Two dominant backs in Cameron Clem and Zeke Glaspie are getting ready to go toe-to-toe. The Murphy Bulldogs will take on the Swain County Maroon Devils at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. Both teams are coming into the game red-hot, with Murphy sitting on five straight wins and Swain County on three.
On Friday, Murphy really took it to Hayesville for the full four quarters, racking up a 50-7 victory. Given the Bulldogs' advantage in MaxPreps' North Carolina football rankings (they are ranked 90th, while the Yellowjackets are ranked 238th) , the win wasn't entirely unexpected.
Grayson Hall
| 10/24/25 vs Hayesville | 66 |
| 09/12/25 @ A.C. Reynolds | 33 |
| 09/05/25 vs East Surry | 33 |
| 09/26/25 @ Cherokee | 31 |
| 08/29/25 @ Heard County | 24 |
A big part of Murphy's win came down to the chemistry between Brady Grant and his top target Grayson Hall. Grant threw for 100 yards and two touchdowns while completing 75% of his passes while Hall picked up 66 receiving yards and a pair of scores. Those 66 receiving yards gave Hall a new career-high.
Murphy didn't let much get past them through the air: they limited Hayesville to a completion percentage of just 43.8%. The Bulldogs have been improving in that area: they had allowed a completion percentage of 0.64 earlier this season, but they've only allowed one of 0.64 in their last three games.
Meanwhile, while Swain County put up plenty of points on Friday, the same can't be said for Rosman. The Maroon Devils claimed a resounding 42-0 victory over the Tigers. The score at the end of the third wound up being the final score as the Maroon Devils just coasted through the last quarter.
Murphy better keep an eye on Andruw Cody. He was instrumental in Swain County's win, throwing for 205 yards and four TDs while completing 83.3% of his passes, and also rushing for 33 yards. Another player making a difference was Kaden Sawyer, who rushed for 108 yards and one score on only 11 carries.
Murphy's record now sits at 7-2. As for Swain County, their record is now 6-3.
Friday's contest might be decided on the ground. Murphy has been unstoppable on the ground this season, having averaged 226.2 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Swain County struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 225.2 rushing yards. There's a good chance Friday's matchup turns into a tough fight on the ground.
Murphy strolled past Swain County in their previous matchup back in October of 2024 by a score of 31-14. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Bulldogs since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
