It is the final week of the regular season and for fans in Cherokee and Swain counties that means only one thing, it’s Murphy Swain week. The two teams have locked horns the final week of the regular season for over 30 years, and trust me, they like it that way.
Over that span this matchup has provided a bit of everything. There have been upsets, blowouts, barn burners, and quite frankly the stuff of legends. One thing is for sure the game never disappoints. Fans relish in this series, and really why shouldn’t they.
Since 1974 the Maroon Devils hold a slight edge in the overall series with a 27-20 record. But since 1991 it has been dead even with the Devils holding a slight 12-11 edge. Home field has been friendly to both teams, Swain taking 10 out of 12 meetings on their turf, while Murphy has taken 9 out of 11 on their field.
These two teams, along with Robbinsville, have set the standard in high school football for over 30 years. Swain and Murphy combined have a 131-44 playoff record (that is a 75% winning percentage) and 14 State Titles. If you throw in the Knights then it is 24 State Titles (they lead the state with 10).
The decade of the 80’s was dominated by Swain and Murphy. Beginning in 1985 (with reclassification) the two teams won every State 1A title given from ’85 to ’91. Swain took titles in ’85, ’88, ’89, ’90, while the Bulldogs won in ’86, ’87, ’91. Murphy added another in 1996, then Swain won titles in 2001 and 2004.
Last year the two teams pulled a feat that is rare, with each winning a State Championship. Swain took theirs in 1AA, while the Bulldogs won theirs in the 1A. Currently the Devils are 2nd only to Robbinsville for State Football Championships with 8, while the Bulldogs are not far behind with 6.
[poll id=”9″]Even with all of the history this year’s game may be the most highly anticipated in the series, as well as the most important. Murphy comes in ranked 3rd in the state, while the Devils have been a consensus number 1 for most of the season. Both come in on winning streaks (Murphy 9 straight and Swain 22 straight). For both teams the conference championship is important for playoff seeding purposes.
True aficionados of this series know that none of this means a thing, it is simply the next chapter in one of the best high school rivalries in the state. And like every other year, no matter what happens, it will be a thing of beauty.