Bulldog For Life: HOF Head Coach David Gentry Hangs it up
Sports, Team FYN Sports, TeamFYNSports June 8, 2021
The winningest coach in North Carolina has decided to close the “coaching” chapter of his life after 50 years. Murphy Bulldogs head coach David Gentry announced today that he is retiring from coaching football. He will retire ranked top 20 in the country in all-time wins, leaving a mark on the town of Murphy that will never be erased.
If there ever was the perfect time for the old ball coach to hang it up, it’s now. With his daughter Lauren Gentry Grubb having a grand-baby on the way; And after winning his 9th state title in North Carolina’s one and only “spring” football season, the stars seemed like they were aligned.
After every football season for the past 10 years it seems like we have been speculating whether or not Coach would be coming back at the helm for the Bulldogs. You would think that would make hearing the news that he was finally going to hang it up easier to swallow, but for some reason now that it’s really official, it’s kind of hard to believe.
Growing up, every kid’s dream in Murphy is to be a Bulldog. A huge part of that is because of David Gentry. I mean who wouldn’t want to play for a guy with 426 wins and 9 state titles. Plus, there’s just something about him. An aura that makes it seem like he is larger than life. An old man swag like I have never seen before!
The upcoming season will be weird to watch, not looking down and seeing Coach G on the sidelines. However, with the road map to success that he has left, I don’t expect the Dogs to miss a beat. The coaching tree he has left behind will take over the reigns seamlessly, and the Dogs will still be on top.
The rest of the Smoky Mountain Conference can sleep a little easier tonight, knowing they never have to face Coach Gentry again.
I wouldn’t be surprised if the town of Robbinsville (or Bryson City) throws a parade.
Dogs On Top! Win 426 For Coach Gentry is Championship Number 10 For Murphy
Sports, Team FYN Sports, TeamFYNSports May 9, 2021
Photo courtesy of BT Douthit
Win number 426 for legendary Murphy Bulldogs Head Coach David Gentry was one for the books. His Dogs defeated Northside-Pinetown 14-7 to claim the schools 10th State Title, and 9th under his reign.
This title was definitely not one of the prettiest or easiest to come by. The Hall of Fame coach even said it himself, “This win wasn’t pretty. It was probably the ugliest state championship i’ve ever won- but, at the end we’re state champions so no ones going to remember that much. I’m just proud of these young men and our coaching staff and how this team came together and made a great football team.”
Defense was the name of the game for the Dogs, as they shut down the Northside offense, aside from a 70 yard touchdown run by the Northside Offensive Player of the Game James Gorham. Longtime Defensive coordinator and Murphy grad Thomas Nelson called a near perfect game in his final stint with the Bulldogs. Nelson will be the Defensive Coordinator and Assistant Athletic Director at Union County High School in Georgia next year.
Rathburn takes the handoff from Rumfelt
It wasn’t just the number of tackles that Rathburn had that earned him the Defensive Player of the Game award, it was the moments that those tackles came in. Every time the Dogs needed a big third down stop or needed to come up with a big play on defense, Rathburn had his head on the ball.
Offensively, the Dogs relied heavily on the passing attack from quarterback Kellen Rumfelt and wideout Payton McCracken. Rumfelt was named the MVP of the game, and rightfully so.
Junior QB Kellen Rumfelt
Northside shut down the Murphy running attack, and the only way Murphy could move the ball was through the air. Rumfelt threw for 254 yards and a touchdown through just two and a half quarters. He was injured and had to come out of the game with about 6 minutes left in the third quarter, which makes his stat line that much more impressive.
This was McCrackens first game back since he had knee surgery a month ago, and he sure made the most of his opportunity. He had 5 catches for 127 yards and was named Murphys Offensive Player of the Game.
Coach Gentry had to hold back the tears when talking about what it meant to have Payton McCracken back for this game. “What a young man. We never thought he would come back. We really didn’t. He was on crutches until the Wednesday of the Robbinsville game….. All he did in the Robbinsville game was hold the PATs, thats all he was cleared to do. But he worked hard, and Wednesday of this week they released him completely. He’s a tremendous young man who brings a lot of enthusiasm to our football team. He gave us the fire that we needed. I cant say enough about him. He was “touched” I believe. I really do.”
