GIAA 8-man football: Why this Augusta-area team will win its first state title since 2019
One more game.
Windsor Academy is the only thing standing between Westminster Schools of Augusta and its first state football championship since 2019.
The Wildcats exorcised a few demons last week, knocking off David Emanuel Academy in the Georgia Independent Athletic Association 8-man semifinals. That was the team that eliminated Westminster in that game a year ago.
Chris Murphey’s squad did it in convincing fashion, winning 56-14 while holding the Eagles to 37 rushing yards.
“They’re just a well-coached, well-disciplined team that is just known for running the football,” Murphey said. “I was so proud of that statistic. Our defense really played extremely good and had they not had that one big play on a kickoff return, it would have been even worse than it was.”
The No. 1 Wildcats (10-1) will face off against No. 2 Windsor Academy (9-2) at Strong Rock Christian School in Locust Grove Saturday. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.
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It’s a team effort for Westminster football
What makes this Westminster team particularly tough from a matchup standpoint is the number of contributors. Quarterback Levi Murphey can distribute the football to six or seven different receivers every night and those same six or seven players can just as easily carry the football out of the backfield.
In Westminster’s first-round win over Crisp Academy, nine different Wildcats found the end zone. Those contributions aren’t limited to the offensive side of the football, either.
“That has been one of the beauties of this year when you start looking at the stats, how Levi has done a good job of spreading the ball around and using all of the weapons that we have,” Murphey said. “It's also been the players stepping up. Friday we had an injury and a sophomore, Abe Daniel, came in and wound up being the leading tackler. Just seeing these young guys mature and take ownership has been a big key to our success.”
Westminster's dominance to this point is something even Georgia football coach Kirby Smart would aspire to have. The Wildcats' average margin of victory through 11 games has been in the neighborhood of 33 points and they're averaging just over 46 points per game.
A change in playing surface? No problem
Strong Rock Christian’s football field is adorned with an artificial playing surface, something Murphey’s players don’t have much experience with. That’s why they spent the week practicing at neighboring Harlem High School.
“Trying to get ready so their first experience on turf wouldn’t be in the state title game,” he said. “Most of our guys have never played on turf, and I just wanted them to get a feel for it and get comfortable with the change. It was good to be able to get a chance to try the turf out, make sure everybody's’ cleats are good and all that kind of stuff.”
A state championship game years in the making
Murphey had a good idea of what this team was capable of coming off last season. That focus never waivered, even through the heat and humidity of the summer months all the way until now.
“Last year we had a really good team and we were able to return so many starters. We lost some seniors, but a majority of our starters on offense and defense returned,” he said. “We were just able to build on last year. From the beginning, we started lifting weights in May and we felt like this year was going to be very special. So far it’s turned out that way. It’s been a fun journey and a lot of hard work, but the guys have really been locked in from the beginning.”
He’s coached many of these players since they were in middle school. Saturday is the culmination of that effort and growth and is something he’s known was in the cards since they stepped on a varsity field.
“I told them, ‘When you guys really start understanding all the concepts and the overall big picture of what we’re trying to do, we’re going to become scary good,’” he said. “It’s been fun to watch. I’m just hoping we can do it one more time. It’s going to be a fight.”
This article originally appeared on Augusta Chronicle: Westminster Schools of Augusta football competes for GIAA 8-man title
