EVERETT — Archbishop Murphy football is not used to getting punched in the face, but it was searching the canvas for its mouthguard to start out the 2A State Round of 16 against Olympic at Goddard Memorial Stadium on Saturday.

After the offense fumbled the ball away around midfield on just its second snap, Archbishop Murphy’s defense committed an encroachment penalty on the next play before allowing a 30-yard rushing touchdown from senior Chace Webster down the left sideline six snaps later. Olympic botched the extra point, but Archbishop Murphy still found itself trailing 6-0 just 4:37 into the game. It was unfamiliar territory for a team that had never trailed at any point this season.

“We just had to keep playing our game,” junior running back/defensive back Isaiah Smith said. “We cou

See Full Page