This tenth State Championship Trophy will just shine a little different compared to the others sitting in that trophy case. The story about this football season is one that will be told for years to come.
Dogs Too Much For Elkin, Advance to Western Regional Championship
Sports, Team FYN Sports, TeamFYNSports April 24, 2021
Photo courtesy of Autumn Ritz
The Murphy Bulldogs and their Second Round opponent Elkin Elks slugged it out for 4 whole quarters on Friday, but the Dogs were ultimately too much, edging the Elks 29-24.
The Dogs will face Robbinsville next week in the Western Regional Championship game and will look to avenge their SMC Championship game loss to the Knights.
The Dogs were leading 29-24 with a little over 3 minutes left in the game when Cornerback Juan Allen intercepted an Elkin Elks pass, which allowed the Bulldogs offense to come onto the field and chew the clock up. That’s two weeks in a row that Bulldogs D Backs have made season saving interceptions, as Ryland Dickey picked off a pass in the endzone against Thomas Jefferson that sealed the deal.
Murphys defense early on in this one was not great. They gave up some big plays at some inopportune times that allowed Elkin to stay in the game. When it mattered most however, they locked in and got it done.
Game Notes-
Runningbacks Ty Laney and Ray Rathburn both crossed the century mark in yards on Friday. Laney finished with 126 yards and a TD, while Rathburn had 108 yards and 2 TDs. John Ledford also added a score on the ground.
Quarterback Kellen Rumfelt was 6 of 10 for 93 yards and an interception. His favorite target tonight was Sophomore Wideout and Backup QB Cole Laney, who caught 4 passes for 66 yards.
The Bulldogs defense was great on 3rd down all game, only allowing Elkin to convert on third down 3 times out of 10 attempts.
Juan Allen had a 4th quarter INT that sealed the deal for the Dogs and allowed them to get into victory formation.
Next week, Murphy will face conference foe Robbinsville in the 1A Western Regional Chmapionship game. This game will be a rematch of the SMC Championship game earlier this year, a game that Robbinsville won 17-7.
1A State Playoffs Second Round Preview: Murphy vs Elkin
Sports, Team FYN Sports, TeamFYNSports April 21, 2021
Photo courtesy of BT Douthit
Well Bulldog fans, your boys found a way to get it done last Friday night and were able to come away with a W against a very good Thomas Jefferson team. They are now prepping for their second round game at Elkin this Friday. Elkin is coming off a first round 35-28 win over Andrews, a game that many think Andrews could have won had it not been for their multiple first half turnovers.
Let’s do a quick run down of what to expect in this 2nd round matchup between the #1 seed Elkin Elks and the #4 seed Murphy Bulldogs.
Elkin
Like I mentioned earlier, the Elks are coming off of a tough, grind it out win over Andrews in the opening round. Brett and Boone Beaver do most of the work on the ground for the Elks and are a very good Running back duo. Brett has ran for over 540 yards and 10 touchdowns, while Boone has ran for nearly 500 yards and 4 touchdowns. Brett is more of a “gadget” type back, they line him up in a lot of different formations and use him in a lot of different ways. Jaxon Godbey is the signal caller for the Elks. He has thrown for 443 yards and 6 TDs, while rushing for 138 yards and 5 TDs. Ty Parsons is the teams leading receiver, he’s caught 14 passes for nearly 200 yards and 5 TDs. I would view Elkin as a run first team, with a very strong O Line.. While the Elks may be the #1 seed, keep in mind its not because of their record or MaxPreps rankings. It’s because of how screwed up the seeding was in the NCHSAA this year. MaxPreps newest rankings have Elkin at 12th in 1A, while Murphy is sitting in the 6th spot.
