Canton Patch Athlete of the Week: Chris Murray

ATHLETE-OF-THE-WEEK: CHRIS MURRAY

NAME OF TEAM: Canton High School

WHAT THEY ARE SAYING: “In the 28 years of this program, with all the great teams and players that we’ve had, Chris Murray is among the very few that will be very difficult to replace. He was our captain and heart and soul of a very good team and although we had a balanced team, he kept us anchored, focused and made sure we stayed within the system. He has been a leader both on and off the field. He has exceptional ability to win every loose ball, to get the hit in the air, and has an incredible throw-in. He is an honor student and well-respected by his peers, coaches and teachers. He is also the captain of the basketball team. He is just a great young man that is irreplaceable and we’ll have to actually make some changes just to be able to go on without him. His brothers DJ (2007) and Matt (2009) also played for us and also were just as much All-Star players and class acts.”                                                                                             -Canton Boys’ Soccer Coach and Athletic Director Dan Erickson

WHY IS HE THE ATHLETE OF THE WEEK: Chris Murray was recently selected as an Adidas All-American, which is the highest individual honor that can be given to a high school soccer player. He is the first ever player in history to be given this honor, and that’s from a team that has a rich winning tradition and has had many talented players that have gone on to great collegiate careers.

Other post-season honors handed out this past week to Chris include his third time being named as a Hockomock League All-Star and Eastern Massachusetts All-Star. No other player in school history has received both honors for three years. Chris was also selected to the All-State Team and became only the third Canton player to be named to the All-New England Team.

STATISTICS: Chris is a midfielder and finished his career as Canton’s second all-time leading scorer with 18 goals and 34 assists for 52 points. In his four-year varsity career he helped to lead the Bulldogs to a 49-3-15 regular season record, four Hockomock League titles, the first two Hockomock Cups, appearances in four consecutive Division-2 South Sectional semifinals, one Division-2 South Sectional Title, 51 shutouts in 82 games, no home losses in his career, only two Hockomock League losses and none since September, 2009, two NSCAA National Team Academic Awards and three first-place Sportsmanship Awards along with a second place Sportsmanship Award. He leaves with two current streaks of a 47-game home unbeaten streak and a 38-game unbeaten league streak. This season Canton finished 12-2-6 and outscored its opponents, 49-12.

FAVORITE CAREER ATHLETIC MOMENT: My Junior season (2010) when we won Canton’s first-ever beating Sandwich in the ninth round of penalty kicks and I was able to score on our first penalty kick.

FUTURE GOALS: To go to college, which one is still undecided, and play soccer and major in Engineering.

WHATS ON YOUR IPOD: I enjoy a variety of music, especially Rock and Pop.

OUTSIDE OF SCHOOL: Spending time with my family (mother, father and two brothers) and friends and spending time on the computer.

FINAL WORDS: “I’m honored to be an All American and it is still hard to believe and I owe it to my teammates and coaches. It is a total team effort. I can’t give enough thanks to Coach Erickson who taught us to play as a team with a hard work ethic and never to settle for anything less than your best. I would also like to thank all my teammates, teachers and the school for their support. To my parents for their great support and love and to my two brothers who I modeled myself after and helped me to step up my game. I hope I’m remembered at Canton High School for being a hard worker who was willing to do anything I needed to do to win, as a leader and a player that would step up in the most important moments when his team needed him. I also want to be remembered for what I was able to accomplish on the basketball court and in the classroom, as well.”  -Chris Murray-Athlete Of The Week

IN THE CLASSROOM: Chris is an Honor Student with a 3.86 Grade Point Average (based on 4.00) and is a captain for both the soccer and basketball teams.

A SALUTE: Chris Murray is the epitome of what a student athlete should be and we are proud to have him as Canton Patch's Athlete of the Week.