SOUTH CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Quarterback Trae Murphy broke loose for a 74-yard score late in the fourth quarter as the No. 10 South Charleston rallied for a 13-12 win over No. 6 George Washington on Thursday night.
“That was great,” Murphy said. “My line got the block at the end (Rashad Rolle) and my receiver Samahji Simon got a great block as well, getting in the way of two defenders. That gave me the opening to score. I kicked it into my last gear and I went. I hit the edge, cut it up the field and I was gone.”
A last-minute interception from D.Q. Watkins sealed the win for the Black Eagles (1-0).
“We had one big play,” said South Charleston coach Donnie Mays. “I think we played like a bunch of freshmen and sophomores. We’ve got to get a heck of a lot better. We have Cabell Midland rolling in here next week and we have to be a lot better.”
George Washington (0-1) led 12-7 at the half as quarterback Grant Wells’ 300 yards of offense were offset by three interceptions.
“Our defense is pretty good. I like them,” Mays said. “But we’ve got a heck of a challenge next week. I did feel really good about our special teams. They played their butts off and I’m tickled with those guys.”
Murphy finished with 250 total yards of offense for the Black Eagles — over half of those on the ground.
“Both defenses were great out there,” Murphy said. “But we were able to grind it out and we were able to get the win. I knew my line would come through, our receivers would come through and our defense was going to step it up.”
Highlights are posted at the top of the page with radio calls from Greg White on 580-WCHS.
— By Jack Withrow