Murphy
The Dogs played maybe their best game of the season in my opinion last week against undefeated Thomas Jefferson. They stayed composed and level-headed throughout the entire game and came away with a 28-20 victory over a very good Gryphons team. If Murphy plays like that every week, they can beat anyone in the State. This week they face an Elkin team that just allowed cross-county foe Andrews to put up 28 points on them. In the season opener, Murphys defense only allowed Andrews to score 7 points. Now a lot of things have changed since then, personnel wise and such, but I can’t see Murphy struggling too much with Elkin if they play like they did last week, even if Elkin does have homefield advantage. Offensive Coordinator Joseph Watson called nearly a perfect game last week in the Dogs bout against Thomas Jefferson. If he is able to put his offense in a good spot against a weaker Elkin defense, then I could see the Dogs pouring on the points. The best unit of the Elkin team is their offensive line. They are big and physical, and the Dogs defense is going to need to penetrate and keep that quick RB duo the Elks have in front of them. I think we could see Yousef Mugharbil playing a lot more defensive end than he’s used to, in order for the Dogs to disrupt this strong Elkin O Line. The Murphy defense did an outstanding job last week against TJCA. TJCA had a ton of athletes all over the field, and the Dogs still held them to only 20 points. I don’t know if the Elks offense is quite as potent as TJCA’s, that’s why I’ve got Murphy winning by multiple scores in this one.
My prediction- Murphy 35-Elkin 21
Dogs Beat Gryphons 28-20, Advance to 2nd Round
Sports, Team FYN Sports, TeamFYNSports April 18, 2021
Photo courtesy of BT Douthit
The Murphy Bulldogs and the Thomas Jefferson Classical Academy Gryphons faced off in the First Round of the North Carolina High School Athletic Association 1A State Playoffs last Friday night. The Dogs were fired up to be playing at home, and they used that home field advantage to secure a 28-20 win over the Gryphons.
It was a tight game all the way through. In the first quarter, sophomore Running Back Ty Laney got the scoring started for the Dogs as he scampered for a 63 yard Touchdown run at the 10 minute mark. The Gryphons were able to respond fairly quickly however, as Bryce Jergenson punched one in from 48 yards out to tie it up at 7 all.
In the second quarter, Jergenson ran another one in to give TJCA a 14-7 lead. That lead didn’t last long though, as Murphy Offensive Coordinator Joseph Watson dialed up the perfect play and Kellen Rumfelt threw a dime to Hunter Laney for a 54 yard Touchdown. The Dogs pulled some trickery on the PAT and were successful on their 2 point conversion, which gave them a 15-14 lead with about 2 minutes left in the half.
Then the lights went out. An actual bank of lights went out as Murphy was about to kick the ball back to TJCA after the long passing TD that allowed them to take a 15-14 lead. After some conversation, the referees sent both teams to the locker room so that the lights could have time to be fixed. The remaining minute and 50 seconds of the second quarter would be played after halftime.
During the break the lights were fixed, and play was resumed. The remaining 2 minutes of the second quarter was uneventful, as TJCA basically ran out the clock.
In the third quarter, the Dogs defense was stout and gave their offense some extra possessions. On one of those extra possessions, sophomore Running Back John Ledford broke free for a 40 yard TD run, which after the missed PAT made it 21-14 Murphy. Gryphons do-it-all QB Bryce Jergenson ran for his 3rd TD of the night with 1:21 left in the 3rd quarter, but was flagged after the TD for an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty that backed the PAT try up 15 yards. The long PAT was no good, and the Dogs still clung to a 21-20 lead heading into the Fourth.
In the Fourth, senior Running Back Ray Rathburn scored a 33 yard Touchdown that ended up being the final score of the night for either team, as the Dogs went ahead 28-20.
The play of the game however came later in the Fourth quarter, when Thomas Jefferson was in the red zone. The Gryphons dropped back to pass and fired one into the endzone where Ryland Dickey wrestled the ball away from the TJCA wide receiver and came away with an interception, giving the Dogs the ball back and ultimately saving their season.
Murphy will travel to number 1 seed Elkin next Friday for the 2nd round of the NCHSAA Playoffs.
