By Karl Flood/For The Sentinel
MURRAY – Football season in Tiger Town has always brought with it high expectations as the Murray High School Tigers have carved out over a century of success as one of Kentucky’s most dominant programs. The 2025 Murray High School football season began with very high expectations, and so far, they have not disappointed.
These Tigers bring a super beefy line, a polished quarterback, deep receiving threats and a solid running game. In a pre-season speech at training camp at the University of Kentucky’s Kroger Field, Coach Melvin Cunningham urged his troops to “begin with the end in mind.” The final act of this play is still being written.
The excellence these big cats possess has been in the making for years, as many of these current Tigers were the Kentucky Middle School State Runners-up. Cunningham came to Murray three years ago with a high-energy, passionate style and major college and an NFL pedigree. This has resonated with these talented athletes. Several Tigers have already been offered college scholarships.
At the end of last season, murmurings began about how Murray really could win it all in 2025. The 2024 team easily handled class 3A Union County, who went on to become the state champ runners-up. The Tigers moved up to class 3A in the off-season. Off-season lifting, training camps, practicing in the super humid summer and battling injuries are the blood, sweat and tears that are part of football.
These young men are on a mission. The 2025 team stands on the edge of some pretty rare air. Two Murray High Tiger teams have finished the year as state champs: Legendary coach Ty Holland, for whom Murray’s home stadium is named, and his 1961 team won it all for Murray’s first championship title; and John Hina, Holland’s longtime assistant and successor, and his 1974 squad took the second* trophy. Both of those were Class A Championships.
This year’s 3A Tigers have already aligned themselves with some of the all-time great Tiger squads by finishing the season undefeated. The Tigers began the season with a couple of key players on injured reserve, but they quickly proved how truly deep and talented they are.
They reeled off dominant opening victories over class 5A Owensboro Apollo 48-34 and crosstown rival 4A Calloway County 50-10. They followed these up with wins over 5A Graves and Marshall Counties and 1A Russellville by a combined total score of 135-48. Next came the only close game of the season, seeing the Tigers outlast the class 6A McCracken County Mustangs in a 59-56 shootout.
Murray closed out the regular season, routing district 3A rivals Webster County, Union County and Hopkins County Central to claim the district crown. They then defeated class 2A nemesis Caldwell County. Murray won their last four games by an average score of 52-8.
The Tigers drew Adair County in the first round of the class 3A playoffs, dismantling the Indians 45-8 at Ty Holland Stadium. They followed up this win with another dominant performance, destroying the Hart County Raiders last Friday in Murray 49-6.
This Friday brings to town the Lexington Catholic Knights with an overall record of 10-2. This third-round playoff sees the third-RPI-ranked Tigers hosting the seventh-RPI-ranked Knights.
The 12-0 Tigers are three games away from their dream of hoisting the State Championship Trophy again, but this team’s mission all along has been about taking care of business one game at a time. It seems apparent that they have completely bought into Cunningham’s charge to “begin with the end in mind,” checking off all the boxes each week.
They enter Friday’s contest fully healthy with the top-scoring offense in the State of Kentucky. Combined with a very stingy defense, their Wolverine-like, Adamantium defensive line puts together two goal-line stands against Hart County’s high-octane running attack. Being able to rest most of their starters by the third quarter with a running clock has allowed this team to heal completely and develop experience and depth.
These young men have their eye on the prize and will be ready to roar this Friday night when it is “Football time in Tiger Town!”
*Correction: Due to an editing mistake, a previous version of this story incorrectly stated that the 1974 squad took the second-place trophy. The Sentinel apologizes for the error.
Karl Flood has been married to his wife Melissa for 20 years and has six children and eight grandchildren. He is a retired art teacher and, now, a full-time artist and special abilities minister. He started the popular Murray, Kentucky Memories Facebook group and now presides over a new version of this group: Classic Murray.
