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Thoughts on 1A football in NC

I appreciate the insight, and didn't mean any disrespect. What I was just getting at is that things come up when consolidation happens, so Murphy fans can't necessarily expect their new consolidated school to be the level of the Murphy program plus 400 more students. Murphy's coach has already said he'll be out of the game before consolidation, so will the new hire go smoothly and be the right one? And like you pointed out, some kids might not go to the new consolidated school.
Oh no bro, no disrespect taken. it's just hard being a successful football coach out in the east,at most of the schools over here football is put on the back burner.
 
Maybe not the last year Murphy played Mitchell (I'm not sure) but I said more often than not, not every year. The Mitchell people I talked to when ya'll came here in 2016 said Murphy definitely were that year and they were saying similar things when Murphy and Mitchell played each other for a couple years in the regular season when Mitchell was 2A. I still remember the year you lost to Lincolnton in the 2A playoffs, your people were saying Murphy was the fastest team you had seen all season up until you played Lincolnton.

I've seen Heritage play before a couple times and most years they definitely don't have the speed Murphy does. The skill athleticism has been down some at Murphy recently though and I'm not sure it will ever be what it use to be. Murphy has always had some tremendous skill players over the years but looking at what was on JV last year and what's going to be on JV again this year... I'm hoping it's just a down period but when the years start stacking it goes from a blip to possibly trend.

Anyway this athleticism talk is beside the point. My point was that talent wise Murphy and Mtn Heritage have been pretty comparable over the last decade. And more specifically to my point, to not think a Murphy group that returns 15 starters supplemented by a once in a decade class out of Andrews wouldn't be a real threat in 2A, I just can't agree at all.

not saying anything negative about Murphy. I’ve watched both teams each time Mitchell has played them in past years. I’d say they’re mirror images of each other. That’s why we haven’t beaten either of them. The physicality of both teams sets them apart. Athletes are about the same. I’d love to see them play each other. I certainly think with Gentry coaching Murphy competes well in 2a if combined with Andrews. The real danger is combining the two schools and losing the greatest coach in nchsaa history all at the same time. May take a while to rebuild.
 
I certainly think with Gentry coaching Murphy competes well in 2a if combined with Andrews. The real danger is combining the two schools and losing the greatest coach in nchsaa history all at the same time. May take a while to rebuild.

Gentry will be pushing 80 when the new school is done, no chance he’s involved. And maybe the best thing he can do for the chances that the new school’s coach comes from Murphy is to hang it up early enough to let a successor at Murphy build a resume.
 
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They will compete just fine in 2a. The state championship teams will be a little further apart but I expect deep playoff runs a lot of years.



That is if the community will get behind the players and support the programs. Already seeing some post saying they will just not go or support this or that. That kind of attitude will be detrimental. The boys just want to play. If the community quits going to games, the boys will find other things to do. Please support whatever happens. A lot of young men and women need sports.
 
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Gentry will be pushing 80 when the new school is done, no chance he’s involved. And maybe the best thing he can do for the chances that the new school’s coach comes from Murphy is to hang it up early enough to let a successor build a resume.
I'm stating the obvious here but he already said he wouldn't be involved. But he actually was supportive of consolidation, said it was a good thing for the county. He also said if he were a bit younger it is a challenge he would've very much enjoyed taking on.
 
That is if the community will get behind the players and support the programs. Already seeing some post saying they will just not go or support this or that. That kind of attitude will be detrimental. The boys just want to play. If the community quits going to games, the boys will find other things to do. Please support whatever happens. A lot of young men and women need sports.
I'm with you 100%. I'm seeing a lot of older and middle aged Murphy people saying they're done with high school athletics when Murphy closes, why? In my opinion it's not the stance to take because the people it hurts are the youth of this county.

Personally I will support the new school's athletes because that is who it's really all about, the young people of the community. If someone doesn't want to be a part of supporting a consolidated athletic program so be it, that is their prerogative, but your doing a disservice the next generation of athletes if you do so.

I'm a proud Murphy alum and as I have said many times at this point, I will hate to see Murphy High and it's legacy go. Yes, change often hurts but change is also an inevitable part of life. If Coach Gentry can publically come out and voice his support for a consolidated school, that says it all really.
 
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3A sure, maybe even 2AA but small 2A isn't much different from 1AA other than depth, Reidsville is a juggernaut but comparable to what 1AA deals with in Tarboro and before that, Wallace Rose Hill. For over a decade now Mtn Heritage has near annually made deep runs in small 2A... recently Brevard has been making deep runs as well.

