          4                            Final

Murphy                            7                          0                          0                          22                             29

Franklin                           7                          2                          7                          0                             16

Scoring

1Q        8:50     Murphy – 5 Cameron Clem 5 Yard Carry (25 Jerry Bui PAT – Good)

Murphy 7 Franklin 0

10 Plays 73 yards 3:05

1Q        4:05     Franklin – 12 Anderson Terrell 13 Yard Carry (27 Juan Olvera PAT – Good)

Franklin 7 Murphy 7

10 Plays 51 Yards 4:37

2Q        1:47     Murphy High Snap On Punt to End Zone – 2 Point Safety

Franklin 9 Murphy 7

3Q        5:56     Franklin – 30 Addix Sutton 2 Yard Carry (27 Juan Olvera PAT – Good)

Franklin 16 Murphy 7

12 Plays 60 yards 5:56

4Q        10:06   Murphy – 28 Brody McFadden 5 Yard Carry (25 Jerry Bui PAT – Good)

Murphy 14 Franklin 16

5 Plays 60 Yards 1:31

4Q        3:37     Murphy – 28 Brody McFadden 3 Yard Carry (8 Blake Davis Carry 2PT Conv)

Murphy 22 Franklin 16

10 Plays 59 Yards 3:50

4Q        2:14     Murphy – 5 Cameron Clem 1 Yard Carry (25 Jerry Bui PAT – Good)

Murphy 29 Franklin 16

5 Plays 22 Yards 1:23

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