Panthers thump Jets, make playoffs

Press photo/Andy Scheidler Senior Evan Spence runs for a first down against Enka. Spence, one of 15 Franklin seniors, got five carries during the 38-0 shutout of the Jets on Senior Night.

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With a little more than a minute having ticked off the scoreboard, Josh Brooks burned a timeout. The Franklin football coach was upset with his quarterback after getting sacked and pre-determining who he was going to throw the ball to.

"I wanted to make sure he understood how we were going to do things tonight," Brooks said.

The early timeout served as an early statement to the Panthers. On the next play, Jacob Young ran 55 yards for a touchdown.

The Panthers rolled the rest of the way, thumping Enka 38-0 on Senior Night.

"The kids played great tonight," Brooks said. "We talked about executing and playing well, not worrying about what Enka did. Obviously they were struggling. But our kids played well tonight. Didn't have a bunch of mistakes or penalties. Didn't turn the ball over.

"Everything went real well. I'm proud of these kids and happy for them."

Franklin (5-6, 2-4 Mountain Athletic Conference) finished sixth out of seven teams in the conference, but still secured a playoff berth. The Panthers received a No. 16 seed and will travel Friday to play at No. 1 seed West Rowan. West Rowan is located in Mt. Ulla, near Mooresville and Statesville.

For more on West Rowan and the 3-A NCSHAA playoff bracket, see Friday's edition of The Press.

Franklin ran all over the Jets, racking up 378 yards on 45 carries. Nearly all of the offense came in the first half.

Aaron Wallace had touchdown runs of 68, 4 and 44 yards in the first half. He racked up 200 yards on 13 carries, as his night was over mid-way through the second quarter.

Nathan Raby played tailback next, carrying the ball twice for 57 yards and one touchdown. In the second half, seniors Evan Spence, David McAllister and Donald Courtney all took turns toting the ball for the first time.

Spence said he's played scat back in practice just goofing around, but had never played tailback in a game.

"I didn't really know what to think," said Spence, who had 20 yards on five carries. "I didn't know which way to go, what to do. I was just playing."

Courtney typically plays on the scout defense in practice and wasn't accustomed to playing offense. He ran eight times for negative eight yards.

"It's a lot different," Courtney said. "It's a lot (faster). But they don't hit hard. Not as hard as our guys."

The effectiveness of the rushing attack meant QB Austin Bishop had a quiet night. He finished 2-for-3 for 34 yards.

Senior kicker Billy Olvera booted a 35-yard field goal in the third quarter that proved to be the final score of the game. Olvera is now 5-for-7 on field goal attempts this year, and 29-for-32 on PAT attempts.

Enka (1-10, 0-6 MAC) never threatened to score against the Panthers. The Jets punted eight times, had a turnover on downs and managed only four first downs.

It was the second home shutout this season for FHS, after blanking Smoky Mountain 55-0. The victory was significant because it not only secured a playoff berth, but also snapped a three-game losing streak.

"What we needed was some confidence, and we got it tonight," Brooks said. "We've had our confidence stepped on for three straight weeks. So tough or easy, we'll take it."

Enka (1-10) 0 0 0 0 - 0

Franklin (5-6) 14 21 3 0 - 38

First Quarter

F - Jacob Young 55 run (Billy Olvera kick), 10:24

F - Aaron Wallace 68 run (Olvera kick), 5:45

Second Quarter

F - Wallace 4 run (Olvera kick), 10:43

F - Wallace 44 run (Olvera kick), 7:05

F - Nathan Raby 53 run (Olvera kick), 3:28

Third Quarter

F - Olvera 35 field goal, 5:24

Individual Statistics

RUSHING- Aaron Wallace 13-200, Jacob Young 3-85, Nathan Raby 2-57, David McAllister 10-26, Evan Spence 5-20, Parrish Young 1-1

PASSING-Austin Bishop: 2-3-0, 34

RECEIVING -Ryan Evers 1-25, Cody Brabson 1-9

Next: 7:30 p.m. Friday at West Rowan in first round of NCHSAA 3-A playoffs