Jason Murphy's size may have kept him out of the recreational leagues, but it has made for a perfect fit at Edmondson High.
"I would have had to lose 40 pounds just to play," scoffed the senior defensive end who is now 6 feet 3 and 240 pounds. At age 13, Murphy recalled, he was deemed too big for his peers at about 5-9 and 160 pounds.
At age 17, team captain Murphy and the Redskins have marched to a 9-0 record this season and a state Class 2A quarterfinal matchup against Northwest (9-1) at 2 p.m. Saturday at Poly. Edmondson's most recent victory was a 48-0 rout of Carver Vo Tech, where Murphy made an afternoon of shoving around linemen and chasing the quarterback.
Murphy is rated the nation's 29th-best defensive end by Rivals100.com recruiting service. He expects to visit Syracuse and Virginia Tech in December. Other schools that have contacted him include: Wake Forest, Temple, Maryland, Boston College, South Carolina, Penn State and Florida State.
A four-year starter, Murphy played as a freshman mainly because he caught the attention of coach Pete Pompey during a summer camp. Its focus was basketball, which Murphy turned to after he had been rejected from rec league football. Pompey, who coaches both sports at Edmondson, asked Murphy to try out for the football team.
"I was really nervous, but I knew I belonged after making my first hit," Murphy said. "I hit them both [the quarterback and tailback] on the exchange and I think only one of them returned to the game."
It was a defining moment for Murphy.
"He was a tremendous player his first year and made himself better by working hard and applying himself," Pompey said. "He has exceptional speed and quickness for a guy his size, a good head for the game, certainly has the right attitude, and is able to play many positions on the field."
Murphy, who often doubles as an offensive lineman, received All-Metro second-team honors as a sophomore. In 1999, as a junior, he led the Redskins with 108 solo tackles and 30 sacks. He was upgraded to first team All-Metro after Edmondson fell short of a state title in the championship game, losing, 51-18, to Urbana.
"He was the best defensive player on the field," Urbana coach Dave Carruthers said. "I was really impressed with his foot speed and his ability to cover the field. For a moment, we considered running away from him, but figured he'd quickly find his way to the ball."
