The Murphy Bulldogs are taking a road trip to face off against the Smoky Mountain Mustangs at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. Murphy will be strutting in after a win while Smoky Mountain will be coming in after a defeat.
Last Friday, Murphy narrowly escaped with a victory as the squad sidled past West Henderson 36-33. The win made it back-to-back victories for the Bulldogs.
Murphy's win was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Cameron Clem, who rushed for 134 yards and two touchdowns, and also caught a touchdown. Brady Grant was another key passer, throwing for 90 yards and two touchdowns on only five passes.
Perhaps unsurprisingly given the score, Murphy was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 348 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 162 rushing yards in three consecutive matchups.
Murphy wouldn't let West Henderson keep a hold of the ball as they managed to force three fumbles. It was truly a group effort as Chandler Nernes, Adam Cook, and Charlie Graves picked up one apiece.
Meanwhile, Smoky Mountain was beaten by T.C. Roberson 49-7 on Friday. While losing is never fun, the Mustangs can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' North Carolina football rankings (they are ranked 149th, while the Rams are ranked 48th).
Murphy now has a winning record of 2-1. As for Smoky Mountain, their loss was their first of the season and also makes their record 2-1.
Murphy took their victory against Smoky Mountain in their previous matchup back in September of 2023 by a conclusive 49-27. The rematch might be a little tougher for Murphy since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
