Since 2016, there has been at least one constant in Murray County — a high school football playoff appearance for North Murray.
Friday night, the Mountaineers will travel to Toccoa to take on Stephens County in the first round of the Class 2A playoffs.
Third in Region 7-2A behind Rockmart and North Cobb Christian, North Murray ended the regular season 6-4 with three wins and two losses in region play.
Despite late-season losses to the two higher-ranked teams, the Mountaineers secured definitive wins over area teams Coahulla Creek and Murray County while overcoming back-and-forth battles against Sonoraville and Ringgold.
North Murray’s final game of the regular season was a 28-7 loss against Rockmart’s Yellow Jackets at home. The Mountaineers look to shake off the sting with a first round playoff victory for the second year in a row.
Last season North Murray took on South Atlanta in the Mountaineers’ first home playoff game since 2019. That game was a 35-12 North Murray victory thanks to several key offensive plays, including a 55-yard touchdown by quarterback Hudson Hulett on the first play of the game. The Mountaineers lost to Fellowship Christian in the second round of the playoffs.
For the regular season this year Hulett was 54-for-98 with 721 passing yards and four touchdowns and also had 1,351 rushing yards on 197 carries with seven touchdowns.
Friday’s game will mark the first time North Murray and Stephens County have played. The Indians, with a similar 6-4 record, won three of their five games in Region 8-2A and rank third in that region. This is the fourth straight year of playoff action for Stephens County, with each season ending with at least one playoff win.
The Indians’ last game of the 2024 regular season was a 55-31 win over East Jackson on Nov. 1.
A win for the Mountaineers on Friday would pit North Murray against the winner of Hogansville’s Callaway and Lithonia’s Miller Grove in the second round. That game is currently scheduled for Friday, Nov. 22, at 7 p.m. with the location to be determined.