Explosive offense leads North Murray to big win over Murray County

North Murray Football, Team FYN Sports

North Murray continued their winning streak over rival Murray County. The Offense exploded for 42 first-half points to put the game away early.

Big performances by Senior Quarterback Seth Griffin and Junior Receiver Judson Petty provided all the offense the Mountaineers would need.

It only took a little over a minute for North Murray to find the endzone. Seth Griffin hit Judson Petty on a short pass and he streaked down the sideline putting the Mountaineers up 7-0. On their next possession, a long Griffin to Skyler Williams pass set up a 2-yard rushing touchdown by Petty. Griffin and Williams would hook up again for a 7-yard touchdown before the first quarter came to an end.

The Mountaineers added to their 21-0 lead in the second quarter. Seth Griffin added a 28-yard rushing touchdown putting North Murray up 28-0. A few minutes later Griffin found Petty again. The 62-yard Petty receiving touchdown put the Mountaineers out front comfortably 35-0 with 3:07 left before halftime.

The Mountaineer defense did not want to be left out on the scoring parade. Carson Gibson, John Craig, and Liam Rogers combined to block a Murray County punt. Liam Rogers recovered the punt and dashed to the endzone putting North Murray up 42-0 at the half.

The second half of the game saw many future stars from both teams. Skyler Williams led the Mountaineers at quarterback in the third quarter and added one more touchdown to close out the scoring on the night.

The 49-0 victory moves North Murray to 4-2 (2-0) on the season. North Murray will welcome Gordon Central next Friday. Murray County falls to 0-6 and have a bye next week.

North Murray Head Coach Preston Poag talks to his team after the win on Friday.

North Murray offense keeps rolling in 56-19 win over Ridgeland

North Murray Football, Team FYN Sports

ROSSVILLE—The North Murray Mountaineers squared off with the Ridgeland Panthers Friday in a first-ever meeting between the two schools. North Murray cruised to a 56-19 victory that featured 4 different Mountaineers with a rushing touchdown.

The game started off slow for Both offenses. North Murray’s first possession ended with a Ridgeland interception. Ridgeland’s first two possessions ended with turnovers. Late in the first, the Mountaineer offense began to Click. A North Murray drive led them down to the Ridgeland 2-yard line. Skyler Williams finished off the drive with a 2-yard rushing touchdown running behind fellow Sophomore Nate Rivera.

Nate Rivera #52 with a QB sack in the 1st quarter.

 

Ridgeland’s quarterback Ethan Waters put the Panthers on the board early in the second quarter with an 18-yard rushing TD. North Murray would retake the lead later that same quarter. A 30-yard Williams rush set up a 2-yard Seth Griffin touchdown rush.

The ensuing kickoff hit a Ridgeland player and bounced right back to kicker Jafet Cuenca. The Neers would take advantage of the extra possession. Big pass plays to Williams and Jadyn Rice set up a 9-yard Judson Petty touchdown rush to put North Murray up 21-7.

 

Seth Griffin#10 looking downfield to Jadyn Rice #7 and Skyler Williams#3

As time expired in the first half, Ridgeland quarterback Ethan Waters heaved a deep pass into the endzone that was hauled in by Ridgeland wide receiver William Tredy. The score cut the Mountaineers lead at the half to 21-13.

The second half opened with another Cuenca kick that was recovered by North Murray. Just as they did previously, the Mountaineers increased their lead with the extra chance. A few plays after the kick recovery, Judson Petty broke free for his second touchdown of the night. A 31-yard burst through the heart of the Ridgeland defense.

The Petty touchdown pushed the Mountaineer lead to 28-13. Jadyn Rice added a 39-yard touchdown rush of his own later in the third quarter. A Ridgeland fumble on the ensuing possession would set up a 39-yard Griffin to Williams touchdown pass to push the North Murray advantage to 42-13. On the Next North Murray drive, a long Jadyn Rice rush down to the Ridgeland 2-yard line set up Judson Petty’s third rushing touchdown of the night.

Ridgeland added an Ethan Waters touchdown pass to Darrian Burks before the end of the third quarter.
Seth Griffin would cap the scoring on the night with a 1-yard touchdown plunge that brought the game to its eventual final score of 56-19.

North Murray moves to 2-1 and will welcome Northwest Whitfield next Friday. Ridgeland falls to 0-2 and will travel to Heritage next Friday.