Generally speaking Murphy stacks up very well talent wise to a Mtn Heritage and I would say more often than not Murphy is more athletic. Murphy has had a couple of teams that would've went very far in small 2A in the last decade: 2010, 2014 before the injuries, 2016 and 2018. So add in a once in a decade type of talent from Andrews with what Murphy has coming back this year and if you don't think they would do serious damage in 2A this season then we are just going to have to agree to disagree. On paper I don't think there is a single team in small 2A that I wouldn't like their chances against this season with the exception of maybe Reidsville but even Reidsville, despite being a juggernaut, isn't unbeatable. Heritage and Brevard have given Reidsville all they could handle a few times in recent years.


Ok but we’ve only lost twice since 2016 . I know what you’re saying. But it’s a different animal than what you’re thinking
 
Ok but we’ve only lost twice since 2016 . I know what you’re saying. But it’s a different animal than what you’re thinking
You have a great program and you're right, coming close only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades. A few teams have battled you close but at the end of the day Reidsville typically finds a way in close ones.

As for the rest I think it's exactly the animal I think it is. Small 2A is a tougher row to hoe than 1AA I don't dispute that, nowadays it's reasonably deeper in terms of the average to above average teams and overall small 2A is a bit more diversified offensively, but other than that I don't see huge differences. I mean in many ways small 2A today is basically what 1AA was 15 years ago.
 
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I dont disagree in regards to Reidsville, a great program.

As for the rest I think its exactly the animal I think it is, small 2A is a tougher row to hoe than 1AA because nowadays it's a good bit deeper in terms of the average to above average teams and overall small 2A is a bit more diversified offensively, but other than that I don't see huge differences. Small 2A today is basically what 1AA was 15 years ago.

Yeah small 2a is down. 2017was pretty strong with reidsville and Wallace rose hill being strong.
2aa isn’t that much better the East is very weak and if you take Shelby out then it’s virtually the same as small 2a.
 
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Yeah small 2a is down. 2017was pretty strong with reidsville and Wallace rose hill being strong.
2aa isn’t that much better the East is very weak and if you take Shelby out then it’s virtually the same as small 2a.
I agree for the most part, the 2AA west does seem a bit deeper than the 2A west to me but its probably balanced out by the fact that the 2A east is way better than the 2AA east generally.
 
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Mitchell will be stout 2020, then they lose all skills, except for 2, after this year be ready for a few down years you guys are going off middle school jvs are a better indicator of how good you'll be your junior senior year, only 1 sophomore on varsity last season, jvs still struggled hope I'm wrong but numbers keep dropping not much interest compared to 4-5 years back
 
Jv quarterback getting hurt ruined their season. The upcoming sophomore class is a good class. They’ll be ok
 
[QUOTE="For over a decade now Mtn Heritage has near annually made deep runs in small 2A... recently Brevard has been making deep runs as well.

Heritage and Brevard have given Reidsville all they could handle a few times in recent years.[/QUOTE]

As long as Pritchett is at Brevard, they will be very solid. They are built grounded on an excellent strength and conditioning program, and they seem to have awakened some of that old Brevard football passion. People in the mtns over 35 remember what a powerhouse they were for decades.

I look forward - a few years from now - to seeing them and the consolidated Cherokee County school butt heads. Ought to be a very good match up.
 
Everyone will be fine with consolidation "eventually" it's still our High School.The hire of AD will be huge, the correct coaches hire will get the interest of the athletes to recreate the athletic excitement.
 
Everyone will be fine with consolidation "eventually" it's still our High School.The hire of AD will be huge, the correct coaches hire will get the interest of the athletes to recreate the athletic excitement.

For AD should they go outside the county? Maybe someone like Dee Walsh.........
 
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Jv quarterback getting hurt ruined their season. The upcoming sophomore class is a good class. They’ll be ok
I've watched them since they were in 3rd grade, only good season they have had were 8th grade, too many quit, or moved, if we dont come up with a line it wont matter, 1 starter returning, I hope CP gets with it
 
For AD should they go outside the county? Maybe someone like Dee Walsh.........

Why would they need to go outside the county? There's already an AD in the county that has Murphy athletics firing on all cylinders...
 
Why would they need to go outside the county? There's already an AD in the county that has Murphy athletics firing on all cylinders...
Murphy athletics was firing on all cylinders before he became AD too, always have been for the most part. He might be the right person for consolidated school AD, might not. He would need to show there would be no nepotism involved in terms of hiring process for a consolidated school, if he could do that I think he would be make a good AD for the consolidated school.
 
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I've watched them since they were in 3rd grade, only good season they have had were 8th grade, too many quit, or moved, if we dont come up with a line it wont matter, 1 starter returning, I hope CP gets with it

the 8th grade class coming up has some quality linemen. We will be ok. I’m not sure we will be as good as past 6 years but not many teams are
 
the 8th grade class coming up has some quality linemen. We will be ok. I’m not sure we will be as good as past 6 years but not many teams are
Yeah, I hear we will likely have freshman starters on var line, not a good sign Heritage and Avery will have great lines but not many skills, we'll have to wait and see I guess
 
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