Two teams were on the hunt for playoff glory, but unfortunately for The Polk County Wolverines, they weren't the ones who walked away with it. They were outmatched by Murphy on the road and fell 57-21. While losing is never fun, Polk County can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' North Carolina football rankings (they are ranked 284th, while Murphy is ranked 104th).
It was another big night for Hunter Stalcup, who rushed for 321 yards and four touchdowns while picking up 16.9 yards per carry. Stalcup has been hot recently, having posted 100 or more rushing yards the last three times he's played. Murphy also got a significant boost from Cameron Clem, who ran away from the competition to the tune of 99 yards.
Murphy's defense stepped up as well, laying out the QB three times. Leading the way was Kadence Leatherwood and his two sacks.
Polk County are on a four-game losing streak that has dropped them down to 4-7. Admittedly, the team was facing some tough opposition over that stretch, including 9-2 Brevard and 7-4 Chase (their opponents had an average overall winning percentage of 65.9% over those games). As for Murphy, the win was the third in a row for them, bringing their record for this year to 8-3.
Polk County does not have any more games scheduled as of now. Murphy will head out on the road to face off against Bishop McGuinness at 7:30 p.m. on Friday.
