In high school sports, mismatches are inevitable. Most states have safety nets in place — mercy rules, running clocks, shortened quarters — to protect players when one team is drastically overmatched.
But in Alabama this past weekend, a blowout of historic proportions unfolded because one coach chose not to take advantage of those safeguards.
A Historic Rout
The game in question pitted Williamson High School against Murphy High School, two Mobile-based programs that have long histories but very different trajectories in 2025. Williamson entered the contest unbeaten at 4-0, while Murphy came in winless and riding a lengthy losing streak. By halftime, the scoreboard read 73-0 in favor of Williamson.
When the dust settled, Williamson had hung 100 points on Murphy, delivering a 100-0 drubbing — the first time in more than 50 years that an Alabama high school football team had reached triple digits. Not since Keith’s 122-0 win over Alabama Industrial in 1970 had the state seen such a result.
What made the rout even more shocking was that it could have ended earlier. Under Alabama High School Athletic Association rules, a running clock is mandatory in the fourth quarter if one team leads by at least 35 points. However, the rules also allow coaches to agree to accelerate the game sooner. Williamson head coach Antonio Coleman reportedly asked for that mercy rule at halftime. Murphy’s head coach, Sherman Williams, declined.
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The Refusal
Coleman admitted he was baffled by Williams’ decision. “I really don’t understand what was happening,” Coleman told AL.com. “I never experienced anything like that. It’s a first-time discount for me. I didn’t want anyone to get hurt.”
Instead, the third quarter was played under normal timing rules, prolonging the onslaught until the running clock was automatically triggered in the final frame. Coleman even pulled most of his starters, inserting middle school players for much of the second half, yet Williamson still crossed the century mark.
Who is Sherman Williams?
Williams’ refusal drew even more attention because of his high-profile past. A Mobile native, he was a star running back at Mattie T. Blount High School before winning a national championship at Alabama in 1992. Drafted by the Dallas Cowboys in the second round of the 1995 NFL Draft, Williams won a Super Bowl ring during his five-year career.
His post-football life took a darker turn when he was arrested in 2000 for smuggling over 1,000 pounds of marijuana. He spent more than 15 years in federal prison before being released in 2014.
Since then, Williams has worked to rebuild his life, eventually returning to football as a coach. Murphy High School hired him ahead of the 2025 season in hopes that his story of redemption could spark a turnaround for a program in decline.
So far, though, that turnaround has yet to materialize. Murphy’s loss to Williamson dropped the Panthers to 0-6 on the season and extended their losing streak to 18 games.
Silence and Scrutiny
Neither Williams nor Murphy High School has publicly explained why the running clock was rejected. Even in his postgame handshake with Coleman, Williams offered no reasoning. Coleman described the interaction as cordial but left the stadium perplexed.
The silence has only fueled criticism. Many parents, fans, and observers see no justification for forcing young athletes to endure a 100-0 blowout when there was an option to end the suffering earlier. Social media users labeled the decision “inexcusable” and “diabolical,” arguing that it put players’ health and morale at unnecessary risk.
What Comes Next?
The Alabama High School Athletic Association has not indicated whether it will breakdown the incident or push to strengthen mercy rule provisions. For today, the game stands as one of the most lopsided losses in modern Alabama football history — a stark reminder of how coaching decisions can amplify an already painful mismatch.
For Sherman Williams, the questions linger. Once a celebrated local hero who climbed to the NFL, he today finds himself at the center of controversy for a choice many in the community believe went against the very spirit of sportsmanship.
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