Sophomore football player Eliott Murphy set a record for most total tackles in a single season since 2017.

Murphy tallied a total of 91 tackles, including 61 solo tackles. South hasn’t seen this kind of performance from a player in a long time and their record reflected it. The Patriots ended the season 5-5–the best record they’ve had in a decade. 

“I didn’t know I had this type of potential until I got a shot at it,” Murphy said. 

Murphy said it all started to click for him this offseason.

“Freshman year I didn’t have the fight in me I do now. I started to realize my potential during the off-season,” Murphy said. 

Murphy’s coach, Kyle Whitcher, said he is excited for the rest of Murphy’s career. 

“He’s a quiet leader to the team and has very good football instincts. He’s young and has a lot more football to play,” Whitcher said.

Not only do the players see Murphy’s potential but the coaches now trust him to be a team leader and have a huge impact on the team for the next couple of seasons. 

“I think he has a lot of goals for himself and I have a lot of goals for him, but from now on all eyes will be on him and I’m pretty sure he knows that about himself too,” Whitcher said.

Because of a standout season, Murphy isn’t underlooked anymore. According to Whitcher, teams will focus on him during film sessions and be worried about having to play South in the future. Murphy had more success in the backfield too with 7 tackles for losses and he had 30 assisted tackles. 

Many of Murphy’s teammates see his progress and know that he is a very impactful player for South. 

Adrian Pena, junior inside middle linebacker, is next to Murphy every day and anytime he is on the field. He had only positive things to say about his teammate and is seeing firsthand what he is capable of. 

“He makes me motivated to work harder, seeing his success at such a young age,” Pena said. 

Murphy is creating a culture to want to win games and make opponents hate going up against the Patriots. He’s helping players become a better version of themselves to succeed just as much as he did.  

“There’s only good things headed his way and will one hundred percent make it far out of high school if he keeps this up,” Pena said. 

The coaches, players, and Murphy himself see what he has become and see what he can do for the next couple of seasons. 

“Even though the season is over, I had fun with the boys, and being able to play varsity football was something special,” Murphy said.

Though the season is over, Murphy was happy with the way the season went and is excited to get better this off-season. 

“I have goals for myself, to make this team better. To lift heavy weights and get fast,” Murphy said.