Sports

Press file photo - Franklin’s UNIFY March Madness game, held in March 2019, received recognition from the NCHSAA. Franklin athletic director Blair King nominated the group, which won the 2-A Commissioner’s Cup. UNIFY wins commu

Press file photo - Franklin’s UNIFY March Madness game, held in March 2019, received recognition from the NCHSAA. Franklin athletic director Blair King nominated the group, which won the 2-A Commissioner’s Cup. UNIFY wins commu

UNIFY wins community service award

Andy Scheidler
Tuesday, May 5, 2020
When Shanlee Angel heard the news, she was immensely happy.  “I did cry a little bit,” Angel said.  The news: Franklin High School won the Commissioner’s Cup. It’s an annual award given to athletic teams or cheerleading squads.
Press file photo - With teammates waiting at the plate, Taylor Carlton finishes a home run trot last season. She’ll play next year at Catawba Valley CC.

Press file photo - With teammates waiting at the plate, Taylor Carlton finishes a home run trot last season. She’ll play next year at Catawba Valley CC.

Carlton brings traits to softball diamond that will help CVCC

Andy Scheidler
Tuesday, April 28, 2020
Bobby Bishop repeated the words “versatile” and “consistent” multiple times when talking about Taylor Carlton.  The Franklin senior is versatile when it comes to positions she can play on the softball diamond. Carlton has mostly played third and first base.
Press photo/Andy Scheidler The softball field at Macon Middle School will sit empty for the remainder of April and May, two months when the middle school and high school teams would be using it nearly every day for practices or games.

Press photo/Andy Scheidler The softball field at Macon Middle School will sit empty for the remainder of April and May, two months when the middle school and high school teams would be using it nearly every day for practices or games.

NCHSAA cancels spring sports season

Andy Scheidler
Tuesday, April 28, 2020
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.  Hopes were very high once again this spring for coach Bobby Bishop and the Panthers.
Press file photo - Haley Freeman hit eight of her 10 career home runs last year as a junior. That power helped her earn a spot at the next level.

Press file photo - Haley Freeman hit eight of her 10 career home runs last year as a junior. That power helped her earn a spot at the next level.

Power-hitter lands with CVCC

Andy Scheidler
Tuesday, April 21, 2020
One of the best memories Haley Freeman has from playing softball at Franklin came during her junior year. The Panthers were playing at Brevard, and they trailed when she came to the plate with the bases loaded.  Freeman launched the ball over the fence for her first career grand slam.
Press photo/Andy Scheidler - Franklin’s new baseball locker room still had uniforms hanging on March 13, one day after the Panthers’ most recent game. It features 18 cubbies for players on Franklin’s varsity baseball team.

Press photo/Andy Scheidler - Franklin’s new baseball locker room still had uniforms hanging on March 13, one day after the Panthers’ most recent game. It features 18 cubbies for players on Franklin’s varsity baseball team.

Upgrades, renovations for sports complex

Andy Scheidler
Tuesday, April 21, 2020
Tim Hawkins coached baseball at rival Smoky Mountain in 1997 when Franklin debuted its new baseball field at Macon Middle School.
Press file photo - Cris Chavez had a breakout senior season, scoring 39 goals to go with nine assists. It helped him land a spot with a junior college program.

Press file photo - Cris Chavez had a breakout senior season, scoring 39 goals to go with nine assists. It helped him land a spot with a junior college program.

Final year fuels motivation

Andy Scheidler
Tuesday, April 14, 2020
A gruesome injury ended Cris Chavez’s junior season.  Standing in the middle of the field, he watched a cross go over his head and out of bounds. While turning to run in the other direction, his left ankle gave out and he heard it pop.
Photo submitted - Kim Jakushev will make her second straight appearance at the Boston Marathon, while Dave Evans will make his debut. The race was postponed until Sept. 14.

Photo submitted - Kim Jakushev will make her second straight appearance at the Boston Marathon, while Dave Evans will make his debut. The race was postponed until Sept. 14.

Boston marathon qualifiers alter training

Andy Scheidler
Tuesday, April 14, 2020
It’s not every day you come across someone in his mid-40s who’s in the best shape of his life.  Meet Dave Evans.  In his adolescence, he was in reasonably good shape. However, he was never consistent with anything in terms of physical fitness. He certainly wasn’t a gym rat and he didn’t run.
Press photo/Andy Scheidler - The cups at Franklin Golf Course have been raised two inches above the level of the green, which prevents people from reaching into the hole to get their ball.

Press photo/Andy Scheidler - The cups at Franklin Golf Course have been raised two inches above the level of the green, which prevents people from reaching into the hole to get their ball.

Golf courses remain open for play; take precautionary measures

Andy Scheidler
Tuesday, April 7, 2020
Jim Craig was 10 years old when he first started playing golf. That was in 1931 during The Great Depression.  Four years earlier, Craig’s family in Pennsylvania all had the flu during an epidemic. Fortunately, his uncle was a doctor and helped get them through it.
Photo/Jay Crain, App State Athletics - Andrew Terrell was a starting left fielder this spring for Appalachian State before the season was canceled.

Photo/Jay Crain, App State Athletics - Andrew Terrell was a starting left fielder this spring for Appalachian State before the season was canceled.

Spring athletes granted extra year

Andy Scheidler
Tuesday, April 7, 2020
Appalachian State University’s baseball team was on a roll, beating Sienna 9-8 for a sixth straight victory. Andrew Terrell, the starting left fielder for the Mountaineers, singled and drove in a run in that game, played March 11.
Press file photo - Dylan Garcia now owns two Franklin High School records for distance running.

Press file photo - Dylan Garcia now owns two Franklin High School records for distance running.

Garcia, ex-record holder connect

Andy Scheidler
Tuesday, March 31, 2020
Dylan Garcia broke one of Jennifer Wiggins’ records during the cross-country season in the fall.  The Franklin junior then erased another one of Wiggins’ records from the ’90s at the second track meet of the outdoor season. Garcia ran the 3,200-meter race in 11 minutes, 58.39 seconds.