By MONTE DUTTON

Garrett Murphy was a wrecking crew on Friday night in Laurens Academy’s 52-36 victory over King Academy at Todd Kirk Field.

Murphy rushed for 258 yards and four touchdowns, averaging 10.8 yards a carry.

In six games, the senior has rushed for 947 yards.

He was hardly alone. Caleb Hardy scored three times, ran up 133 rushing yards and caught five passes for 60.

Altogether, the Crusaders made fine use of the wide-open spaces of eight-man football, rushing for a net of 397 yards. Laurens Academy (4-2) has rushed for at least 219 yards in every game.

King (1-4) lost its third straight game. Both the Knights and Crusaders have defeated Oakbrook Prep of Spartanburg.

Ethan Collins completed 9/11 passes for 87 yards and a touchdown.

Hack Hardy made 12 tackles, Garrison Vaughan 10, Nathan Bell nine and Caleb Hardy eight.

Newberry Academy, which LA defeated earlier on the road, 42-25, takes on the Crusaders again next week in Laurens.

While watching Clemson annihilate North Carolina State on TV, my mind wandered, and I started perusing the splendid Red Devil game notes circulated by Patrick Nelson. I noticed just how much the schedule changes once next Friday’s game versus Union County is completed.

Clinton’s first six games were and are against schools that have played the Red Devils a total of 367 times (going into the Union game). The combined record is 234-127-6.

The Region 1-3A schedule – at Liberty, Chesnee, at Landrum and Blacksburg – puts the Red Devils against teams they have played four times, winning all four. They have never played Liberty or Landrum and last played Chesnee in 2017 and Blacksburg in 1938.

When Clinton visits Liberty on Oct. 4, it will be the fifth time Clinton has played another school nicknamed Red Devils. The ones from Great Falls won in 1933. Lockhart (now part of Union County) played Clinton three times, the most recent in 1931. Fittingly, Red Devils have split four games against Red Devils.

I tried unsuccessfully to get on Phil Kornblut’s statewide scoreboard show for almost the entire trip home from Central.

I felt no urgency because I heard a report from the Clinton-Daniel game that a reporter from the Seneca Journal provided. I called in, anyway, because Kornblut asked me to do so.

No great loss, of course. I thought I was on hold, but twice my phone disconnected, which meant I thought I was listening to the show through my phone, but apparently I was listening through the radio.

Modern problems.

While the Tigers were enjoying a vulpine meal, I found decent games in Morgantown, W.Va., and Starkville, Miss.

The Blue Hose were set to do battle (and me supper) at 7 a scant few miles away.

I sort of hated my first live PC game was to be against Gardner-Webb, a school that, like most, populates a team via scholarships.

Then again, I also dreaded a drive to Spartanburg early a season ago.

Nothing beats an upset to write about. They cut both ways. I saw two miracles at Gibbs Stadium last year. Presbyterian upset Wofford, and Wofford upset Furman. They were the stuff of dreams and nightmares.

In Morgantown, a lightning stoppage suspended the game with Kansas leading West Virginia, 21-17.

Back in Starkville, Florida had pulled out to a 42-21 doubling. In Clemson, the Wolfpack trimmed the Tiger edge to 59-21. They broke for a Vabysmo commercial. I thought that was in the Pioneer Football League.

Geez, Louise. James Madison is plundering North Carolina, and the Virginian died 188 years ago.

I just got an emergency text that Kamala and Trump are tied! Tied, I tell you!

I hope you like the site. At least one story has been posted for 52 straight days.

Wellpilgrim.com surpassed the 100,000 mark in page views in the wee hours of Saturday.

Advertising alone will not keep me going, but there’s room for a few more. Every ad is inset in every story.

You can support my site in several ways.

Support the advertisers. They are all fine people who support my efforts, not to mention those of the kids, coaches, parents and fans.

Please donate whatever you consider appropriate via Venmo at DHK Sports. You may also reach me by mail at 11185 Highway 56 North, Clinton  29325.

If you choose, make a monthly donation via Patreon. The Laurens County site is here. The Furman site is here.

In the off chance you’d like to read my novels and other books, they’re available on Amazon and many prominent bookseller sites. You can read them on your phones and other devices for a modest cost. I make a bit more if you purchase the actual books, but what I mainly want is for folks to read them.

Read my freewheeling tale of a young stock-car racing phenom, Lightning in a Bottle. Download it for $3.99, or order it in paperback for $15.95 here. An audio version is also available.

Photo galleries are posted on Instagram @furmanatt and @laurenscountysports.

Thanks for putting up with me.