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Against the flow of play, then-high school wide receiver Grant Murphy ran a flat route which the defense didn’t anticipate. His quarterback escaped three pass rushers and lobbed the ball to Murphy, who snagged it, then raised it high above his head as he trotted into the endzone. The next morning, a photo of Murphy crossing the goal-line graced the front page of the local newspaper’s sports section. 

Murphy wasn’t the “superstar” wide receiver who caught all the touchdowns, said his father, George, a former football player at Louisiana-Monroe. His main role was as a blocking slot receiver. On that day though, Murphy sealed a spot in the 2016 UIL 6A Division 1 football state finals for The Woodlands (Texas) High School and an upset of one of the great powerhouses in Texas football, Allen High School.

Murphy has since shifted his primary focus to lacrosse at Syracuse. But even now, he fills a similar role to that of his high school football team. Among SU’s defenders, Murphy doesn’t always stand out. Brett Kennedy takes on the toughest one-on-one matchups while Nick DiPietro has proven to be a reliable No. 2 cover player, as well as a physical presence around the defensive zone. Mitch Wykoff, a D-III transfer, didn’t play against Army but is already tied with Murphy for the Orange’s most caused turnovers. Murphy remains the “lunch pail” player, George said. 

“He’s going to come to work. He’s going to give you his best,” George said. “He’s a tough kid, and he expects a lot of himself.”

Murphy played in 28 games — mainly at short-stick defensive midfield — during his first two years at Syracuse despite being recruited as a close defender. The Orange returned their starting unit of Tyson Bomberry, Nick Mellen and Marcus Cunningham both years. Switching to a short-stick was Murphy’s best chance of getting playing time as a newcomer, defensive coordinator Lelan Rogers said. 

When Bomberry and Cunningham departed, Murphy reclaimed his long-pole as SU’s clear-cut fourth choice defender last season. Then when Mellen got injured in the first game of the season, Murphy started the remainder of the shortened schedule. He led the starting close defense unit in ground balls last year with 10, and his confidence flourished with an increased role at his preferred playing position. 

“I still don’t think I’m all the way back to where I should be, but it’s so good to get (the long pole) in my hands,” Murphy said early last season. 

That momentum carried into this year. He’s started all three games in 2021 at close defense and has become an organizer and off-ball defensive leader for the Orange (2-1, 1-0 Atlantic Coast). He’s watched extra film, preparing himself to fill a key role at the back for a squad hoping to challenge for a national title.

“Grant understands the schemes, understands what we’re doing,” Rogers said last year. “He’s a kid I have to spend less time with explaining things to because he picks up things very quickly.”

Rogers said that when he goes through film on Mondays or Tuesdays, Murphy already comes in with a “good grasp” of the Orange’s future opponent. Rogers rarely calls on Murphy to answer questions during film sessions because the defender already knows most of the answers. 

After games, Murphy said he’ll often watch back the replay later that same night. It’s entertaining for him to hear what the commentators say about the team, but also helps him notice mistakes in his own play. And in the days leading up to a game, Murphy likes to find high school footage of his opponents, if he can, in addition to the video provided by his coaches. Some of their high school tendencies tend to stay in their game even in college, he said.

“Really, the thing that Grant adds to us is his ability to understand and know what offenses are trying to do and how to get our guys in position to help defend whatever comes at us,” Rogers said.

Murphy’s ability to consistently read the game helped him transition to short-stick defensive midfield. He felt he “needed” to do the extra preparation work because he found it much more difficult to guard players with a short stick.

Murphy rarely touched a short-stick in high school, though. He played some “Texas box lacrosse” — six-on-six field lacrosse with short sticks inside of a caged arena or roller hockey rink. Outside of that, he played with a long-pole all throughout high school. 

In his first game in his new position in 2018, Murphy had to borrow a stick from a teammate. He brought both a short and long stick to games that season, his mom, Mandy, remembered, though he rarely used the long stick. 

During his senior year of high school, Murphy jumped onto the man-up unit at times, Woodlands head coach Keith Tintle said. The experience helped him as a transition player, and Tintle estimated that Murphy earned around 25 points on the man-up, in addition to opening up passing lanes with defenses sliding to protect against his shooting.

Murphy’s athleticism and footwork from playing slot receiver on a state-championship team helped him play with a short-stick, too. Running routes is similar to dodging as a lacrosse player, he said. The physicality that comes with playing in the ACC wasn’t a problem either because of his football background, Rogers said. 

Playing under Mellen and Bomberry for two years allowed him to mature and understand the level of play at Syracuse compared to his high school career in Texas. As a two-time All-American at the Woodlands, George said Murphy naturally excelled without always having to put in extra work due to his athleticism and high lacrosse IQ.

During a playoff run his sophomore year, Murphy, playing at long-stick midfield but staying on the field almost the whole game, helped The Woodlands shut out Dallas Jesuit, a powerhouse of Texas high school lacrosse, 7-0. It was Jesuit’s first-ever time being shut out in a game, Tintle said.

Then against the Episcopal School of Dallas, The Woodlands led 9-8 with about 20 seconds left. Now-Navy attack Patrick Skalniak dodged past his defender and cocked his stick back to shoot. Murphy slid off his man and whacked the back of Skalniak’s stick head, dislodging the ball and sending the Woodlands to the state finals. 

“He made the play when all the lights were on (him),” Tintle said. “That was just him understanding what was going on.”

In the second quarter against Army this year, Murphy stepped out to block a shot from long-stick midfielder Kyle Beyer. The ball and Beyer’s follow-through struck Murphy square on the chest. Head coach John Desko said that in the locker room, he could see the imprint of the head and handle of Beyer’s stick “embedded” in red on Murphy’s skin. 

Murphy went back to the locker room at halftime to receive treatment from the team trainer, but came back out for the second half, playing through the pain. For Syracuse, after a position shift for two years to earn playing time, Murphy’s become the player that can’t be kept off the field.

Published on March 8, 2021 at 12:27 am

Contact Arabdho: armajumd@syr.edu | @aromajumder