Finally, Panthers open season Friday at Hayesville
Ahead of a 2020-21 season that looks a bit different from years past, Franklin’s football team hopes to get back to its winning ways.
Between a down 2019 season, nearly a full year of coronavirus lockdowns, and a six-month delay that turned this year’s fall season into a spring season, much has stood in the Panthers’ way this year even before they took a single snap. Despite the challenges of a unique year, head coach Josh Brooks said his team has been working hard this offseason.
“The attitude and work ethic through all of this has been tremendous,” said Brooks of his players this offseason. “I’ve been really pleased with how they’ve handled the situation. A lot of stuff has been out of our control, but the things they can control, like working hard in the weight room, showing up for practice and having a good attitude have been tremendous. I’m really pleased with it.”
After just its second losing season in 14 under Brooks, FHS has been eager to get back to its winning ways. With an extra six months of waiting this year after the season was postponed due to COVID-19, Brooks said the team has been working especially hard in the weight room.
“Obviously, we’ve been able to have them in class, and they have weight training in class,” he said. “We’ve had kids getting extra workouts in at 6:30 in the morning, on the weekends, over Christmas break. We’ve had coaches opening the weight room for players. It’s been a pleasure to see them attack this in a manner that’s going to benefit them on the field, from a strength standpoint and a confidence standpoint.”
Based on Brooks’ plans schematically this year, the extra time in the weight room should come in handy. On offense, the Panthers will need some push up front in a run-heavy two-back attack behind running back Evan Klatt and all-conference guard Gavin Awtrey. On defense, the Panthers look to play a “Shade-50” base (five defensive linemen and two linebackers) against the run and a “3-4” base (three linemen and four backers) against the pass. Beyond the X’s and O’s though, Brooks said execution from players like Klatt, Awtrey, quarterback/cornerback Chris McGuire, and tight end/linebacker Bradley Stiles will be key this year.
“We just need to do it better. We’ve had a lot of success over two decades, but last year, we turned the ball over too much” he said. “Defensively … the biggest thing is we just have to play harder.”
Between a laundry list of COVID-19 protocols, a rainy winter muddying their practice field, and injuries to players like center Camden Cochran, the Panthers have faced a unique set of obstacles this offseason. For his part, Brooks said he was happy for the first game action since November 2019, and credited his players for rolling with the punches.
“The biggest factor has been showing up to practice with the right attitude,” he said. “Not complaining about this or that with the masks, ‘We can’t hit’, ‘We can’t practice but an hour’ or ‘We’re having to play in February’ — we just really haven’t heard that. The kids have done an awesome job.”