Knight shift: LA finally takes down W.W. King
LA’s Garrett Murphy (33) scored four touchdowns in the Crusaders’ 52-36 victory over visiting W.W. King Academy Friday night.
Laurens Academy players finally solved their W.W. King problem Friday night at Todd Kirk Field.
No player on the Crusaders roster had ever beaten the Knights – at either the middle school or varsity level – a streak of futility that ended with a 52-36 victory highlighted by big plays as LA improved to 4-2 on the season.
Five of LA’s seven touchdowns on the night came from at least 42 yards out.
Senior Garrett Murphy scored four rushing touchdowns, including runs of 53 and 69 yards, and sophomore Caleb Hardy scored on fourth-quarter touchdown runs of 42 and 47 yards to salt the game away for LA. He also started the scoring, taking a shuttle pass from Ethan Collins 44 yards for a score.
“When you have the offensive line we do, and we have Caleb Hardy and Garrett Murphy, they’re capable of breaking big plays, and we trust them,” said LA head coach Jolly Doolittle. “They put us on their backs, and we were able to hit enough home runs down the stretch.”
The Crusaders came out of the gates fast, taking a 24-8 first-quarter lead before the Knights cut the margin to 24-16 on a 50-yard run by Joseph Morse, which was his second rushing touchdown of the quarter.
A 2-yard plunge by Murphy in the second quarter was set up by Garrison Vaughan’s blocked punt that gave the Crusaders the ball at the King 15-yard-line.
But the third quarter belonged to the Knights (1-4), who kept the ball for 9 minutes, 30 seconds and scored twice to tie the game at 30-30 by the end of the period.
King took the second-half kickoff and launched a touchdown drive that ended with a 5-yard run by Casen Buzhardt with 8:32 left in the quarter. After recovering the ensuing onside kick, the Knights added another score to tie the game on a pass from Ty Doolittle – Coach Jolly Doolittle’s nephew – to Morse with 2:30 to play in the third.
LA answered with another 2-yard run from Murphy with 10:18 left in the game, and Hardy’s 47-yard scamper.
Morse added his fourth touchdown of the game with 6:16 to play, but a 2-point conversion pass attempt failed and LA was able to maintain a two-possession lead at 46-36 before Hardy’s insurance score from 42 yards out.
Laurens Academy 52, W.W. King 36
LA’s Caleb Hardy (8) scored three touchdowns from at least 42 yards out in the Crusaders’ victory.
1Q
LA – Caleb Hardy 44 pass from Ethan Collins (Garrett Murphy pass from Collins), 10:37
WWK – Joseph Morse 29 run (Dallas Hill pass from Ty Doolittle), 7:55
LA – Murphy 53 run (Murphy run), 6:48
LA – Murphy 69 run (Anthony Candelas pass from Collins), 3:47
WWK – Morse 50 run (Morse pass from Doolittle), 3:32
2Q
LA – Murphy 2 run (run failed), 4:02
3Q
WWK – Casen Buzhardt 5 run (run failed), 8:32
WWK – Morse pass from Doolittle (Doolittle run), 2:30
4Q
LA – Murphy 2 run (Murphy run), 10:18
LA – Hardy 47 run (Murphy run), 7:07
WWK – Morse run (pass failed), 6:16
LA – Hardy 42 run (pass failed), 2:58