1A State Playoffs First Round Preview: Murphy vs Thomas Jefferson
Sports, Team FYN Sports, TeamFYNSports April 14, 2021
Photo courtesy of BT Douthit
It’s FINALLY playoff time here in North Carolina. The brackets have been set and matchups announced, so let’s do a quick run through of what to expect from the first round matchup between the number 4 seed Murphy Bulldogs and the number 5 seed Thomas Jefferson Classical Academy (TJCA) Gryphons.
Thomas Jefferson
First things first, lets set the record straight- Thomas Jefferson is not your normal five seed. They are undefeated on the year and tied with Pine Lake Prep for first in their conference. The way that the NCHSAA did playoff seeding was really messed up this year because of COVID. Pine Lake Prep is 1AA, but they didn’t break the teams into two classifications (1AA & 1A) until after they did the seeding, so Pine Lake Prep won the coin toss for the Southern Piedmont Conference and got the 1 seed from that conference. It’s all messed up this year. Messed up seeding or not, I can promise you that no one wanted to get matched up with TJCA in the first round.
Second, remember the name Dakota Twitty. He is a 6 foot 5 inch 205 pound Wide Receiver and Defensive Back who has over 20 division 1 offers as a JUNIOR. Twitty is a force to be reckoned with on either side of the ball, and I would venture to guess that you will hear his name over the loudspeaker more than a few times. He has 30 receptions through 6 games and has caught 5 touch downs. Last year he caught nearly 40 passes and was on the receiving end of 15 TD passes. The kid is legit. Watch out for big #1 this Friday night.
Quarterback Bryce Jergenson and Running Back Isiah Mcmullens are two other players on the Gryphons offense that Murphy will have to slow down if they want to advance to the second round. Mcmullens has over 500 yards and 7 touchdowns on the ground thus far, while Jergenson has thrown for over 600 yards and 7 TDs.
The Gryphons defense gives opposing quarterbacks an absolute fit. They have combined for 12 sacks on the year, and 39 Tackles For Loss. 39 TFL’s in 6 games is incredible stuff.
If TJCA wants to win this game, they’ve got to get #1 Dakota Twitty open, and they’ve got to hit Bulldog ball carriers behind the line of scrimmage. Doing the first of those two things may be the easiest, as we saw Murphy struggle at the defensive back position last week against Robbinsville with Aguilar and McCracken out.
Murphy
The Bulldogs find themselves back in the playoffs yet again. I should do some real journalism and research how many years in a row Murphy has made it to the playoffs, but I don’t have that kind of time on my hands.
The Dogs are coming off a pretty devastating loss against conference foe Robbinsville. Robbinsville knew what Murphys weaknesses were and they exploited them pretty heavily. I would expect Murphy to get better at covering up those weaknesses in this one though.
Losing Junior Payton McCracken, the Dogs leading wide receiver and defensive back was probably the worst thing that could have happened to Murphy at this point in the year. He has been the heartbeat of your defense and gets guys up when they need to make a big play, and now all of a sudden he’s just not out there. If Murphy wants to win this football game they have got to find a replacement for him. We saw Bulldog Quarterback Kellen Rumfelt come in on defense and play some corner for Murphy last week, and I would expect to see much of the same this week unless Coach Gentry has found a young stud way further down on the depth chart. Rumfelt is a heck of and athlete, and he’s not afraid to come down and hit ya, which is what the Dogs are going to need if they plan on stopping the D1 recruit the Gryphons have on the other side of the ball.
Keeping with Rumfelt however, you are going to need him to have a great game on the offensive side of the ball too. I mentioned how good TJCA is at getting to the QB and hitting guys behind the line of scrimmage, so you’re going to need Rumfelt to be as fresh as possible on offense in case he has to make things happen with his legs.
If I were Murphy coming into this one however, I’m going to try and just pound the rock. Give it to Ray Rathburn behind your own 4 star recruit in Yousef Mugharbil and make TJCA make a play. Stick with the bread and butter of what got you here. Run it, run it, and run it again. Mugharbil can move mountains, I know he can move 2 or 3 of those guys on that D Line and create a hole for your RBs to run through.
By the way, if you cant make it to the game on Friday, we will be live streaming it on FYNTV.com for free.
