On Friday, the West Henderson Falcons didn't have quite enough to beat the Murphy Bulldogs and fell 36-33. The loss was the Falcons' first of the season.
Several Falcons players turned in solid performances despite ultimately coming up short. Perhaps the best among those players was Zane Mccraw, who rushed for 140 yards and a touchdown, and also threw for 14 yards and a touchdown. Mccraw's rushing production has been exceptional recently as that marked his third straight game with at least 140 rushing yards dating back to last season. Cade Young was another key passer, throwing for 204 yards and two touchdowns.
West Henderson wouldn't let Murphy keep a hold of the ball as they managed to force two fumbles. West Henderson can thank Brayben Settle and Neil Robinson for forcing both of them. Robinson also put in work on the defensive side of the ball, forcing a fumble and making seven total tackles.
Even though they lost, West Henderson was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 232 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 232 rushing yards in three consecutive contests.
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. Another player making a difference was Brady Grant, who threw for 90 yards and two touchdowns on only five passes.
West Henderson's loss ended a ten-game streak of wins at home dating back to last season and dropped them to 2-1. As for Murphy, they now also have a winning record of 2-1.
Both squads will have to hit the road in their upcoming games. West Henderson is headed away from home for the first time to face off against Erwin at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday. Both might be coming in a bit winded given how much these teams ran up and down the field in their prior games. As for Murphy, they will face off against Smoky Mountain at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
