Murphy Panthers
Head Coach: Sherman Williams (second season) Career Record: 1 season, (0-10) At Murphy: one season, (0-10) Stadium: Ladd-Peebles Stadium 2026 Enrollment:  884 Rank:  47th in the AHSAA, 15th in Class 5A

History

Overall Record:   583-415-27   (58.0%) Last 25 years:   133-137   (49.0%)  (Rank: 205th in the AHSAA, 38th in Class 5A) Since 2010:   69-98  (41.3%)  (Rank: 271st in the AHSAA, 46th in Class 5A) Last Playoff Appearance:   2019 Last Region Championship:   2008 Last Winning Season:   2020 Last Losing Season:   2025

2025

Class:  6A              Region:   1 Record:  0-10    (Team record for losses in a season) Region Record:   0-8, (ninth) Playoff Record:   Did not qualify. Final ASWA Poll:   Not Ranked Scoring:  12 (1.2) Defense:  495 (49.5)    (Team record for points allowed in a season)

2026

Class: 5A              Region:   1 Strength of Schedule: 37-68 (35%) (380th in the AHSAA, 63rd in Class 5A) Region Strength:  34-43 (44%) Non-Region Strength:  3-25 (11%)

2025 Results   8/22   vs. Davidson  (7A)   6-35   L    8/29   @ McGill-Toolen  (6A)  *  0-50   L    9/5   vs. Blount  (6A)  *  0-32   L    9/12   @ St. Pauls  (6A)  *  6-50   L    9/18   vs. Spanish Fort  (6A)  *  0-41   L    9/26   @ Williamson  (5A)   0-100   L    10/2   @ Theodore  (6A)  *  0-31   L    10/9   vs. Baldwin County  (6A)  *  0-56   L    10/16   @ Saraland  (6A)  *  0-55   L    10/24    OPEN    10/30   @ Gulf Shores  (6A)  *  0-45   L

2026 Schedule   8/21    OPEN    8/28   @ Park Crossing  (5A)         9/3   vs. Blount  (5A)  *        9/11   @ Elberta  (5A)  *        9/18   vs. Gulf Shores  (5A)  *        9/25   vs. Faith Academy  (AA)         10/2   @ Spanish Fort  (5A)  *        10/9   vs. Saraland  (5A)  *        10/16   vs. Theodore  (5A)  *        10/23   @ Baldwin County  (5A)  *        10/30   @ Moss Point MS   (2-8)

Class  5A Region  1 Team 2025 Record Region Scoring                             Saraland (6A) 13-1 8-0 565-207 Theodore (6A) 8-4 7-1 321-255 Gulf Shores (6A) 5-6 5-3 252-203 Spanish Fort (6A) 4-6 3-5 278-257 Baldwin County (6A) 2-8 2-6 147-283 Blount (6A) 2-8 2-6 136-270 Elberta (5A) 0-10 0-7 119-408 Murphy (6A) 0-10 0-8 12-495

2026 Preview

Murphy finished the 2025 season with a disappointing 0-10 record. Last year Murphy finished ninth in Class 6A region one with a 0-8 region record and failed to qualify for the playoffs.        The defense allowed a team record 495 points last season.        The offense struggled putting points on the score board as Murphy averaged scoring just 1.2 points a game. The Panthers also struggled on the defensive side of the football as they found little success in stopping opposing offenses and allowed an average of 49.5 points a game.        The Panthers would prefer to forget the past two seasons as they have finished with a 0-20 record. Since 2010, Murphy has gone a combined 69-98. Their 41.3% winning percentage ranks 46th in Class 5A over the past sixteen seasons.        Over the past 25 seasons, Murphy has managed to compile a record of 133-137. Their 49.0% winning percentage ranks 38th in Class 5A and 205th in the AHSAA. Head Coach:        The Panthers are led by head coach Sherman Williams who is entering his second season at the helm. His team finished with a 0-10 record in his first season at Murphy. The Panthers have yet to reach the playoffs under his direction. They have not won a region crown with Coach Williams.         Coach Williams's overall record as a head football coach in Alabama for one  stands at 0-10 (%). Season Outlook:        The Murphy Panthers will play in Class 5A region one during the 2026 season.               The Panthers enter the 2026 season in the middle of a 22 game losing streak. They would like nothing better than to end the string of losses early in the season.        Back-to-back 0-10 seasons is not something acceptable at a place like Murphy. The once proud football powerhouse has never seen anything like the past five seasons. The worse news is that they have not been close to winning a football game the past two years.        It will be a huge undertaking for Coach Williams to turn this ship around and get it headed in the right direction. It should go without saying that it will take time. A lot of time.     This season, the Panthers will be a long shot for one of the four playoff spots in region one. After not winning a single game last year, the goal at Murphy will be to simply win some games.

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Season Opener:
       The Panthers open the 2026 season on the road against non-region opponent Park Crossing on Friday, August 28 at Cramton Bowl. Last year the Park Crossing Thunderbirds finished with an overall record of 0-9 and in seventh place in Class 6A region two. The Thunderbirds closed out the regular season with a loss to Greenville by a score of 19-7.

       This will be the second meeting between Murphy and Park Crossing on the football field. The Panthers have a 0-1-0 record against the Thunderbirds. They last met in with