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Smoky Mountain to face unbeaten Bulldogs Friday
Smoky Mountain will play host to undefeated Murphy on Friday when the Bulldogs visit Carr Hooper Stadium/Babe Howell Field for a 7:30 p.m. game.
Murphy is 3-0 with wins over Mitchell (29-15), Franklin (21-10) and Ringgold, Ga. (48-27).
The Bulldogs own a 9-2 advantage in the series, which was renewed in 2005. In the last three games, they have averaged 42.3 points against the Mustangs, including a 52-21 victory last year.
“They’ve given a lot of people trouble,” Coach Dale Galloway said.
Smoky Mountain’s Ronnie Mau catches a pass in Friday’s 38-10 victory at Hayesville. – Herald photo by Cindy Turpin
“Last year we gave up 1,300 yards on the ground, and 300 of those were to Murphy,” he said. “I don’t think that game was typical of us defensively. We want to go show we’re a little better against the run.”
Fullback Patrick Canizio ran for 133 yards, and quarterback Luke Charles threw for 116 in last year’s contest.
“They’re real similar to the last couple of years,” Galloway said. “The fullback and quarterback are the same. They’re the same team with a little more experience.”
Coach David Gentry’s squad shows multiple looks on offense out of what Galloway called a wing T hybrid. The Bulldogs are expected to line up in a 40 or 50 defense.
“They can’t have the ball,” Galloway said of a key to a win. “It’s plain and simple. They’ve done a good job of scoring. They’re willing to take chances in their offensive game, and they’ve got the tools to do it.”
This week’s game was originally planned to be the night the school honored the late Shawn Blanton, a 2002 SM graduate and all-conference football player.
Blanton, a state highway patrolman who was also the Lady Mustang JV softball coach, was killed in June while on a traffic stop in Haywood County.
Blanton’s infant son Tye, who was born seven weeks premature, recently had heart surgery at Duke University Medical Center, and several family members are with him, according to Athletic Director Jimmy Cleaveland.
Plans now are to honor Blanton at the final home game against West Henderson on Oct. 31, Cleaveland said.
SM defeated Hayesville 38-10 Friday after opening the year with a pair of losses despite leading in the fourth quarter. The Mustangs snapped a five-game losing streak dating back to last season.
“It was good to get a win and good to get it the way we got it,” Galloway said. “With the exception of the first few minutes, we were pretty much in control of whatever happened.”
Colton Hunt completed eight of 13 passes for 112 yards and returned an interception for a touchdown.
“Colton played well,” Galloway said. “He did a good job in the passing game.”
Fullback Matt Bryson led the ground game with 76 yards.
“All our halfbacks did well, and Matt Bryson had a big night,” the coach said. “Anytime you can establish the fullback, that’s a good thing.”
Matt Dougherty kicked all five extra points and made a field goal for the third straight game.
“Matt did a wonderful job kicking,” Galloway said. “His kickoffs were better than they had been, and he’s as consistent as the day is long on field goals and extra points.”
The offensive line and defense also played big roles in the win, according to the coach.
“We did a good job up front,” he said. “We had a size advantage, and we used it. We had great field position because of turnovers. We’re still waiting for our running game to really jell. We had a good night defensively although we had a couple of breakdowns being a little too aggressive.”
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