Nick Clark ran for a pair of second-half touchdowns, carrying Daphne to a 19-0 victory over Murphy on Thursday night at Mobile’s Ladd-Peebles Stadium.

Clark, a senior, rushed for 114 yards on 21 carries. His touchdown runs covered 1 and 6 yards.

“Nick is our workhorse and the guy we get behind, (and) he came up big for us tonight,” Daphne coach Kenny King said.

Daphne spoiled the debut of new Murphy coach Justin Hannah, the Panthers’ third head coach in as many seasons.

A defensive struggle led to a scoreless first half, although Daphne missed a field goal and committed two red-zone turnovers.

“I am proud of our guys, we went toe-to-toe with a 7A school, held them scoreless in the first (half), but just ran out gas as the game went on,” Murphy first-year coach Justin Hannah said.

Daphne got on the board on their opening drive of the second half. The drive lasted five plays, all runs by Clark, ending with a 36-yard field by Nathan Valera.

Did you know?: Daphne recorded its first shutout victory since beating B.C. Rain 45-0 during the 2019 season.

Star of the game: Clark got more effective as the game wore on and added four receptions out of the backfield. “For me there is still more improvement that is needed, but offensively we found a rhythm in the second half,” Clark said.

Play of the game: Clark’s 1-yard touchdown run with a minute remaining the third quarter showed his determination. After being stopped at the line, he power through several defenders for the score.

Stat sheet: RJ Dailey and John Davis each had over 30 yards receiving for the Trojans. … Jayden Edney led Murphy with 41 yards receiving.

By the numbers: 3, turnovers forced by the Murphy defense, two inside the Trojans red zone. … 4, victories in a row by the Trojans over the Panthers. … 5, season-opening victories for King, entering his eighth season for the Trojans.

Coachspeak: “Defensively, we really relied on our guys up front to set the tone. Tyler Durant and Marquaes Lambert led the way.”— King

“I was proud of our guys tonight. I can’t say that enough. We played fundamental football, and we fought hard, seen some things we can improve on.” – Hannah.

He said it : “A few first game jitters, we got out the way and are ready to take the next step. He is our leader.” – Clark, describing Landen Snow, Trojans quarterback and transfer from Mobile Christian

What’s next?: Daphne (1-0) plays host to Carver-Montgomery next Thursday, while Murphy (0-1) plays reigning Class 6A champ Saraland at Ladd-Peebles Stadium on Sept. 1.