Wildwood Catholic Academy junior Carly Murphy shields a defender and looks to pass to an open teammate in a regular season game against Life Center Academy on Jan. 8. (Mark Zimmaro)
Carly Murphy’s cheering section has gone global.
The Wildwood Catholic Academy junior has been making a lot of noise both on and off the basketball court when it comes to scoring points, spearheading charity drives and figuring out her future.
Now that her team’s record-breaking season is complete, Murphy can receive some applause for the hard work she’s put in.
“We set those goals in the beginning of the year, but we were really happy with the outcome,” Murphy said after the Crusaders wrapped up a 23-6 season, which included a trip to the South Jersey Non-Public B final March 9. “It was such a close team this year, and it was really fun making it that far with all the players on this team.”
Murphy scored 234 points for the Crusaders this year as she saw an increased role on the hardwood. A seamless transition, Murphy helped Wildwood Catholic capture the Cape Atlantic League United Division and match a school record for wins in a season. It was also the first time in 24 years that the Crusaders played for a sectional championship.
“It was such a big stage for us, and driving up two hours was pretty cool,” Murphy said of the bus ride up to Lakewood High School in Ocean County, where they faced Rutgers Prep. “The whole day we were thinking about that game.”
Although the game didn’t go the Crusaders’ way in a loss to a stacked squad from Rutgers Prep, Murphy and a group of underclassmen that includes Kaci Mikulski, Ava Vogdes, Ella McCabe, Anastasia Bowman and Reagan Flickinger received some valuable experience under the bright lights.
“We knew we could battle no matter what the outcome was,” Murphy said. “But we were glad to be there because who knows if we’ll be able to get there again next year.”
Until she gets that chance, Murphy will remain quite busy.
At Wildwood Catholic Academy, she plays soccer and is involved with student council, National Honors Society and the Mental Health Club. She recently took a leading role in collecting school supplies for impoverished students in Haiti, setting up donation boxes around the campus.
“I asked my classmates when they went to [the store] to pick up those notebooks and packs of pencils that are only a few cents,” Murphy said. “Any school supplies they could find. Anything. Because they really do need anything.”
Supplies began reaching their destinations, and Murphy was thanked by Haitian children in a photograph as they held up signs that said, “Thank you, Carly.”
“It was really great to see the children and how happy they were,” Murphy said. “I know just a pencil and a notebook can go such a long way for them. … We really are fortunate here.”
Murphy not only has a heart for charity, her ambitions are also drawing her into the field of law enforcement. Over the summer, she was selected to participate in an FBI Teen Leadership Academy in Quantico, Virginia. Murphy had applied each year to be one of about 50 students in the country to take part in the eight-day program. In her final year of eligibility, she was selected.
“It was such a great experience,” Murphy said. “We took a lot of leadership classes and woke up at 5 in the morning to take physical education classes. We also got to do a lot of activities with the other students that were there. It was a really great experience, and I made a lot of friends along the way, too. I’d like to get involved with some form of law enforcement, and that just really opened up the door and will help me in the future.
Murphy said she’s considering a major in criminal justice or possibly joining the Reserve Officer Training Corps, but she’s leaving all possibilities open.
“I’ve spent the last couple months really thinking about college, and I haven’t gotten to the point of what I want to major in because I’m also considering maybe minoring in Spanish. I’ll figure it out soon,” she said.
She has time. The next 15 months will be filled with plenty of school activities and another season of basketball at Wildwood Catholic Academy with a talented team.
“It’s going to be hard when I get to the point when I have to leave everything, but I’m really looking forward to senior year. I just know we are going to accomplish good things next year, too.”
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