Black Knights Win Back To Back Conference Titles
Sports, Team FYN Sports, TeamFYNSports April 10, 2021
Photo courtesy of BT Douthit
The Murphy Bulldogs and Robbinsville Black Knights faced off in the conference championship game Friday night. Both teams came into the game undefeated looking to secure the top playoff seed in the smoky mountain conference. Yet on this night the Black Knights were the team with better ball security leading to them a 17-7 win.
1st Quarter:
The Black Knights won the opening kickoff electing to receive to start the game. It was a good choice as they marched down the field for a great first drive taking an early 7-0 lead. Murphy got the ball on their first drive but quickly went three and out. Robbinsville got the ball back and were driving down the field to end the first quarter. It needs to be mentioned that Murphy only ran three offensives plays in the entire first quarter.
2nd Quarter:
Robbinsville continued their second drive of the game to open the second quarter all the way inside the redzone. The Murphy defense held strong though forcing a field goal attempt, that was missed by Robbinsville. Murphy did get a first down on their second drive but that was about it as the Bulldogs had to punt it away. Murphy almost forced a three and out but on 3rd & 20 Nathan Collins found his tight end wide open for a 40 yard gain on what appeared to be a busted coverage by Murphys defense. Robbinsville was able to capitalize on the mistake finishing off the drive with a touchdown to take their lead 14-0. Murphy on their next drive got all the way inside the Robbinsville 10-yard line but fumbled it away to Robbinsville. The defense did step up though forcing a three and out though. Unfortunately for the Bulldogs there punt returner fumbled the ball giving it right back to Robbinsville. Thats how the game went to half with a Robbinsville 14-0 lead.
3rd Quarter:
Murphy received the second half kick and had their best play of the game offensively with a Ray Rathburn run all the way into Robbinsville territory. Kellen Rumfelt led the way picking up several big third and fourth downs pickups on the drive. Finishing it off with a huge touchdown pass, on 3rd & 20 Rumfelt throwing a perfect ball to Cole Laney for the touchdown. This is how the third quarter ended, the Bulldogs trailing 14-7.
4th Quarter:
The next scoring action came with a Robbinsville field goal. This made the score 17-7 giving Robbinsville a crucial 17-7 lead. On the ensuing kickoff Murphy muffed the kick giving it right back to Robbinsville, the third Bulldog turnover of the night. The Bulldogs played right with the Black Knights but losing the turnover margin 3-0 proved to be too much for Murphy to overcome. The game finished with Robbinsville forcing Murphy to pass but the Black Knight pass rush was too much to give the Bulldogs any chance. The game finished 17-7, Robbinsville handing Murphy their first loss of the season.
Ty Laney scores 4 TDs as Dogs beat Braves 43-21
Sports, Team FYN Sports, TeamFYNSports April 4, 2021
Photo courtesy of BT Douthit
The Murphy Bulldogs faced the Cherokee Braves on senior night Friday night, in the Dogs last home game of this shortened season.
The Dogs came into the game 5-0 and riding a 50 point offensive performance in their previous game in which the beat Rosman.
Cherokee came into the game 2-3, trying to get to .500 on the year and squeeze into the playoffs.
The Braves were no match for the Dogs however, as Murphy poured it on and won the game 43-21.
Sophomore Running Back Ty Laney started things off for the Bulldogs, scoring back to back Touchdowns in the first quarter that put his team up 14-0.
Cherokee QB Don Bradley answered back in the 2nd however, tossing a TD pass to wideout Chase Calhoun.
It wasn’t long before the other Sophomore RB in the Dogs backfield got started though, as John Ledford punched one in from 47 yards out. Annie-Kate Dalton then hit a 27 yard Field Goal that sent the Dogs into the locker room with a 24-7 lead at the half.
The third quarter didn’t see much action. Ty Laney of the Bulldogs and Anthony Allison of the Braves traded scores and it was 30-14 Murphy headed into the Fourth.
In the Fourth quarter, Ty Laney scored his 4th and final touchdown of the night, which was followed by a 68 yard punt return TD for Juan Allen that put Murphy up 43-14. Cherokee found the endzone one more time before the night was over, yet the Dogs prevailed 43-21.
