Wasn’t always that way. Even if you remove all of Murphy’s titles since the split they would still have six state titles (1970, 1974 2a; 1986, 1987, 1991, 1996 1a). That’s still way more than most teams in WNC.
And when you throw in Murphy’s success against many of the larger WNC schools over the years, it validates Murphy’s status as a powerhouse even further.
Asheville, Tuscola, Brevard, Smoky Mountain, Franklin, Pisgah, Hendersonville, have all taken losses to Murphy at some point over the years.