Murphy brothers power Gloucester Catholic revival

For Gloucester Catholic senior two-way lineman Kyle Murphy, the worst part of going 0-20 in his first two varsity seasons was sharing those tough times with his brother, Rams head coach Casey Murphy.

But with the program in the midst of a remarkable revival, the opposite is true. as well: The best part of being 5-0 this season and 10-1 in the team's last 11 is sharing these good times with his brother.

"It was hard to see him go through that," Kyle Murphy, a standout offensive guard and defensive tackle, said of the team's fourth-year coach. "He works so hard and we had lopsided scores and we were losing every week.

"Being right there with him, seeing him go thought that, it made it really tough.

"But it made me and a lot of the guys on this team even more determined to turn things around."

The Rams' success story starts with the siblings, who are 20 years apart. The brothers are sons of Gloucester Catholic athletic director Pat Murphy.

Kyle Murphy is part of a senior class that entered the school just as Casey Murphy began his first season as head coach. The Rams went 0-10 in each of the coach's first two years, extending the program's losing streak to 25 games by the end of the 2015 season.

"It was tough for these kids," Casey Murphy said. "This senior group, they've been with me from the start. They worked so hard to turn things around."

The Murphy brothers are realists. They recognize that the Rams were granted some schedule relief from the West Jersey Football League after the 2015 season, when the program was placed in the Classic Division with teams such as Pitman, Clayton and Wildwood for the 2016-17 schedule cycle.

But here's the thing: The Rams took advantage of their opportunity. They beat Pitman to snap the losing streak in the 2016 opener, and they made steady, impressive progress last season: They beat perennial small-school powers Glassboro and Gloucester and won five of six — with the lone loss by 23-21 to Schalick — to finish the season.

This year, the Rams have been even more impressive. They beat New Egypt (which has a win over Palmyra) in overtime in the opener. They beat Middle Township (which has a win over Mainland) on the road. They built a 61-0 lead after three quarters against a struggling Wildwood squad.

"Catholic is a great team," Wildwood coach Ken Loomis said after Gloucester Catholic's 61-8 victory on Oct. 7.

Gloucester Catholic has some talented young players, especially sophomore running back Dashaun Harris, a speedy athlete who has generated 10 touchdowns in the team's first five games.

But the key to the team's turnaround, according to Kyle Murphy, has been a "culture change" rooted in the old-school work ethic of the team's senior leader and head coach.

The Murphy brothers are Gloucester guys, through and through, and they brought the river town's blue-collar ethos to the business of revitalizing the football program.

"We weren't used to winning football games," Kyle Murphy said. "We got a little bit of a schedule change and that helped us out a little bit. We know that.

"It was tough. It was tough going out there every week knowing you weren't the favorite and it was tough ending the season with a zero in the win category.

"Getting kids in the weight room, getting kids to come to practice, it was hard. But once we turned it around, kids started flying around. Kids are working hard at practice, putting their time in the weight room."

Casey Murphy said his younger brother has developed into a team leader in the course of his career.

"He's the man," Casey Murphy said. "That kid, he has 'coach' written all over him. He'll probably have my job in a few years.

"He leads the way. We go in the weight room in the offseason and I don't even have to talk. I'll just say, 'OK, Murph, what are we doing?' and he takes it from there."

Kyle Murphy, a top student who is Gloucester Catholic's student council president, said he enjoys having his older brother as his coach.

"It's unique," Kyle Murphy said. "I'm used to it. I've been around a coaching family because of my dad. So I embraced it right from the start.

"He's the only football coach I've ever had. I came in as a freshman and he had just gotten the job. It's definitely different but I enjoy it, talking football with him on and off the field."

Gloucester Catholic senior Matt Gray, a three-year starter and team captain, said Casey Murphy treats Kyle Murphy like another other player.

"Kyle wouldn't want him to show any favortism and he doesn't," Gray said. "Kyle earned his spot. Casey treats him just like one of us."

Casey Murphy acknowledges it could be "awkward" to be coaching his younger brother. But he said Kyle Murphy's work ethic and positive attitude have eliminated any tension.

"Otherwise, we'd probably be rolling around on the sideline," Casey Murphy said with a smile.

The brothers have been together through thin and thick: the 0-20 start to the coach's career, followed by the rapid rise of the program since the middle of last season.

"We're really close," Kyle Murphy said of his brother. "He helped me get a lot better when I was growing up, he did a lot for me. So when I got to high school I wanted to make sure I helped turn it around because I know how hard he works."