Murphy will travel to Robbinsville on Friday night to play the defending State Champion Black Knights in the Smoky Mountain Conference Championship game.
Bulldogs put up 50 Burger on Rosman, still undefeated
Murphy Bulldogs, Sports, Team FYN Sports, TeamFYNSports March 27, 2021
Photo courtesy of BT Douthit
Rosman, NC- The Murphy Bulldogs traveled to Transylvania County on Friday night to face the Rosman Tigers. Murphy handled the Tigers with ease, beating them 50-0.
It’s not often you see teams in the Smoky Mountain Conference put up FIFTY points on another team, but the Bulldogs high powered offense knew they were capable of doing such a thing and proved it last night.
Rosman is struggling as a program and have had some pretty bad years over the past decade, but this year they are especially down. This was a good game for the Dogs underclassmen to get some reps, and the ones that did made the best of it!
Photo from BT Douthit
Sophomore Running Back Ty Laney made his impact early, scoring 3 TDs in the first half. Juan Allen also punched it in on the ground twice, while John Ledford and Isra Smith also added a rushing score a piece.
The ground game was so successful that the Bulldogs didn’t have to put the ball in the air very often, but when they did Junior Quarter Back Kellen Rumfelt was 4-7 for 144 yards.
Most of those completions were to star Wide Out Payton McCracken, who caught 3 passes for 110 yards. McCracken also added an interception on the defensive side of the ball.
The biggest story of the game was obviously that the Bulldogs combined for 300+ yards rushing as a team, but one thing that can’t be skipped over is the fact that Senior Kicker Annie-Kate Dalton was 6-6 on Xtra Points!
Game Notes-
Isra Smith- 8 rushes for 95 yards and 1 TD.
Ty Laney- 6 rushes for 44 yards and 3 TDs.
Ryland Dickey- 3 rushes for 48 yards.
Juan Allen- 2 rushes for 44 yards and 2 TDs.
John Ledford- 2 rushes for 30 yards and a score.
Isaac Aguilar- 1 punt return for 56 yards.
Payton McCracken- 3 catches for 110 yards.
Defense held Rosman to 1/9 on third down.
MHS Football beats Franklin, moves to 2-0
Sports, Team FYN Sports, TeamFYNSports March 7, 2021
Photo from MHS Athletics Facebook Page
Murphy, NC- It was a chilly 45 degree night last Friday as the Murphy Bulldogs played host to the Franklin Panthers.
Murphy was able to come away with the victory 48-14, making it the 3rd year in a row the Dogs have beaten the Panthers.
The game was tight through the entire first half.
Running Back Ray Rathburn scored two early TDs for the Bulldogs including a 66 yard breakaway that tied things up at 14 all. QB Kellen Rumfelt threw a 33 yard dime to Isaac Aguilar that allowed the Bulldogs to take a 21-14 lead into the locker room.
Out of the locker room Murphy looked like a different beast. They put on an offensive clinic, 41 unanswered points after being down 14-7 in the second quarter, including 27 second half points. John Ledford, Rumfelt, and Ty Laney all rushed for TDs in the second half, while Rumfelt found Aguilar again through the air, this time from 34 yards out.
Game Notes-
Murphy had 429 yards of total offense, 320 of which was on the ground.
QB Kellen Rumfelt looked great when the Dogs did decide to put the ball in the air, going 5-10 for 109 yards and 2 passing TDs. He also notched 7 rushes for 41 yards and a TD.
Issac Aguilar was Rumfelts favorite target, catching both TD passes for 67 total yards. Aguilar was also impressive in the return game for the Bulldogs on Special Teams.
Starting running back Ray Rathburn was banged up and was not on the field for the second half, but he made his first half touches count, tallying 2 TDs and 93 yards on just 6 carries.
Sophomores John Ledford and Ty Laney carried the load for the Bulldogs in the second half with Rathburn down with an injury. Ledford eclipsed the 100 yard mark and added a TD, while Laney broke one off late in the Fourth for a TD that brought his rushing yardage total to 53.
