Sports

Like most meetings and gatherings these days, the Franklin Athletic Awards ceremony went virtual. 

Makayla Brewer figured her basketball-playing days were over.

Rhiley Bryson describes herself as “boney.” Not having much cushion when hitting the hardwood floor means she has plenty of battle wounds from diving for balls while playing volleyball. 

Juan Gomez and Cris Chavez have known each other since they were 10. They’re good friends, and as such, they’re very competitive with one another. 

They held out hope for two months. But as the coronavirus pandemic rages on, organizers deemed it’s still unsafe to attempt playing youth sports. 

Chris Hartbarger was over 6 feet tall when he was in sixth grade. He grew another 3-4 inches as a seventh-grader. 

Now, the Franklin senior stands 6-7. 

When Shanlee Angel heard the news, she was immensely happy. 

“I did cry a little bit,” Angel said. 

Bobby Bishop repeated the words “versatile” and “consistent” multiple times when talking about Taylor Carlton. 

Franklin’s softball team made it to the state final in the spring of 2018. The Panthers nearly made it back in 2019, losing in the final game of the regional championship series. 

One of the best memories Haley Freeman has from playing softball at Franklin came during her junior year.