Dedication in offseason key moving forward
Before the final football game at Smoky Mountain, Franklin coach Josh Brooks gave each of the team’s seniors a chance to speak and address their teammates.
“One of the biggest and most consistent things they said was the fact they were gonna miss the time our team had together,” Brooks said, “but don’t take one day for granted because it passes so fast.”
Usually when the regular season comes to an end, the Panthers then turn their attention to the state playoffs. But the 2019 season was far from a usual campaign.
FHS went 1-10 and missed the 2-A NCHSAA playoffs. It snaps a streak of 19 consecutive years qualifying for the postseason.
Making the playoffs for nearly two straight decades was a source of pride for the Panthers.
“It is a credit to consistency,” Brooks said, “and reiterates that this type of year is not what we accept, nor is it close to the norm.”
Consistency is something Panthers fans have come to expect in recent decades. This was only the second losing season out of 14 under Brooks (the other was in 2008 when they finished 5-7).
A telling stat when it comes to consistency relates to Franklin’s record in the past 14 years:
• Brooks’ first seven years: 61-28
• Brooks’ last seven years: 62-29
It was obvious this year could be an anomaly from the get go. The Panthers started 0-2, which was something they hadn’t done since 1999.
They fell to 0-8, something that hadn’t happened since a winless campaign in 1991.
The skid came to an end with a 27-0 victory against East Henderson on senior night.
It was the ninth season in school history that ended with one win.
Youth, inexperience and injuries created the perfect storm and caused the Panthers to struggle.
Franklin had 11 seniors. Only a few were starters, while four were playing the sport for the first time.
“I’m proud of the 11 seniors who started our season and stuck it out,” Brooks said.
Youth and inexperience won’t be excuses going forward. Brooks said the juniors, sophomores and freshmen will be expected to make plays they might not have this season.
“It will be interesting to see what kind of commitment we have moving forward,” Brooks said. “I truly and sincerely want to change what’s taken place. What’s taken place is not going to be acceptable. There will be no excuses moving forward that we’re young and inexperienced – no more of that.
“We’ll have new leadership and a new attitude. I want to make things different, and different on a consistent basis. We’ll see about that moving forward.”
Brooks wants to see a commitment to the weight room. As an example, he brought up Smoky Mountain’s Dustin Stephens, who rushed for 171 yards and two TDs against the Panthers. Stephens is 5-foot-8 and 160 pounds, yet Brooks said he’s as strong as an ox.
“It goes back to the same thing where we can no longer say, ‘Oh, he’s a little, bitty sophomore.’ Not anymore; we don’t have any little, bitty sophomores,” Brooks said.
“We have to get bigger, faster and stronger. It’s just that simple. We’ll do that on an individual basis, because when the individual gets better, the team gets better.”
Franklin has always hung its hat on being a very, very physical football team. But the Panthers were routinely outsized in the trenches and outmatched.
“We’re not as big anymore,” Brooks said. “We don’t have 6-3, 270-pound guys. That makes a difference up front when you don’t have that experience and aren’t as strong.”
The Panthers had a strong commitment as a team since May. They worked out during the summer and put in countless reps with assistant coaches Jay Brooks and Greg Trawick.
All of the coaches will expect more out of the players going forward to get back to their consistent level of success.
“This was not the kind of year we were looking for. We’re not gonna sit around and accept that,” Brooks said.
“But we’ll probably learn a lot from it. The seniors learned a lot as they move on to different phases of life. The struggles and adversity will probably help them moving forward. For that, I’m thankful. I’m still really blessed to do what we do.”