Murphy Kicks Off Season With 33-6 Win Over Andrews
Murphy Bulldogs, Sports, Team FYN Sports, TeamFYNSports February 26, 2021
Murphy, NC- North Carolina High School football fans finally got to see their teams take the field last night, an act that some thought would never happen this year.
With schedules being changed and seasons getting moved around, there was so much doubt surrounding this season that it seemed like the community was able to breath a sigh of relief as they saw the ball fly through the air on that opening kickoff.
The Bulldogs played host to the Andrews Wildcats in the opening game of both teams seasons.
After a stellar start to the game by the Wildcats, Murphy was able to buckle down in the second half, pulling away from Andrews and winning 33-6.
Game Notes:
Murphy won the toss and elected to kick and thanks to a BIG hit from their special teams unit, they were able to force a fumble and recover the ball on the opening kickoff, giving the Dogs great field position to start the game.
The Andrews Defense came up big and made a goal line stand. On offense the Wildcats drove the ball 98 yards and were able to score the first points of the game on a 22 yard pass from Donovan Bateman to Spencer Bateman.
That would be the only time that the Wildcats were able to find the endzone however, thanks to subsequent scores from Ray Rathburn, John Ledford, Ty Laney and Juan Allen.
Ray Rathburn was the bell cow for the Bulldogs, scoring 2 TD’s and rushing for 90 yards. Juan Allen was right behind Rathburn on the stat sheet, thanks to a 50 yard TD run in the fourth quarter.
The Bulldogs were never really able to get anything going through the air, which is something that Head Coach David Gentry said they will have to do going forward when I spoke with him postgame.
The Bulldogs host the Franklin Panthers in their next game on Friday March 5th. You can watch all Murphy home football games LIVE on FYNTV.com, including their bout this coming week against the Panthers.
If you want a sneak peak look into what to expect out of the Franklin Panthers next Friday, tune into FYNTV.com on Monday @ 6:00, as we will be bringing that game to you LIVE also.
NCHSAA: More Fans Could Be Allowed At Football Games
Sports, Team FYN Sports, TeamFYNSports February 16, 2021
Photo from MHS Athletics on Facebook
NCHSAA- Que Tucker, the North Carolina Athletic Association Commissioner, sent out a letter today in which she talked about the limits placed on spectators at outdoor sporting events.
North Carolina High Schools currently are required to limit spectators to 100 people at all outdoor sporting events thanks to NC Governor Roy Coopers executive order that was put in place over COVID-19 concerns.
The executive order is set to end on February 28th, so it ultimately depends on whether or not the Governor extends that order or makes amends to it.
There is currently a parent organized petition being sent around calling for more spectators to be allowed at outdoor events, and the petition has garnered more than 35,000 signatures. The petition if you wish to sign can be found here: https://chng.it/MH4TZCV49W
In the letter sent to North Carolina member schools, Tucker said:
Coinciding with the high school football season’s official start, much attention has been paid to football contests’ seating limitations, as indicated in Governor Cooper’s Executive Order for outdoor stadiums. It has been suggested that the NCHSAA isn’t doing its part to “put pressure” on Governor Cooper and Dr. Cohen! That is unlikely to happen, as it has never been the philosophy of the NCHSAA to pressure people with more authority and more expertise in some issues. Would the NCHSAA like more people in the stands? Absolutely! But to be clear, we want that when it is safe and conducive to do so.
For those who are less aware, the NCHSAA has been at the table with DHHS, when appropriate, to share our thoughts and make suggestions relative to amateur and youth sports guidelines. We have weighed in on seating limitations, beginning with volleyball and basketball. Likewise, we have been invited to do so for outdoor venues as we approach the February end of this current Executive Order! Just maybe the numbers will change.
Maybe the numbers limiting fans and parents to attend their kids sporting events will change. It would be a shame if they didn’t. 15 minutes down the road in Georgia and Tennessee, North Carolina sat and watched idly as GHSA and TSSAA football seasons came and went without a hitch. Now that the season is finally here in North Carolina, we may not even be able to watch a game except through a live stream.
Hopefully the powers at be see how passionate fans are about wanting to watch their teams play, and can come up with a safe way to let more than 100 people attend a game.