NM 7-14-28-7 –56

R   0-13-6-0  — 19

1st                                                                N-R

N- Skyler Williams 2yd rush                  7-0

2nd

R- Ethan Waters 18yd rush                     7-7

N- Seth Griffin 2yd rush                         14-7

N- Judson Petty 9yd rush                       21-7

R- William Tredy 36 yd pass/Waters  21-13

3rd

N- Petty 31 yd rush                                 28-13

N- Jadyn Rice 37 yd rush                      35-13

N- Williams 39yd pass/Griffin            42-13

N- Petty 2 yd rush                                   49-13

R-Darrian Burks 13yd pass/Waters    49-19

4th

N- Griffin 1 yd rush                                 56-19

 

Griffin’s Big Night leads North Murray to win in home opener against Pickens.

North Murray Football, North Murray High School, Team FYN Sports, TeamFYNSports

CHATSWORTH – North Murray welcomed Pickens Friday night for their Home Opener and the first-ever matchup between the two Schools. The first meeting surpassed all expectations as the two teams combined for 104 points on the night.

To say Seth Griffin had a good game would be an understatement. The North Murray Senior Quarterback finished with 401-yards passing, 201-yards rushing, and accounted for 7 total touchdowns. Before Griffin, the last North Murray QB to have a 7-TD performance was Ladd McConkey in October of 2019 against Coahulla Creek.

Seth Griffin evading Pickens defenders.

Judson Petty got the scoreboard working first with a 5-yard rushing TD just 4-minutes into the game. The Dragons answered a few plays later. Pickens QB Sam Streicher hit Marcus Pike for a 56-yard TD. The next three Mountaineer scores belonged to Griffin. Griffin scored on rushes of 4, 13, and 29-yards in the first-half. For every North Murray big play, Pickens returned the favor. The Dragons got rushing TDs from Canaan Denson and Mason Powell. Powell would find the endzone again on the next series on a 39-yard pass from Streicher. The frenzy of scoring led to a 29-26 Pickens advantage late in the first half.

North Murray Offensive Line clearing the way early in the 1st quarter.

With under a minute left in the half, Griffin hit Skyler Williams on a long pass down to the Pickens 8-yard line. Griffin connected with Liam Rogers on the TD pass with just 7 seconds left before halftime. The Rogers Touchdown gave the Mountaineers a 33-29 advantage at the half.

The same cast of characters that made the first-half so exciting repeated their performance in the second-half.
On the opening possession of the half, Griffin hit Petty on a screen pass and he dodged Dragon defenders as he made his way 37-yards for the score.

Judson Petty scores on a pass from Seth Griffin in the 3rd quarter.

The Dragon offense, not to be outdone, put together a scoring drive of their own. A long Dragon drive ended with another Powell rushing TD, this one from 1-yard out. After a North Murray turnover, Pickens cashed in and took the lead. Streicher hit Isaiah Williams on a 21-yard screen pass for a TD. The Williams TD gave the Dragons a 43-40 lead with 4:45 left in the third. The Dragons pushed their lead to 50-40 before the end of the Quarter. A long Dragon pass play set up Kadyn Hampton on a short TD rush.

The fourth quarter belonged to the Mountaineers. Griffin added his fourth rushing TD of the night, this one from 15 yards out bringing the score to 50-47 in favor of the Dragons. Both teams traded possessions throughout the final stanza. The Mountaineers then found themselves with the ball with under 2-minutes remaining. Griffin and company went to work. A quick drive ended with a Griffin strike to Jadyn Rice from 26-yards out. Rice broke several tackles before diving into the end zone with just 55-seconds remaining. A Jafet Cuenca extra- point put the Mountaineers up For good at 54-50 and secured their first win of the season.

North Murray moves to 1-1 and will travel to Ridgeland next Friday. Pickens falls to 0-2 and will travel to Fannin next Friday.

North Murray clinches playoff spot with road win at LaFayette

North Murray Football, North Murray High School, Sports, Team FYN Sports, TeamFYNSports

 

LAFAYETTE—On a cold night in laFayette, The North Murray Mountaineers wrapped up the regular season with a playoff spot clinching win. The 30-21 Mountaineer victory secured the fourth and final playoff spot for Region 6-AAA.

It was a slow start for both offenses. The teams would trade several punts throughout the first quarter as the defenses silenced the offensive stars for both teams.

The North Murray offense got on the board first. Late in the second quarter, Sr. RB Ethan Dempsey broke an 11-yard touchdown through the middle of the Rambler defense. The Mountaineers would go for two, but would fall short. The failed attempt left the score at 6-0 in favor of North Murray.

