Bryson City – Swain will host Murphy this week, it will be the biggest game of the season, so far, for both teams. But then again, that is nothing new, its something the old rivals have been doing since at least 1947. It shouldn’t surprise anyone that I feel certain the two schools playing goes back even further.
This Friday will not take on any bigger significance than any other game between the two schools, it will just be different. A Murphy win this week will make legendary Coach David Gentry North Carolina’s winningest high school football coach of all time. Through 36 years at Murphy, Gentry has compiled 412 wins. The 412th came last Friday, in usual Gentry fashion, with a 62-14 win over Hayesville.
Friday, with a win, he will pass Jack Holley and move into 1st place all by himself.
It is fitting that he will go for win 413 against Swain. After all he notched number 400 last season with a 49-7 win over the Devils.
But more importantly it has been the Devils who have provided Gentry, and the Bulldogs, with their biggest foil over the years. Some of the games through the years have taken on legendary status, at both schools. Each has suffered heart brake at the hands of the other, making for one of the best and oldest rivalries in the state. Inconceivable by today’s standards, there was a time when Swain and Murphy played each other twice, in conference play, during the regular season (along with Franklin and Sylva-Webster making up the Smoky Mountain 2A).
Over the last 36 years, the Maroon Devils have posted a rare winning record over Gentry, with a record of 23-18, and nothing would be sweeter for the Devils than to deny Gentry for at least another week.
So it just seems, well exactly how football fans hoped it would at the start of the season, that the two rivals would meet with the record on the line.
But there are other subplots as well. Swain is undefeated for the first time since 2012, while the Bulldogs come in with only 1 non-conference loss. The winner will share first place with Robbinsville, and maintain control of their own destiny. Also at stake is potential playoff seeding. To be a 1st place seed in today’s playoff world is critical to making a deep run in the playoffs, this is especially true in the big 1A, where Swain lives.
All of this plus the state record has created a lot of buzz around this game, as well as interest from all over the state, putting Murphy and Swain in the state and area spotlight. That same spotlight is a place where the two of them, and Robbinsville, have thrived over the years. Least anyone forget the Smoky Mountain Conference is home to 33 state football championships. And we mean no disrespect to the Black Knights, they will have their say on things as the rest of the season unfolds.
Playoff seeding and Smoky Mountain Conference Championship hopes both on the line, yeah that’s about right, sounds pretty much like any other Swain Murphy game through the years.
Oh, yeah, then there is that state record thing. A tip of the cap to you Coach Gentry, and congratulations, and we’re pretty sure you’ll understand when we say we hope you get it next week at Rosman.