Mac Murphy a standout in lacrosse, football at Reynolds

Murphy, a senior at Reynolds, is a four-year all-conference performer in lacrosse in the Central Piedmont 4-A. He was an all-region selection as a sophomore and a junior. He was also named to the all-state team as a junior.

He helped lead the Demons to 48 wins during his first three seasons on the team and appearances in the NCHSAA 4-A state tournament. Reynolds is 8-2 this season and is unbeaten in the Central Piedmont 4-A (4-0) heading into Friday’s matchup at West Forsyth.

Murphy, a defenseman who has signed to play for Lenoir-Rhyne in Hickory, wasn’t always enamored with lacrosse.

“The first year I played it, I didn’t really like it very much,” Murphy said with a laugh. “I didn’t like the helmets. They were just really hot.”

Murphy said he was around 6 at the time. And lacrosse was a secondary option for him at that age because he decided he didn’t want to play soccer anymore.

“My family is a big soccer family,” Murphy said. “My older sister played in college. So did my dad. And when I told him I didn’t want to play soccer anymore, he told me I had to find another sport to play. That’s how I started playing lacrosse.”

Murphy had also started playing flag football around the same age.

“Both sports really brought out my competitive spirit,” Murphy said. “When I was 8 or 9, I really started to get into lacrosse more and got more skilled. I’ve played defense since I started playing. I’ve always wanted to play there. I didn’t care about the glamour of scoring goals. I liked stopping other people from scoring and stopping them from getting to the goal.”

Murphy started his career playing with Winston-Salem Lacrosse before moving on to Fusion. He joined the Carolina Miners, a travel team based in Charlotte, when he was 14.

He came into his freshman year at Reynolds with confidence, but also some trepidation as someone the players and coaches weren’t familiar with.

“I wasn’t sure how I would stack up with some of the older players my freshman year,” Murphy said. “I also played three sports my freshman year and was coming in late to workouts for lacrosse because of basketball season. The players and coaches didn’t really know who I was at that point. I had to start from the ground up and show what I was capable of.”

It didn’t take long for his coaches and teammates to notice.

Murphy said that it probably also helped that he focused on defense on the field and wasn’t trying to be a player that wanted to play a position that scored a lot of goals.

“Specializing in one position can help you out a lot, and being a jack-of-all-trades can also be beneficial,” Murphy said. “I think for me, at that particular time, coming in and focusing on one thing helped me stand out at that position.”

Murphy gave up basketball after his sophomore season to focus on football and lacrosse. After playing JV football as a freshman, he made the varsity team as a sophomore.

“I just wanted to dedicate more time to football and lacrosse after basketball ended my sophomore year,” Murphy said. “Plus, I always seemed to get hurt playing basketball. Just some nagging ankle or knee injuries. I wanted to be sure I didn’t miss any workouts for the other stuff.”

His playing time on the football team was limited as a sophomore, where he started as a safety and played sparingly as a receiver.

“We had a couple of guys who went on to play D-1 on that team,” Murphy said. “Playing with those guys taught me a lot. It only made me want to work harder for my junior year.”

Murphy wanted a larger role on the football team as a junior. The Demons had a new coach in Joe Davidyock, and Murphy wanted to seize the opportunity to do something different.

“I really wanted to be more of a leader last year,” Murphy said. “Even when I play lacrosse, I’ve always let my game speak for me. I was never much of a vocal leader, but I wanted to do that for football. And that carried over to lacrosse last year as well. I started to come out of my shell a little more.”

Murphy led the team with an average of 44.9 receiving yards per game and was second with three sacks. He also tied for the team lead with three touchdown receptions and recorded 38 tackles.

This season, Murphy played an even larger role on the gridiron. He led the team with 65.1 receiving yards per game and seven touchdowns. He recorded 57 tackles and four interceptions on defense.

His final football game as a Demon was an emotional one.

“We came up short of making the playoffs, but I got to spend three years playing varsity football with some of my best friends,” Murphy said. “It was sad to walk off that field for the last time, but I’m extremely grateful that it happened. I stayed out there a little longer to absorb that moment and remember what football has meant to me over the years.”

Murphy wants to finish his lacrosse career with a flourish.

“We want to win the conference again and we want to continue to prepare for a deep playoff run,” Murphy said. “I want to take that next step from my junior year. I want to be a first-team all-state selection. And I want to soak up my final high school season with my teammates and coaches. I’ve grown up with several of my teammates and we want to make the most of this.”

Cooper’s question for Mac Murphy, brought to you by Pf Plumbing

Q: What advice would you give to your younger self about navigating life in high school or life in general?

Answer: Don’t be scared to speak your mind about things. Don’t be scared to be a leader and be a voice that people can look up to.