The Dempsey touchdown would be the only score of the first half between the two teams. The Mountaineers would take the 6-0 lead to the locker room at halftime.

The second half began with some excitement. Ethan Dempsey returned the second half kickoff for a touchdown, but it was called back for a block in the back penalty. The Mountaineers would start the drive at their own 23-yard line.

North Murray QB Seth Griffin connected on long passes to Skyler Williams and Jadyn Rice, leading the Mountaineers to the Rambler 21-yard line. A couple of plays later Griffin hit Dempsey on a 21-yard touchdown. An Owen Hannah extra point put the Mountaineers out front 13-0 with 9:34 left in the third quarter.

An unsuccessful onside kick from North Murray gave LaFayette the ball at midfield. The Rambler offense went to work on the short field opportunity. Several Ross Martin runs quickly led the Ramblers down to the Mountaineer 25-yard line. LaFayette QB Jaylon Ramsey put the Ramblers on the board the next play. Ramsey made his way down the sideline 25-yards for the touchdown,bringing the score to 13-7 in favor of the Mountaineers.

The ensuing North Murray drive stalled and they were forced to punt. Luckily for the Mountaineers, they had Owen Hannah. The Hannah punt hit a LaFayette player and was then recovered by the Mountaineers at the LaFayette 20-yard line. After a couple of penalties stalled that drive, Owen Hannah came in again and drilled a 32-yard field goal. The Hannah field goal extended the North Murray lead to 16-7 with just 3:31 remaining in the third quarter.

On the next LaFayette drive the Ramblers were led downfield once again by SR. RB Ross Martin. A steady dose of Martin runs brought the Ramblers deep into Mountaineer territory. Austin Tucker capped the LaFayette drive with a 10-yard rushing touchdown. The Tucker touchdown cut the North Murray lead to 16-14 with 10:29 left to play.

The Mountaineers wasted no time in answering the LaFayette touchdown. North Murray used a mix of Griffin passes and Dempsey runs to move down to the LaFayette 1-yard line in just a little over 4-minutes. Griffin stretched out for a touchdown from the one, and North Murray was up 23-14 with 6:01 to play.

A long kickoff return, aided by a facemask penalty on the Mountaineers gave LaFayette the ball at the North Murray 33-yard line. The Ramblers were backed up by a Carson Manis sack on Ramsey, forcing a 3rd and 34. Ramsey and Rambler receiver Sam Hall saved the drive by connecting on a 40 pass down the sideline for a first down. A few plays later, Ross Martin punched it in from 1-yard out. LaFayette drew to within two points at 23-21 with just 2:33 left to play.

The Mountaineers sealed the win on their next possession. Griffin hit Rice on a short pass and he forced his way down to the LaFayette 19-yard line. Ethan Dempsey would take it from there. Dempsey fought his way down to the LaFayette 7-yard line and then he took in on the next play. The Dempsey touchdown was his third of the game putting the Mountaineers up 30-21, and put the game out of reach for the Ramblers.

North Murray finishes the regular season 7-3 (5-3) and will play at Monroe Area next week in the first round of the GHSA playoffs. LaFayette finishes the season 4-6 (3-5) and 6th place in Region 6-AAA.

Notes: Jadyn Rice went over 1000-yards receiving on the season early in the game. Rice joins Landon Burrell (2019) and Connor Rice (2017) as the only 1000-yard receivers in school history. QB Seth Griffin entered Friday’s game with 2,419 passing yards and leading AAA for passing in the State. North Murray makes the playoffs for the 6th straight season. Ethan Dempsey ties a career high for touchdowns in a game with 3 (Southeast)

 

N 0-6-10-14–30
L 0-0-7-14–21

 

SCORING:

1st
No Score

2nd
N- Ethan Dempsey 11yd TD rush (2pt conv. Failed)

3rd
N- Ethan Dempsey 21yd Pass from Seth Griffin (Owen Hannah kick)
L- Jaylon Ramsey 25yd Rush TD (Jacob Brown kick)
N- Owen Hannah 32yd field goal.

4th
L-Austin Tucker 10yd rush TD (Brown kick)
N-Griffin 1yd rush TD (Hannah Kick)
L- Ross Martin 1yd Rush TD (Brown kick)
N-Ethan Dempsey 7yd rush TD (Hannah kick)

 

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