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The Thomas Jefferson Classical Academy football team completed its second perfect regular season in the past three years, but dreams of a state championship ended early as they lost a heart-breaking game to the Murphy Bulldogs 28-20 on Friday, April 16.
"We made too many mistakes and that's just something you can't do against a good football team," TJCA head coach Jerry Cash said. "A lot of that was self-inflicted. I thought we could beat them if we played our best tonight, which we did not do. I think part of it was we were in a hostile environment and things kind of got sideways on us. But I am proud that we kept playing to the very end."
Stats back up Cash's assessment. TJCA committed 11 penalties, which cost the team 100 yards of field position. The Gryphons also committed three turnovers, the last an interception in the end zone, with 2:48 left in the fourth quarter that allowed Murphy to run out the clock.
Even with the mistakes, there were plenty of outstanding performances in the contest. Junior quarterback Bryce Jergenson was effective with his arm and his legs, throwing for 190 yards, but also running for 86 yards and all three Gryphon touchdowns. Fellow junior Malachi Gary set a career high with 105 receiving yards.
"Bryce did a good job," Cash said. "(Running back) Isaiah McMullens got hurt early in the game and we had to run him more than we had planned on, but he did well. They all played hard to the very end. It just came down to we made more mistakes than they did."
The loss also marks the end of the careers for 11 Gryphon seniors. Cash took the time to recognize their contributions to the program over the past four seasons, while also looking forward to next year.
"They stuck with us and should be very proud of what they accomplished," Cash said of his seniors. "The future of the program is going to be tough. We have some talented players coming back, no question. Depth is going to be the issue. We did not have a Middle School season, which hurt us, but hopefully we will have some younger players interested in playing football next year and continue to have a strong program."
Aside from the final score, the game also featured other interesting storylines. Both Thomas Jefferson and Murphy have female field goal kickers on their roster. The Gryphons' Selma McMurry hit both of her extra point attempts, while Murphy's Annie-Kate Dalton was successful on two out of her three attempts.
The game was also a matchup of the two of the winningest head coaches in North Carolina High School football history. TJCA's Jerry Cash has 355 career wins while Murphy's David Gentry has 423 victories.
