Bears rally fells Panthers

Panther football suffered its second loss of the season following a late surge by Pisgah last Friday.

In a Mountain Seven Conference clash between the Panthers and Black Bears Oct. 1, the longtime rivals each entered the contest with 4-1 overall records and M7C title hopes. In a back-and-forth game with several lead changes throughout, Pisgah found just enough late offense to keep Franklin at bay 20-16.

At Clyde A. Erwin High School after Tropical Storm Fred damaged Pisgah’s home field earlier this season, defense dominated the opening minutes. Both teams traded three-and-outs on their first possessions, as both passing games seemed to need a minute to find their rhythms.

On their second possession Pisgah seemed to find their footing, putting together a solid drive almost entirely on the ground and finding the end zone midway through the first quarter. Franklin was able to steal an extra point however, when senior running back/safety Daylon Henry got a hand on the Pisgah kick to keep the Bears’ lead at 6-0.

Franklin answered quickly on the following drive, getting a huge 46-yard run by senior quarterback Chris McGuire on the first play from scrimmage to the Black Bear 25. Without the services of standout tailback Brayden Watts following the junior’s knee injury against Tuscola the previous week, Franklin relied heavily on McGuire and junior tailback/linebacker Ty Handley, and the combination proved effective on the drive. On a third-and-3 play from the Black Bear 6, McGuire found the end zone on a quarterback run to the right, just barely reaching the ball over the pylon before being pushed out of bounds. Franklin was likewise unable to complete the extra point though, leaving the game in a 6-6 tie near the end of the first quarter.

Franklin’s defense frustrated Pisgah on the following possession, getting a near-interception on a third-and-6 pass by senior receiver/defensive back Grant Adams to end the Bears’ drive.

A promising-looking Franklin drive stalled near midfield on the next possession, forcing the Panthers to punt away to Pisgah midway through the second quarter. When a bad snap and a holding penalty forced a Bears three-and-out however, Franklin received the punt with excellent field position at the Pisgah 45. From there Franklin drove toward the Bears’ goal line but were unable to punch it in, settling for a 33-yard Erick Munoz field goal to go up 9-6 just before the half.

Upon receiving the second-half kickoff, Franklin put together a good-looking drive, getting another big run from McGuire on its second play for 16 yards to the Black Bear 47. Pisgah intercepted one of the senior’s passes a few plays later though, giving the Bears the ball at their own 34 yard line.

From there Pisgah marched toward the Franklin end zone, again leaning on its running game to advance inside Franklin’s 10. On a fourth-and-1 play from the 8 Pisgah opted against kicking a field goal, but ran into a wall of Panther defenders on a rushing attempt to give Franklin a huge red-zone stop.

Franklin’s defense stood tall again on the Bears’ next drive, when on a third-and-5 play from the Pisgah 26 defensive linemen Nicholas Sanders and Bradley Stiles shed their blockers and made a beeline for the Bears quarterback. In trying to escape the Franklin defenders, the signal-caller tried to get the ball out of his hands but threw right into the arms of junior outside linebacker Davis Anders just before the end of the third. From there McGuire and Handley bulldozed their way to the goal line until Handley found the end zone from three yards out. A Munoz extra point put Franklin up 16-6 with just under 10 minutes left to play.

Pisgah responded on the ensuring drive, getting a big 30-yard completion to Franklin’s 20 to set the Bears up in the red zone. Pisgah punched it in several plays later to cut the Panther lead to 16-13.

Pisgah’s defense slowed down Franklin on the Panthers’ next drive, forcing a Munoz punt from his own 33 that the Bears returned to their own 47. On a third-and-4 play from the Franklin 34, Pisgah found an open receiver in the right corner of the end zone to put the Bears up 20-16 with just a few minutes left. Franklin was unable to find the end zone on its next drive and fell to 4-2 on the season.