A year ago, JJ Murphy all but rewrote the Lakeside record book as far as quarterbacks go.
In his sophomore year, Murphy threw for a school record 2,460 yards and 27 touchdown passes.
He also completed 61% of his passes and broke a few single-game records along the way.
The problem though, Lakeside still only won one game.
Murphy, as much as anyone, knows there is no reason to celebrate his individual accomplishments when there’s still a lot of work to be done.
“It feels good, but there’s always room to get better,” he said of his school records.
Getting better is what he and this year’s Dragons team is all about.
Two years ago, Murphy stood about 5’6”, and was the left tackle on the JV team.
A year ago, he found out he was going to be starting under center under the Friday night lights.
“I would have never even dreamt I’d be starting [at quarterback],” Murphy said. “It was unbelievable, but it was a good experience.”
In 2025, Murphy was not only a first-year varsity quarterback, he was someone who’d never even taken a JV snap under center.
Add to that Lakeside’s inexperienced and undersized offensive line and a season-ending injury to Devan Miller Jr., who was supposed to be the workhorse in the backfield.
The records were a big part of the story, but the inexperience and lack of supporting cast was apparent also.
Murphy threw 15 interceptions.
He was a lot like the other guys on Lakeside a year ago — guys that probably were not ready to be playing varsity football.
This year, Murphy’s back and with the possibility of breaking some Lakeside career passing records.
He’s bigger and stronger, has a year of experience under his helmet and believes everyone around him is better as well.
“I have a lot of trust in my teammates this year,” Murphy said. “I feel more and more confident and I feel like we’re gonna be good this year.”
Dragons coach Terry Henton said his football team is checking in about another 350 pounds bigger and stronger than they were a year ago.
A lot of players were forced into action last year sooner than any coach would have liked them to be. Murphy is a prime example.
“He went from being a 5’5”, 160-pound left tackle that nobody cared about to being quarterback, the hardest position in any sport,” Henton said. “He had to learn more than just the game, he had to learn to be a leader. He had to learn to be the first one in the door, and the last one to leave.”
Leadership is one of the most important things Murphy said he’s learned by watching and more importantly, listening to others.
“I’ve been working to be a better leader everyday,” Murphy said. “Watching some of our leaders, learning that I have to change my voice and learning that people listen to me.”
More leadership will be expected of Murphy this season, so will what he does on the field, particularly in the Lakeside run game.
A season ago, Henton did not want him running the ball, which often led to him forcing passes into tight coverages and that resulted in turnovers.
This season, expect to see the ball tucked under his arm from time to time.
“The interceptions he had last year, I’d say half of those were because of me,” Henton said. “I didn’t allow him to run, I didn’t want to put that much on his plate.
“Now, he understands the offense enough and he understands how to keep himself safe. So, we can take advantage of his size, not his speed, but a 210-pound quarterback coming around the corner, there’s not a lot of young cornerbacks that are going to want to get in his way. As long as he can give us three or four yards a carry, I’ll take that every day of the week.”
Murphy said he’ll gladly take the opportunity as well.
“The whole team has made growth in the run game,” he said. “Having the connection with the offensive line is most important, and using my legs will open up the run game much more.”
As for his supporting cast this season, Murphy has a pair of seniors in Aaron Artman and Tristan Westerfield up front. Junior Cameron Addair will likely lead the way from his left tackle spot.
In the backfield, the Dragons will bring back sophomore Masceo Boles, who scored seven touchdowns last year and averaged 32 rushing yards per game.
On the outside, Lakeside will feature a pair of juniors — Dae’Vean Gaines and Jorge Diaz.
In 2025, Diaz had 40 receptions for 504 yards and three touchdowns, while Gaines caught 39 passes for 390 yards and four scores.
Henton and Murphy both understand why they were a 1-9 team a year ago. They also know not everything is getting fixed in one year.
But, a bigger, stronger and more experienced group of players should make the Dragons a more competitive team in 2026.
“There’s a lot of things we’re still learning, “ Murphy said. “We’re learning a lot and we’re getting a lot of things fixed.”