Road trip! Murphy opens in Vegas

Published 11:32 pm Thursday, August 30, 2007

According to a severely over-used motto, what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas.

But for the Archbishop Murphy High School football team, what takes place in Las Vegas today could shape its entire season.

For the first time in program history Archbishop Murphy of Everett will play a game outside of Washington. The Wildcats are set to battle Archbishop Riordan (San Francisco) at 5:30 p.m. Friday at Sam Boyd Stadium in Las Vegas, home field for UNLV.

Murphy’s season-opening contest is part of a four-game, two-day event called the 2007 High School Gridiron Tour. It’s sponsored by Varsity Sports Network and MaxPreps. The other varsity matchups are Kennedy of Burien versus Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas) 8:30 p.m. Friday, Alta (Utah) versus Clovis East (Fresno) 5:30 p.m. Saturday and Las Vegas versus Madera (Calif.) 8:30 p.m. Saturday.

Murphy accepted an invitation from Gridiron Tour organizers after Wildcats coach Terry Ennis talked to Kennedy coach Bob Bourgette, whose team participated in a similar showcase in 2006.

“For us, it was getting a big challenge as far as the team we’re playing,” Ennis said. “Certainly, I guess there’s some added excitement as far as going to Las Vegas.”

Ennis said hot weather and the unusual travel element will help him figure out “what kind of mature group we have” in 2007. Last season Murphy was 11-1 and reached the Class 2A quarterfinals.

Senior Ryan Bourke, a third-year starter, is one of many Murphy players who has never been to Las Vegas. But Bourke, a defensive end/offensive tackle, doesn’t plan to spend much time marveling at the bright lights and superstar performers. (Ennis said the team is staying at a hotel that’s “not anywhere near the action” and that there are no non-football activities planned.) “We don’t expect too much (entertainment). It’ll be all football when we get there, and that’s what we’re there for,” said Bourke.

Murphy took about 50 players on the trip, as well as 15 coaches and other staff members, Ennis said. They flew to Las Vegas Wednesday and return Saturday after Murphy’s junior varsity team plays Kennedy’s JV squad in the morning.

Murphy’s varsity opponent, Riordan, has a much larger student body than the Wildcats. It draws from an enrollment of 800 boys, compared to around 250 boys at Murphy, Ennis said. “They’ve played for years in a very, very tough Catholic league in the Bay Area,” said Ennis, who noted that Riordan appears to have excellent skill players and impressive team speed.

Said Bourke, “They’re fast and they’ve got some good size on their line. Their speed’s gonna be our biggest problem.”

To deal with Riordan’s pass-heavy offense, Murphy will rely on an experienced defensive backfield that includes three returning starters: seniors Henry Woods and Jared Smith, and junior J.D. Melton.

“For a first game, having a secondary with a full year of experience really does make a difference,” Ennis said.

The Las Vegas trip will be valuable for Murphy, which hasn’t lost a season opener since 2002. Bourke can’t wait to get started.

“It’s a good thing to show us where we need to build for the end of the season,” he said.